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What are Magic Circle law firms?
What and Who are Magic Circle Law Firms?
The Magic Circle law firms are all based in London, all massive global operations, and employ well over 5,000 solicitors between them.
The firms are:
Allen & Overy
Clifford Chance
Freshfields...
What is the difference between contentious and non-contentious legal work?
Q: What is the difference between contentious and non-contentious legal work?
A: Contentious legal work relates to legal matters that take place between two or more parties, such as a court hearing or a tribunal hearing to resolve a dispute.
Non-contentious...
Conversion Table for US GPA to UK class degrees
US Degree Classifications versus UK Degree Classifications
Converting overseas degree classifications on CVs to the local equivalent is vital, particularly in the UK.
We discovered this table online for converting US degree classifications into...
Does a Masters Degree improve Employment Prospects?
I have recently seen an advert in the Law Society Gazette for a well-known London university offering law graduates a chance to enhance their career prospects by taking one of their Masters Degrees. A question we regularly get asked by candidates...
Paying to complete the Police Station Accreditation Course – a good idea?
I have to say that when I was in practise and completed the Police Station Accreditation Course I did wonder whether someone at some point would come up with the idea of charging people a fee for them to complete the Police Station Accreditation...
Family Panel and Resolution Accredited Specialists
One of our senior candidates has been in touch this morning to point out a slight issue that keeps coming up in adverts both on our site and job boards.
“I have been looking at family vacancies on the web and noticed that some vacancies...
Advice for Australian Lawyers looking to work in the UK
I am sure in Australia lawyers often see adverts from recruitment agents telling them of shortages in the legal profession in the UK and particularly law fields. This has been the case in years gone past in the Law Society Gazette in England...
Lawyers returning to work after children
It is apparently the case that mothers returning to work after starting a family suffer the highest employment penalty of any group (Equalities Review).
Mothers with children under 11 are 37% less likely to be offered a job than equivalent males.
Single...
Lack of Quality Candidates or Just Low Pay?
Firms who regularly complain that there is a lack of quality out there and no candidates applying for their jobs, are often the same firms who offer rates of pay so low a solicitor cannot get a mortgage above £60k!
I regularly read about the...
Flexible Hours and the Legal Profession
I often have conversations with senior partners of law firms who ask me to find them lawyers who are willing to work hard, be committed to their firm, and show entrepreneurial flair and determination. However they do not want anyone lightweight...
What does a Conveyancing Solicitor do?
Conveyancing is usually divided into two areas of work in a high street setting – firstly there is residential conveyancing, and secondly there is commercial conveyancing. The difference is exactly that – one is houses for individuals...
What does a Family Solicitor do?
Family law tends to be concentrated at the high street end of the legal profession, with the majority of family lawyers dealing with matters for both private or Legal Services Commission-funded (legal aid) clients, where there is probably one...
What does a Wills and Probate Solicitor do?
Wills & probate is a real hybrid for law firms. There are some people dealing with private client work at very large law firms dealing with clients having millions of pounds of assets, and the majority working in regional and smaller practices...
What does a Corporate Commercial Solicitor do?
(also applies to the term ‘Company Commercial Solicitor’)
A company commercial solicitor is usually well paid, deals with a lot of administrative work, and spends an inordinate amount of time being nice to directors of companies...
What is a Locum Solicitor?
A locum solicitor is a lawyer who works on a short term basis only – sometimes for a few hours, and other times for a few years – to cover for absent members of staff.
Commonly used in local authorities, where staff always seem to...
What does a Crime Solicitor do?
A crime solicitor used to have a little bit of credibility about him/her, but in recent times it has almost become an embarrassment to be one. Rates for the work haven’t gone up in years, and currently a crime solicitor could earn more...
What does PQE stand for and how important is it to law firms?
PQE stands for ‘Post-Qualified Experience’, and is usually given in years or half years for solicitors and also for legal executives as well. For example, if a solicitor was admitted to the Roll in England and Wales in September...
Bonus Schemes – love them or hate them
Bonus schemes are either loathed or hated in equal proportion by solicitors. I recently read an article about recruitment consultant’s salaries, which was talking about the average bonus given to consultants and the way it was done.
It...
Rules for Law Firm Office Parties at Christmas
1. Whatever you do – do not get drunk. This is about the worst thing that can happen (and the best if it happens to someone else!).
2. Do not sit next to someone who you don’t like and get drunk. This can result in fights, particularly...
Why there is a shortfall of 3-10 year PQE solicitors
One of the reasons that law firms struggle to recruit when they are looking for solicitors of between 3 and 10 years PQE is because when solicitors spend 3 years or more in private practice, they have either:
a) got set on a career path to partnership...
Overseas Lawyers
Overseas lawyers have over the last 4-5 years or so found it easier to source work in the UK. We do not intend to discuss the issue of work permits etc.. as there are plenty of sites with excellent advice available on them already. With the...