We took a call yesterday from a solicitors firm somewhere in England and Wales, and the conversation went as follows: “Hello I wonder if you can help, we’re looking for a family paralegal.” “Yes sure, can you give me a bit more information please?” “Yes, we would like a paralegal who’s able to assist with…
We have recently introduced a candidate to an employer where a restrictive covenant was used which must surely fall foul of rather a lot of employment regulations! The role is a fairly junior fee earner position and not senior management or director level. The restrictive covenant was actually called a “non-compete clause” and included the…
Should I Stay or Should I Go? In April every year we are regularly contacted by newly qualified and 1 year PQE (post-qualification experience) solicitors who ask the following questions: 1. Should I stay with my training law firm for at least 2 years when I qualify? 2. How much should I get paid? 3.…
Top Quality Summary Sections/Personal Statements on CVs The summary at the top of a CV is one of the key areas of a CV that so often gets ignored by candidates or filled with meaningless waffle. A good number of CVs we see every day actually miss them off completely, which is an opportunity missed…
Using Logos and Images on CVs Recently we have seen a spate of CVs containing logos and images for employers worked for in the past. Fresh, Bright CVs The CVs look very fresh and bright, and the logos really make them stand out. Surely a win-win situation for everyone? You get your CV to stand…
For our full advice on in house legal jobs and moving in house from private practice (and vice versa) please visit our In House page by clicking https://www.ten-percent.co.uk/in-house-lawyers/ The advice sheet includes the following: How easy is it to move from a solicitors’ firm to an in house legal department? Can anyone do it? Is…
When I grow up I want to be a human rights lawyer (and marry George Clooney) We’ve been meaning to write this article for ages and I was only jogged into action by a long train journey and a recent spate of enquiries! So many teenagers and young adults have the idea that they want…
Making a Job Offer and matching current salary – a good idea? A candidate looks to make a move and we send them over details of vacancies. The candidate applies for a vacancy and we send a CV across to a firm, indicating current salary levels. We go through the recruitment process – interview, discussions,…
Do General Practice Solicitors still exist? At one time general practice solicitors (ie a solicitor who is able to work in a number of different areas of law) were scorned and firms avoided recruiting them. Times have changed and they are back in demand. So do they still exist? Yes, in a nutshell, but they…
Are CVs obsolete thanks to the Internet? We recently attended a recruitment agency trade fair where numerous salesmen attempted to flog us video CVs and online pre-interview software and a number of speakers told us that CVs were no longer necessary. In the digital world it is so easy to find out about someone –…
Locum Dilemna – what do I do if a firm cancels an assignment at short notice? For a full detailed list of FAQs on locums and a guide on how to be an successful locum please visit www.interimlawyers.co.uk “Hi Jonathan. I was booked back in February for a conveyancing role to last for a week…
We had a request in for legal careers advice from an LPC graduate who has been offered a training contract in a smaller sized law firm somewhere in the UK who do a lot of family law (plus other areas). His questions are as follows: I am unsure whether to take the training contract or…
There remains a national shortage of conveyancing and commercial property lawyers at all levels. We are finding it harder than usual to recruit locums this year, although we still get CVs in to over 95% of assignments, but the permanent side is very difficult. What is interesting is the trend of firms recruiting new conveyancers…
CV Writing – Tips for Getting Noticed Here are 10 top tips from us on how to get your CV noticed by employers: Make sure your CV is extremely detailed and contains all the work relevant to the application you are making. Information such as details of billing levels for the past 3 to 4…
What do umbrella companies do and is there any point using one to do locum work? We have been working with locums in the legal profession for over 10 years now and it seems to be a fairly recent phenomenon that a very small minority of our locums and other locums we’ve come across employ…
What makes a good job reference? We often get job offers for our candidates which involve a clause to say that the offer is subject to satisfactory references. A few times during the last 16 years, we have experienced difficulties getting hold of a satisfactory reference but the vast majority of references are very straightforward.…
There are an abundance of different websites online to search for legal jobs. These include job boards, agency websites, posting boards and blogs. However, these are the best sites in our experience (apart from our own of course!): 1) Law Society Gazette Online This site, until very recently, was in our opinion absolutely dreadful. The…
Very recently, a candidate got in touch about a vacancy, explaining quite apologetically that she was returning to work after a break and could she be considered for the post. As a recruiter, I have to be honest and say that whenever anybody tells me they are returning to work I almost involuntarily sigh because…
Improving chances of success when applying for a job – become a Borg Whilst working as recruitment consultants, we often get asked by candidates what they can do to improve their chances in relation to a specific job that they may be considering applying for. Very often there are a whole raft of things that…
Five common mistakes when writing a CV. Here are five very common errors that arise from CVs we receive every day of the week into Ten Percent Legal Recruitment. Some of them are glaringly obvious, others are not so straightforward. 1) Not putting any contact details on the CV This is very common and a…
Top 5 Tips for making sure you get the most out of interviews. These tips apply as much to senior members of staff and managers as they do for junior staff. They are designed so that you get the most out of the recruitment process when you apply for jobs with a law firm. 1.…
Top 5 Tips for making sure you get the most out of candidates applying for your posts. These tips apply as much to senior members of staff and managers as they do for junior staff. They are designed so that you get the most out of the recruitment process when they apply for jobs with…
Mothers returning to work – a missed opportunity? The legal profession very often lags behind other sectors for recruitment practices and HR trends. Firms have tended to be inflexible about hours, reluctant to recruit part time staff and hesitant to offer alternatives to salary increases. It is not surprising therefore that parents returning to work…
Checking Candidates As a legal recruitment agency in some aspects our life is very easy when it comes to checking candidates before submitting them for vacancies. Firstly, the Law Society maintain an online directory of all solicitors with current practising certificates. This means that a solicitor can instantly be identified and confirmed to be holding…
There are a good number of legal jobs on the web that have been listed by recruitment consultants that are not live. I can guarantee this. I reckon that for every 1 genuinely live vacancy with a finite deadline to be filled there will be 1 vacancy that is not. This means that 50% of…
This week an LPC graduate applied for a Conveyancing Fee Earner role in Central London through us (Ten-Percent Legal Recruitment). Before every other LPC graduate sends us their CV I should add that this candidate has over 12 months residential conveyancing experience in a solicitors firm already, which is why she is an extremely suitable…
Phantom Jobs and Rogue Recruitment Agencies Very recently the Law Society Gazette published an article online about phantom recruitment agents and jobs. The complaint appeared to be that candidates were attending interviews and then not hearing anything back afterwards. Another complaint appeared to be that recruitment agents were not responding to job applications with feedback.…
I have just taken the most bizarre telephone call I think I have ever received as a recruitment consultant. It went like this: Caller: Hello, is that Ten-Percent Legal Recruitment? Me: Yes it is. Caller: I’ve seen an advert for a vacancy online – its for a paralegal position in Derby. Me: Oh right. Do…
This query comes up quite regularly with legal job applicants coming into the profession. So many times I have been asked by graduates and students why we have ignored their applications for specific vacancies that require say ‘2 months legal experience’. The conversation usually goes: Caller: “But I have 2 months legal work experience.” Me:…
Elocution Lessons – a vital part of a move from the North to London? There has recently been a flurry of articles and comments in the media about the legal profession being traditional, conservative and middle class with a bias against anyone not conforming with the norm. This includes those with strong regional accents applying…