Articles From the Team

Brexit: 100 days on

So here we are, closing in on almost 100 days having passed since the majority of voters in the United Kingdom decided to leave the European Union (EU). With mayhem forecast from both the ‘leave’ and the ‘remain’ parties in terms of what the aftermath of the vote may bring, from an in-house legal recruitment perspective, things seemed to have remained relatively calm.

Whilst we are not getting ahead of ourselves, particularly bearing in mind that Article 50 has not been triggered; the initial panic demonstrated by the stock markets, leading financial institutions and the housing market seems to have resided for now. Within that, the majority of our in-house clients have reported a similar ‘steady ship’, with the underlining message in most being that effects will not be seen until the negotiations begin for the UK’s exit.

What does this mean for the in-house legal recruitment market moving forwards? In the Midlands at least, companies are still looking to add to their legal teams and as a result we have been instructed on new opportunities since the result was announced. Popular reasons for hiring often include one of the following: a) to meet the ever-expanding list of responsibilities placed on them by the business, b) because of the recent growth of the business or c) to find a replacement for someone moving on to pastures new – all of which sound pretty positive.

Interestingly, we have noticed that an increasing number of our clients are more open to considering hiring ‘interim’ lawyers when looking to fill their positions. Some would argue that this could be due to the ‘wait and see’ approach of organisations ahead of Brexit but in truth, it seems that legal teams need lawyers who have experience of settling into new environments quickly and are able to operate autonomously from day one. Not to mention that this setup also provides both parties with significantly heightened flexibility should their situations drastically shift during the UK’s exit from the EU.

In summary, we have been busy (hurrah!) at BCL Legal, since the result of the referendum was announced. Of course, we will continue to hope that organisations remain stable in the coming months and no matter what, our team will remain available to help individuals and companies as and when required.

For more information contact Liam Digan at BCL Legal.