Articles From the Team
The Rise of a Legal Centre in Southampton
Traditionally when one looks at the main hubs for legal centres we naturally think of the big cities London, Manchester & Birmingham and therefore often rule out anywhere that does not fall within a reasonable distance of these main cities. However at BCL Legal we have been a part of a rising and exciting change where top tier firms are expanding their geographical sphere and establishing new offices in the regions, in particular the South Coast.
We are currently working with leading firms that now have offices in Southampton and are growing their legal teams due to an injection of new work that has been untapped for some time as the focus has usually been on their city offices. However these top tier firms have recognised that there is an emerging market of new work in areas like Southampton and gaining momentum to capitalise on this opportunity. This has led to a natural need to recruit in Southampton so firms can keep up with the supply and demand of new work. BCL legal are assisting these top tier firms with recruitment during this exciting time and are pleased to report that they are specifically recruiting into their personal injury teams including their RTA/EL/PL teams, catastrophic injury and clinical negligence teams. Despite what you hear in the news that in wake of recent reforms personal injury is on the demise, rest assured that in Southampton this is not the case.
Those who are about to embark upon their legal career journey want to often live the dream and work in London, the epicentre of the legal world. We are however now seeing a changing trend where solicitors, legal executives, paralegals are now considering relocating to places like Southampton where you will have the opportunity to work with leading firms and live a slightly different dream away from the big smoke.
We speak to many NQ solicitors and find many are attracted to London law firms on the presumption that working in London will provide them with a higher salary as a newly qualified solicitor and provide them with a steady career ladder however in recent times this is not the case. With the country still crawling out of the depths of recession, law firms in London have naturally been affected by the economy and have had no alternative but to review their salary structures to ensure that they can cultivate the future of their practice. You will see from the link to an article from The Times that statistics show that there is virtually no difference in salaries if you work for a West End law firm or a boutique firm in the regions. Please read the article below which provides a first hand account of two solicitors who give their respective views on working for a city firm and a regional firm. http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/law/student-law/article3771077.ece
Why wait to start your legal career later in hope that you might one day join a London firm when you can have the opportunity now to join top tier firms in the regions and excel in your career?
If you are a newly qualified solicitor or a legal executive/paralegal with personal injury and litigation experience keen to start your legal career immediately please contact BCL Legal or call 0161 819 7475 to discuss NQ opportunities in the regions and in particular roles with top tier firms that are recruiting into their clinical negligence/personal injury teams and insurance litigation teams.