The View From London
July 30, 2010 by Damian
In my last blog post, I commented on how important it is from a recruiter’s point of view not to exaggerate the overall health of the job market. Bearing that in mind, after talking to my colleagues in London during the week about what is happening over there, this is hopefully a realistic overview of the London market as it currently stands.
However, before talking about what is happening now, I think that it is helpful to briefly rewind and consider how things stood this time last year. Basically, it was rubbish. Firms were laying dozens of people off, morale within the firms was at rock bottom, the deal flow dried up and the end of the world was nigh. The chances of an overseas lawyer securing a role in London was as likely as Osama being invited around to Barack’s house for a cup of tea and a chin wag.
Now, however, things have changed. Whether it is a change of government, a change in perception or just the summer sun shining, it looks like the woes of late 2008/2009 are gone and have been replaced with a healthy but cautious optimism.
It is certainly true to say that the law firms over there are hiring again. It just takes a casual look at sites like Totally Legal and Seek to see that. What is interesting is that, in addition to the litigation roles that you would expect to see, there are now corporate and finance roles being advertised, along with roles in more niche areas such as IT outsourcing and competition/antitrust.
What is even more interesting is the type of firms who are recruiting. It is not, as you would expect, the Magic Circle behemoths who are out scouting about, it is firms in the mid-tier such as Travers Smith, Macfarlanes and SJ Berwin who are leading the charge. There is good talent around and firms like these are making the most of it.
So, there are jobs, that is not in doubt. So where does this leave the Kiwi lawyer who wants to go over and drink warm beer and watch the 2011 Rubgy World Cup in a packed overpriced Walkabout pub in Shepherd’s Bush? Well, the obvious formula is that the more jobs there are, the better chance of a Kiwi lawyer getting one. At a basic level, that holds true. However, it should not be forgotten that this jobs recovery is still in its infancy and there A LOT of locally qualifieds around applying for these roles.
As such, if you are serious about getting something in London, you have to remove as many barriers as you possibly can. Firms don’t want to interview you via video-conference and pay you relocation costs so the best idea is to go to London and be available to interview face to face. (I realise that takes the huge leap of faith of resigning from your safe and stable NZ job but this post is about getting a job in London and if that’s what you want to do, then resigning and going to London is your best bet).
If you are around the 1-2 year level, the best advice is to stay where you are for another year or so. The most competitive place to be is at the UK newly qualified level so if you can avoid getting involved in that bun fight, then I would recommend that you stay where you are, get another 12 months + experience and make your move then.
For those candidates who have 3 years plus experience, a visa/passport and are in London to interview, it is fair to say that there should be options for you to consider. However, it is still not going to be easy. The days of having multiple interviews have long gone and even if you do manage to get multiple interviews, this does not mean that any of those will translate into a job offer. The reason is that firms are now interviewing more people than they used to. You may be up against 8-10 people in the first round of interviews. That is a lot of competition. You have to be patient and make sure that you are working with reputable recruiters who are looking after you and giving you the best advice possible.
If you want to talk to someone about this, please get in touch with us now. We have contacts with a very reputable agency in London who will be able to present you with a wide range of options in private practice over there.
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