Articles From the Team
Are you paying your in-house lawyers enough?
As a specialist in-house legal recruiter, I’m across the vast majority of the market, so while this isn’t an exact science and depends on many different factors, I can provide evidence of similar businesses in similar areas and what they’re currently paying. This sets a good benchmark for anyone looking for a new legal job opportunity.
As a business, it’s becoming increasingly important to move with the market. In candidate-short times, lawyers have more choice and more bargaining power. An under-par package makes it incredibly hard to recruit.
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An example...
At the moment, I’m working with two businesses who are struggling to attract candidates. One of these businesses hasn’t received any CVs. As a result of this, I provided the information below so they could use it to show the wider business they need to pay more.
- Paralegal - Financial Services, Cheshire - £30k
- NQ - Retailer, South Manchester- £42k + bonus
- 1 PQE - Transport group, South Manchester - £45k + bonus
- 3 PQE - Online retailer, North Manchester - £55k + bonus
- 3 PQE - Online retailer, Manchester - £52,500 + bonus (paid for a litigator with no commercial contracts experience)
- Senior Counsel 10 PQE+, South Manchester - £90k + package
What I’m not saying…
I’m not saying that paying under-par in terms of salary and package means you can’t recruit, but it boils down to the age-old argument of time versus money. Currently, even the best in-house opportunities are taking up to four to five months to finalise so if you’re underpaying your in-house lawyer, it’s clear to see they have the choice and opportunity to move on for more.
At the moment, it’s unusual for a good lawyer not to have more than one option, and, understandably, it’s incredibly unlikely they’ll opt for a role that’s behind the times in terms of remuneration.
Where remuneration restrictions are imposed by the wider business, I’m interested in the fact we aren’t consulted more; about where a business should pitch their role. In saying this, a lot of our clients do take our (balanced) advice and find the process easier as a result.
So, if you’re planning to recruit, bear in mind we’re happy to have these conversations and provide advice on the market. You could be waiting a long time if you don’t!
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