Articles From the Team

Finding a New Career - New Year, New Job?

For many, a new year is a time for reflection, a time to look at your life in more detail and change the things you hate.  For a lot of people this means looking for a new job.  If one of your new year’s resolutions is to kick start your career and look for something new, January and February are traditionally busy months for recruiting.  Recruiting cycles tend to ramp up after holiday breaks, particularly at the start of the year as firms take a fresh look at the structure of their teams and work in the pipeline.

2011 was a positive year in the North West legal market.  Although the economy undoubtedly remains tough, 2011 has been much more encouraging and law firms have demonstrated more confidence in the market by increasing their recruitment activity.  Across the board from the top tier, to mid tier, smaller and niche/boutique practices, an upturn in work has meant partners have sought to add to their streamlined teams with quality appointments.  Firms have been active right up until the end of the year, and although recruitment activity slows down over the Christmas period to an extent, to think it completely stops is a myth.

Consultants at BCL Legal are in discussions with firms and partners across the North West about their plans for 2012.  As well as beginning to budget for quality appointments at the mid level, they are interested in speaking to lateral partner hires and also beginning to plan for 2012 qualification early.  As the country emerges from a deep recession, many feared it would take the market longer to recover.  However, there has been a cautious air of optimism and although it is early days in the recovery from the financial crisis, there are enough signs that 2012 will show continued improvement with recruitment drives beginning in early January.

With competition for jobs in the legal market hotter than ever, our advice is to plan ahead and beat the rush.  With lots of candidates vying for the positions you apply for, seek advice on your CV and have an exploratory chat with us about your options early.  Good luck in your new year job hunt, and here’s to a prosperous 2012!