Articles From the Team
What is the East Midlands' Legal Market Like?
2017 has come and gone and with it so many things have a changed in both our personal and professional lives. It has been a year of adjusting; adjusting to the various changes we have endured on many fronts. Personally speaking, I have changed disciplines at BCL Legal and now focus on the Corporate, Commercial Litigation, Employment and Family sectors in the East Midlands & East Anglia.
The East Midlands is a very diverse legal market. There is something for everyone. Whether you’re looking for large international practices, something more regional or looking for a solid well established practice in the rural countryside, the East Midlands have it all!
There is an array of talent on offer in the Nottingham Market with the likes of top tier practices such as Eversheds, Browne Jacobson & Freeths servicing National and International clients from their Nottingham based offices. Geldards LLP has recently undertaken a transaction that has been ranked as one of the top 20 deals in the Midlands, and the Nottingham office of Gateley PLC has aided in the sale of Bonds Confectionery which is one of the oldest confectionary companies in the UK. As we move closer to Leicestershire, we have the likes of Shoosmiths, Shakespeare Martineau and Spearing Waite with teams specialising in the finance and banking disputes sectors for a host of private financiers, major lending institutions and lenders.
For those who would prefer to explore more of a regional sized practice, you will find the likes of Flint Bishop, Actons, Cummins Solicitors, Fraser Brown and BHW where you will get genuine partner contact and larger levels of autonomy at early stages of your career. There are very niche options too such as a solid East Midlands based practice, Nelsons, that can offer an opportunity to work for a team dedicated to servicing telecoms, media and technology sector clients for contentious and non-contentious issues.
As the post-Brexit referendum dust settles, the appetite for specialist corporate advice has begun to increase and since then law firms have been handling a steady flow of commercial work, frequently with an international element. The end of economic recession brought a revival of debt recovery work and insolvency litigation, and the market for general commercial and real estate litigation remains steady. Private client work for high-net-worth individuals is another area of growth, both in family-related matters and tax and estate planning.
The same can be applied to the East Anglian market, especially in certain locations such as Cambridge. Cambridge houses a number of top tier firms such as Pennington Manches, Birketts, Mills & Reeve, Greenwoods, Hewitsons to name a few and acts as a legal hub particularly in the Corporate sector.
The majority of the firms mentioned will match the salaries offered in the larger city offices. In fact, given that the cost of living is lower outside of the larger cities, it would probably prove more cost effective to live in the East Midlands! Typically, the top tier practices start their NQ salary at circa £40,000 for the more complex disciplines.
If you would be interested to discuss opportunities within the East Midlands market, please contact BCL Legal on 0121 230 1022 for a brief confidential conversation.