Articles From the Team

What does a Legal Recruiter in London actually do?

Before I entered the world of recruitment, I thought I had an accurate idea of what a recruiter does. Now that I am 6 months in, I can say that I had a lot of wrong preconceptions.

Legal recruitment certainly isn’t as easy as posting a job and waiting for applications to come flooding in.

I come across a lot of conveyancing solicitors whom I work with who are often confused about what a legal recruiter does. Therefore, I thought it would be useful to break down how I and many of my colleagues work when securing candidates new jobs.

The recruitment process

Step 1

We try to get as much information from our law firm client as possible about the actual job spec.

It is important for us to know:

• How has the role arisen
• What impact is the vacancy having on the team and the wider company
• How long has the role been open for
• What is the team like
• What is the company culture like
• Remuneration package including perks and benefits
• Social aspects of the working environment
• Flexible working arrangements
• Day to day responsibilities
• Progression opportunities
• And anything else that could be of interest to potential solicitors

Step 2

After careful consideration of our client’s needs, we then search our extensive legal database of thousands of registered solicitors. We complete a detailed search and match based on the criteria we have received from our clients. At BCL Legal we are lucky to have access to the largest legal database of solicitors in the UK which makes our job as recruiters a lot easier.

Depending on the legal firm we are working with, it is important to consider factors such as previous academics and the work history of the candidate (namely past firms they have worked for). Some legal firms can be very selective over a solicitors background while other firms are more lenient.

Step 3

We advertise the role on all appropriate channels, including our own website.

Step 4

We attempt to contact all identified and shortlisted solicitors who meet the brief. When a solicitor is engaged with us, we then take equally as much time to get to know them as we initially invested when speaking to the client. We want to know as much about the solicitors we work with as possible, for example:

• Current situation and why the solicitor is looking to make a move
• How long have they been looking for
• What impact has the job search had on them
• Current remuneration and remuneration sought
• What a typical working week looks like for them including working hours, flexible working arrangements, and commute
• Previous legal work experience and law firms worked for
• Their preference regarding working environment, size and type of the firm as well as location
• Their notice period and any pre-booked holidays
• Likes and dislikes for team dynamics and socials
• And anything else that would be important to take into consideration when helping solicitors with their job search.

Step 5

Following the pre-screen of the solicitor against the job spec received, if the two are a match, we then get to work on fine-tuning and tidying up the solicitor’s CV before submitting the full application to our client. We do, of course, always get consent from the solicitor before sending their application out.

Step 6

If our client is interested in getting to know the solicitor, we arrange an appropriate time either for a face to face interview, a video session or a phone call.

Step 7

Before the actual interview, we catch up with the solicitor again to ensure their requirements still align with our client’s as well as to provide interview preparation. Interview preparation can include providing information about the interviewer and background on the law firm or the job opportunity itself.

Step 8

Once the interview has taken place, we catch up with both our client and the solicitor individually to get feedback and to see what the next step would look like.

Step 9

Hopefully, both parties feel the interview was positive and they wish to proceed with the process. If all is positive, depending on the interview structure of the law firm, the next step may require a further interview or meeting. Some candidates may need to create business plans, which we as recruiters, we can also help with.

If our client is ready to make an offer we obtain the full offer details including remuneration and salary details, start date, working hours and anything else included as part of the employment package.

Step 10

Before we are ready to convey the good news to the candidate, we catch up with the solicitor to receive further feedback on how they would like to proceed. We will ask how for the candidate's thoughts on the offer received and, if they feel their expectations are met by our client’s offer, we release the full offer details. If the offer is at all shortcoming, we then establish with the candidate what their ideal offer would look like to facilitate a successful conclusion.

Step 11

In an ideal world, the offer received from our client matches the solicitor’s expectations and the offer is immediately accepted. Where this is not the case, we go back to asking both parties more questions to negotiate and conclude on common ground.