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Legal Recruitment Update
After a sluggish couple of years, I have started to feel a shift in the legal recruitment market, and I am not the only one. At Accutrainee and Accuflex, we have seen a noticeable increase in legal recruitment activity over the past few weeks. Roles are moving faster, more candidates are receiving interviews, and hiring conversations that had been on hold are starting to move again.
Some of this is seasonal. It is the time of year when legal teams receive new budgets, and there is often a push to complete legal recruitment before summer slows everything down. Traditionally, the summer months are quieter, with permanent roles delayed until September and a rise in short term or project based needs. But even with that in mind, this feels like something more meaningful in the legal recruitment landscape.
We are seeing a few more transactional roles coming through. After a long period where litigation and disputes dominated, that change could suggest a more confident outlook. When M&A and corporate transactional teams start hiring again, it usually signals a shift in demand, and that has direct implications for legal recruitment.
Legal Recruitment impacted by economic conditions
This shift also reflects broader economic signals. The Bank of England has started to reduce interest rates, and some analysts are beginning to speak more positively about the outlook. Are we returning to growth? Possibly. It is too early to say, but it does feel like legal recruitment is no longer stuck in reverse.
That said, legal recruitment remains very client driven. Friends and contacts across the industry are still finding it challenging. There is work out there, but firms and in house teams are cautious and selective. The introduction of AI tools into legal workflows is another factor. It is unlikely we will return to the same legal recruitment patterns of the past, and recruiters will need to continue adapting.
We also cannot ignore the wider context. Trump has returned to office and is already waging a global trade tariff war, fuelling further economic uncertainty. Add to that the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, and the result is a fragile global picture. That kind of instability tends to suppress movement. People stay put, businesses delay decisions, and legal recruitment suffers as a result.
Legal Recruitment – What can we do?
So what can we do? In times like these, community matters. Conversations matter. Whether you are a lawyer, a recruiter, or a business leader, taking the time to connect, support, and understand each other makes a real difference. The government has a role to play, but so do we. We can build more open and resilient networks. We can be a source of calm in a noisy world, and that is as true in legal recruitment as it is anywhere else.
For now, I remain cautiously optimistic. The legal recruitment market may not be flying, but it is no longer standing still. And that, for the first time in a while, feels like progress.
If you are curious about what we do at Accutrainee or Accuflex, whether you are exploring your next legal role or looking for talented legal professionals to support your team, we would be happy to speak with you. Reach out to find out more about how we can help.
Please find in a contact form as a client here or simply call us on +44 (0) 207 871 2822.
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