Articles From the Team

When is the right time to leave London and relocate to Leeds?

When is the right time to leave London and relocate to Leeds?

The lure of the magic circle, silver circle and beyond means that many northern lawyers take the plunge to up-sticks and relocate to the Big Smoke to find their fortunes.  London has a lot to offer, both in terms of career opportunities and cultural, artistic and social amenities but it comes at a price and at an unforgiving pace, so when is the time to take stock and make the decision to head back to your roots?

For many, they have spent their 20's/30's in London, met the love of their lives and are ready to take that huge, scary step of starting a family. Naturally, you start thinking about your family and friends and the support structure you'd be missing out on back home and start thinking about London with a small child and for many they decide it's time to head home!  For others they are 'just over' London, they've had good training, established a strong basis for their career, worked hard and are keen to get out.

For reasons unbeknown, London isn't the friendliest place in the UK, particularly compared to the North where you can pretty much strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere. Try striking up a conversation on the tube and people will assume that there's something strange about you.  A move back to Yorkshire for some can actually mean you are better off despite a lower regional salary because the price difference between everything is so extreme, from a pint of beer to the price of property. Giving up your slightly too small London flat will probably mean a large detached house in Leeds…

If you're working at a large firm chances are you'll be putting in excessively long hours, only to finish work and find that the pace outside of the office is even faster with everybody running everywhere. A few years down the line you start to feel a little frazzled!

Leeds is the largest legal centre outside of London and is consequently a strong draw for any northern lawyers looking to move back home. It is a vibrant and thriving city - which can offer an increased work/life balance with all the facilities you would expect of a major international city; first-class shopping centres, fantastic nightlife, a range of Michelin starred restaurants, excellent cultural facilities, sporting facilities and theatres but it is still at the heart of some of the most beautiful countryside in the UK.

In addition, those who have trained down in London and are relocating back home are readily welcomed at the top firms in Leeds and with a marked increase in jobs in the commercial disciplines there has never been a better time to relocate.  In addition, you don’t necessarily have to compromise on the quality of work; the leading firms in Leeds are working on top level transactions, both national and international, for high profile clients and in many firms you will have a larger role to play in the transaction, at an earlier stage in your career, than you would at a top London firm.

So, if you are a northerner living down in London and are ready to make the move then get in touch for a confidential conversation.