With the prospect of a new role on the horizon, arguably the hard bit is done. You have aced your interviews, impressed your new Firm, and are no doubt looking to the future and the next steps in your career.

But even with the excitement of a new legal position looming, there is still an incredibly important step to take in making that move – handing in your resignation to your current Firm.

Here we offer our top tips on how to address this often-uncomfortable conversation – and ultimately remain professional, and on good terms as you exit the business.

1. Communicate To Your Manager First

With an exciting new role to look forward to, it can be tempting to tell close associates and friends, however the first person who should hear about it is your reporting manager. If a senior partner, or even your Manager themselves hears about your intention to leave from another colleague, it goes without saying that it won’t leave a favourable impression which is ultimately what a well-thought our resignation is trying to achieve.

Arrange a time to speak to your Manager and let them know the situation first. Face-to-face is ideal as it minimises any misunderstandings or miscommunication, although video call would also work well for those who work remotely or in order to expedite the process.  It is best practice to verbally tell your Manager of your intention to leave along with the reasons that have led to that decision as it is highly likely that you will be asked both why you are leaving and where you are going to – so it’s wise to have a response planned.

2. Be Prepared For Conversations Around Negotiation

Whatever the reason or reasons for leaving your current firm, it is always worth having a preliminary conversation before you start looking for new opportunities, to see if those initial reasons may be overcome. If, however that conversation didn’t take place, you should nevertheless consider what you would do should a counter-offer be on the table once you make your intention to resign clear.

In the current market, where demand for legal professionals is outstripping supply, this is exceptionally common, so you need to at least be prepared for such a scenario and ask yourself, would you actually accept a counter-offer?. The answer to that lies in ultimately revisiting the reasons you wish to leave in the first place.

Counter-offers take many forms including increased pay, a promotion, enhanced benefits, or a combination of all of those, and there is no doubt that it can feel flattering to be in that position. However, research suggests that 80% of people who accept a counter-offer tend to leave within 6-12 months of accepting. Is it likely you’ll also be part of that statistic?

3. Prepare Your Resignation Letter

Once the decision to leave is final, you must put this in writing. When it comes to your resignation letter, it should be short and polite. Within the letter itself, it is not necessary to justify your reasons for leaving your current law firm or go into lengthy explanations as you can are likely to have (or have had) a more informal chat about this with your reporting Manager. The document is simply to cover the legalities of ending your contractual agreement with your employer and will be kept on record, so details like the date of the notice, confirmation of notice period, and last working day should be accurate.

You may wish to use the formal communication as an opportunity to highlight things you are grateful for – skills you have learnt, help and advice you have received, and opportunities to boost your legal career that have been offered, but that is not mandatory. Do, however avoid the temptation to criticise your colleagues, boss, partners or clients.

4. Discuss Those Finer Details

Your Manager will most likely want to discuss with you the finer details around how and when you will let colleagues know you are leaving. You may wish to inform them individually, or as a group, or have your Manager tell them for you.

You also need to confirm your notice period and how this affects your new role start date. This should be communicated clearly in your contract of employment, but it is always worth a conversation on whether it is realistic to shorten this (if desired by any party) or even extend it on request.

Whether your notice period is 2 weeks, 2 months or anything in between, its important you are aware of this before giving your new employer a start date that you may not be able to commit to. Be prepared that in some cases, you may be placed on gardening leave rather than working your notice period.

Garden leave (or gardening leave) is when an employer tells an employee not to work either part or all of their notice period. This could be because the employer does not want the employee to have access to sensitive or confidential information they could use in a new job (Source: ACAS) In this case, you are still employed by your employer, just not working for them and therefore you are still entitled to your salary and contractual agreements in this period of time.

5. Plan A Robust Handover

Scheduling time to plan for a smooth transition shows you to be a true legal professional and not someone who leaves a law firm or an employer in the lurch, or projects unfinished. Think about your specific areas of responsibility – current caseloads, unfinished assignments, urgent jobs and upcoming commitments, as well as information on your clients that your successor or wider team will need.

If possible, invest some time in training up your successor, or at least making formal handover notes, to ensure you minimise the impact on the firm when you leave and once again, keep the working relationship positive.

6. Start Clearing Your Desk

Once colleagues are aware that you are leaving, you can start to clear your desk so that it’s ready for the next occupant. Removing paperwork, filing and archiving, binning wastepaper and taking personal items such as photographs home will ensure your workplace is ready, clean and welcoming for the next person.

7. Stay Committed

It may be tempting to spend time planning what you will do in your upcoming new legal role (and if time permits, there is definitely merit in keeping in touch with your new employer during your notice period – following their social media accounts to keep track of the latest news, be aware of any networking events etc) but nevertheless, you are still being paid to do your current job – so it’s important to remain committed to that role until the very end.

Remaining an active team player, working hard up to the last minute and completing casework where possible will be noted by colleagues and your employer and will ensure you leave on a positive note – and your professional reputation within the legal community follows you as you move on.

8. Embrace The Exit Interview

If you are offered an exit interview by your law firm, it’s always a good idea to take that opportunity while you can. These usually take place between yourself and a HR manager and are aimed at establishing any way in which they can improve the firm or addressing issues of which they may be unaware of.

While you can, at this point, bring to light any concerns you might have, keep your observations professional and your criticism constructive, always keeping in mind not to burn any bridges.

Taking these steps will not only provide closure on your previous role but will ensure you leave your law firm a well-respected and professional ex-colleague, with whom your former team and senior partners will be happy to network with and recommend in the future.

Next Steps

If you need any more general guidance as you exit one role for another, or are at the very start of your search for a new opportunity, do give our recruitment specialists a call today.

• Preston: 01772 259121
• Manchester: 0161 9147 357
• Liverpool: 0151 2301 208
• Yorkshire: 0113 3979 929
• Midlands: 0121 2963 819
• London: 0203 7149 446

About Clayton Legal

Clayton Legal has been partnering with law firms across the country since 1999 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability. We have made over 5,000 placements from Partners to Legal Executives, Solicitors to Paralegals and Legal IT personnel to Practice Managers.

Whether you are building your legal team or are looking for your next career move, we can help. Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.

Starting a new chapter in your career can feel daunting at the best of times. Throw in a backdrop of socio-political and economic instability, a cost-of-living crisis, and even the impact of things like the ongoing war in Ukraine – and it may seem wiser to sit tight and ride it out.

That being said, putting your longer-term career goals on hold is rarely a smart move, especially if you are unhappy in your current role, feel frustrated at the lack of progression opportunities, or need a new challenge that fits in with your ambition.

Despite the volatile market conditions that were felt across most sectors in Q4 2022, and encroached brazenly on the first few months of this year, there are some green shoots of good news that appear to be having an effect on the renewed appetite of hiring managers.

This then presents an excellent opportunity for those in search of their next role to take that first step towards achieving their career goals, and capitalise on the hunt for top talent in the job market.

And,  whilst it is our job to shout from the rooftops why legal professionals should use the services of a recruitment consultant to give them a tangible step up and competitive advantage, now more than ever, those who are tapping into the sector expertise of agencies are reaping the benefits and continuing their own journeys of career progression.

Market Overview

Recruitment Consultants have a vested interest in understanding the sector in which you (and by extension, they) operate, and because of the trusted position that they have with Clients, they will undoubtedly be able to offer you market insight, practice-specific guidance as well as trends and activity they are experiencing in the recruitment cycle. Good agencies will have an in-depth knowledge of firms within your sector too – from Magic- and Silver-Circle Firms in the City to Boutique and High Street practices in more rural areas, a Consultant will be able to offer you impartial and professional guidance on the market as part of a truly consultative relationship that ensures you are fully armed and aware of your options.

Time better invested

We know from talking to our legal candidates that the legal sector is still somewhat notorious for long hours and overtime, and although the sentiment around flexible working has changed, with companies more willing to offer a greater degree of flexibility to their employees, the lines between family and work life are now increasingly blurred.

Therefore, finding time to invest in job hunting is a big ask, even with the world of technology, multiple job boards and social media channels at your fingertips. There is no doubt that a good recruitment consultant will want to take time to understand your CV and experience inside out; your skills, your drivers for wanting to leave your current role, and ultimately your aspirations and goals – but this should be an investment that will pay dividends in better representing you in the market. Agencies that keep you updated on progress, whatever the outcome, are worth their weight in gold and should allow you to have confidence that they will search the market for roles that are the best fit on all fronts- freeing up time for you to focus on preparing for interviews and the sharper end of the process that will hopefully lead to an offer.

Access to the inside track

As the job market picks up, the volume in the digital world of job ads is cranked up – and can often be overwhelming, repetitive and vague. You may find as a candidate that you see the same role advertised in numerous places, or that the job description is so ambiguous you are left unsure if it’s a good fit. A recruitment consultant will not only help to cut through the noise but will also be able to furnish you with the finer detail of roles advertised far beyond a job spec. Culture, values, and ‘fit’ are hard to articulate in written ads, but recruitment consultants have often long-established relationships with clients and can offer you the inside track on them as a potential employer.

In addition, many recruitment agencies will often have roles on exclusively – they have been entrusted to fill those positions by clients who recognise their expertise in the market – and in turn, as a job seeker utilising the services of the agency, you will have access to roles often before they hit joe public; giving you a head start on your own competition in the candidate pool.

Practical support with the basics – refined by experts.

Consultants know a good CV when they see one – and they see a lot. Even those working in professional services often benefit from practical tips on CV improvements and enhancements, particularly when making them bespoke to the role you are applying for. Take on board any guidance around interview preparation for particular clients to give you a fighting chance, as well as practical advice around the much-accelerated virtual hiring experiences being adopted by Recruitment Agencies and Law Firms alike in recent months.

The human touch

A professional Recruitment Agency should, in this day in age, have a world-class ‘tech stack’ that tangibly benefits their Clients and Candidates. Whether that is through systems that produces better matches between roles and candidate profiles or allows candidates to bring their professional profile to life – technology undoubtedly can aid the recruitment cycle and chance of success.

That being said, overwhelmingly where Recruitment Consultants excel is the personal touch that you get from speaking candidly, confidentially and openly with another person. Moving jobs can be draining, and whilst they may have their part to play, automatic job alerts and the like, pinging into your inbox just won’t offer the emotional support and empathy that you get from Consultants who are fully emersed and experienced in the recruitment cycle and all its nuances.

Salesperson, Negotiator, Arbitrator.

Recruitment Consultants are unashamedly sales-trained and commercially minded, and when you take those skills and couple them with a deep-rooted understanding of their clients, the result is professional representation from someone who knows how to sell ‘you’ – your experience, skill set, competencies and values – and leverage those elements with the non-negotiables of the client.

Moreover, once an offer is on the table, your Consultant will act as negotiator (sometimes arbitrator) with the Client in order to not only cover off some of the basics like remuneration and package, but set expectations around notice periods, start dates and the finer details of your contract. All without you having to have any forced or awkward conversations at the early stage in your relationship.

Service-led support throughout relationship

Support for legal professionals does not end once an offer has been accepted either. Many agencies will proactively offer guidance if required around resignation, how to combat counteroffers, and keep lines of communication open between all parties as you work your notice or are put on garden leave.

Agencies that offer real added value to both clients and candidates will also build on the relationship you have built as you start your new role, and beyond – again, offering impartial guidance on passing probation, wider networking and professional development opportunities.

Conclusion

Whilst the world is still arguably finding its feet again after the pandemic and seismic shifts on attitudes concerning the world of work, we are seeing real confidence once again in the UK legal sector with firms that are committed to their growth strategies and bringing in talent that supports their vision. As demand outstrips supply in several practice areas, legal professionals who are now thinking beyond notice periods will find that now is a good time to strike and take action.

If you would like to speak to us confidentially about market conditions, opportunities in your practice area or geographical region, or if you are actively looking for a role and would like us to help give you that competitive edge, we would love to speak to you. Contact us here or call the office on 01772 259121 for more information on how our exceptional recruitment experience can help your career aspirations.

About Clayton Legal

Clayton Legal has been partnering with law firms across the country since 1999 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability. We have made over 5,000 placements from partners to legal executives, solicitors to paralegals and legal IT personnel to practice managers.

If you are building your legal team or looking for your next career move, we can help. Call us on 01772 259 121.

If you would like to access our free guides, view them all here.

“Burnout Is Nine Tenths Of The Law”

This old saying arguably still rings true in the 21st century when ‘stress’ and ‘burnout’ were often perceived to come with the turf as a lawyer, long before anyone had even heard of Covid-19, and the seismic changes that brought to the workplace.

There are numerous reports, research, and insight that indicates the burnout crisis has actually worsened over the past few years – driven by the blurring of boundaries between personal and work life as emails and calls are answered out-of-hours, and working from home often means working around the clock.

Solicitors and other legal professionals are acutely aware of the negative impacts of an overworked lifestyle, as seen from the results of a survey done by Legatics, with over 25% of lawyers stating that they experience burnout on a daily basis. With increasing caseloads and long working hours, stress can creep up and lead to burnout for those who don’t take measures to maintain their work-life balance, and address the warning signs head on.

Of course, sometimes that’s easier said than done. When legal professionals are engaged in their work, they are invested in their law firm and more likely to work harder towards their goals. However, they can also fall victim to the workaholic culture that is rooted in this field and feel pressured to ’soldier on’ at the risk of their own well-being.

By their very nature, legal professionals are perfectionists, high-achievers and undoubtedly ambitious – yet LawCare, a non profit organisation for the legal sector, reported that ‘stress’ is the top reason people within this sector called their helpline.

In this article, we’ll take a look at the signs of burnout and the steps you can take to avoid it.

But before we do, it’s worth defining the difference between stress and burnout. Although often used simultaneously, they are very different things.

The Difference Between Stress and Burnout

It’s essential to know the difference between stress and burnout.

Stress is common to all of us and can be caused by anything from dealing with your end of month deadlines, to delivering a case to court or pitching for a new client.

In other words, stress can kick in when we have a little more on our plate than usual, and often with timely deadlines. Sometimes this can be a good thing as it provides the motivation to get the job done – good stress as the name implies helps you perform well in a challenging situation, because it wires the brain in a positive way, leading to stronger neural networks and greater resilience.

However, burnout is something different.

Burnout is a complete inability to function, even on a fundamental level. Exhaustion, disillusionment and despair are vital signs, and it is common for sufferers not even to have the will to get out of bed.

Additionally, burnout can take a long time to recover from, and so it’s critical to maintain your mental health in the workplace to ensure you are working at peak performance: for yourself, your team, and your firm.

Who Is At Risk?

‘You can only “burnout” if you have been “alight” in the first place’. (Mindtools)

Anyone can become exhausted. But did you know that burnout mainly strikes people who are highly committed to their work?

Burnout often happens to high achievers – the individuals who relentlessly volunteer for additional caseloads or to stay late regularly to help prepare reports.

The nature of high performers also means that they are happy to help others – all adding to the weight of their work. From mentoring Paralegals to ‘just helping Dan get this table centred on his document’ – these additional tasks may be small things, but they will start to chip away at the individual’s ability to cope.

The Signs of Burnout

Are you at risk from burnout at work? Here are the signs to watch out for:

You have an excessive workload:

•  Too much work on your plate leads to longer hours, poor diet, little sleep and low energy, which manifests as stress and soon leads to mental and physical exhaustion.

Your get up and go has gone:

• You just can’t be bothered with the things that used to interest you. And not only at work – but socially too.

Your stress response is heightened:

• Normally calm and considered, you have a short fuse as your stress levels rise. You may become prone to angry outbursts and a personality shift.

You’re experiencing severe exhaustion:

•  You can barely summon up the energy to get up in the morning and have no desire to get dressed and go to work. This goes beyond low motivation; the very thought of having to get out of bed and go to the office can make you feel physically ill.

You feel cynical

• Your previously positive attitude dissolves into a feeling that everything is meaningless. The things that used to motivate you – pride in a good job, inspirational colleagues, ambition to do well in your career – all now seem pointless.

You have dark thoughts

• Burnout can take your mind to a bad place. The belief that you can’t change how you currently feel can leave you fearing the worst-case scenarios.

Avoiding Burnout

There’s no getting away from the fact that burnout is extremely serious, and much more than just a case of being ‘a bit stressed’ at work. If you, or a colleague, is exhibiting any of the above signs, now is the time to deal with them.

1. Rediscover Your Why

‘Why’ Look at the impact of the work you do and the positive effect it has on other lives. The PERMA model can help bring meaning to your life. If you think you are in the wrong role, maybe now is the time to consider a move and rediscover your passion for what you do.

2. Reassess Your Workload

What do you need to do, and what is additional? Reassess your role to identify what is essential and what you can delegate to cut out the excess. If necessary, schedule time with your Senior Partner to discuss reallocating non-essential work.

3. Exercise

From a yoga session to taking up squash, whatever floats your boat is good for the psyche. Building in time to exercise can not only increase your health but provide additional benefits such as positivity and energy, as well as contribute to a better night’s sleep.

4. Readdress Your Work-Life Balance

Make time to spend away from the office with friends and family. Doing something you love – maybe something creative or just relaxing – will help you perform more effectively when you are at work, as well as improve your work-life balance.

5. Manage Your Stress

Mindfulness techniques can help with short-term stress. A regular five- or ten-minute meditation will clear your neural pathways and calm your breathing, enabling you to tackle projects and caseloads more efficiently.

6. Think Positively

A fascinating body of research by the Harvard Business Review indicated that re-labelling negative stress emotions as something positive can help you see things in a positive light, rather than a negative pressure.

So, fear becomes anticipation, flustered becomes excited, and dread becomes caution.

In Conclusion

Whilst burnout isn’t classed as a medical diagnosis, it was classified in 2019 as an ‘occupational phenomenon’ by the World Health Organisation (WHO); a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.

And whilst working within the legal profession can be incredibly rewarding, it can also be overwhelming and stressful by its very nature.

This feeling of overwhelm, stress, and eventual burnout does not happen overnight, and whilst it can be a serious problem if left unchecked, recognising the warning signs and taking action early on is key.

What Next?

If you found this article informative, check out more of our blogs written primarily for the legal profession, or if you’re looking for that ideal legal role, check out the vacancies we have available.

For further tips or advice, call our team on 01772 259 121 and let’s have a conversation to explore your options.

About Clayton Legal

Clayton Legal has been partnering with law firms across the country since 1999 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability. We have made over 5,000 placements from Partners to Legal Executives, Solicitors to Paralegals and Legal IT personnel to Practice Managers.

If you are building your legal team or looking for your next career move, we can help. Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.

At Clayton Legal, we’ve long been advocates of the humble cover letter to create standout for our Legal candidates and provide that golden opportunity to add personality and interest in the role, over and above a CV. Although there is often some debate about the usefulness and relevance of this format. In fact, according to some recent research that we conducted within our legal network, 45% think they are no longer necessary…

The pandemic undoubtedly accelerated the use of technology as part of the hiring and recruitment process, and candidate profiles were (and continue to be) further enhanced through video and other digital platforms that allow all parties to explore role profiles and best fit, particularly when face-to-face interviews were largely paused, and are no longer the ‘standard’ anymore.

What is clear is that any format that provides junior lawyers chance to demonstrate suitability for specific roles and illustrate relevant skills and experience can only be an advantage – especially in creating stand out.

In short, they are a golden opportunity to introduce yourself, highlight your most desirable skills, and create a good impression to either/both your legal recruiter or the hiring manager of the firm(s) in question.

So why on earth are they so often skimmed over – or even worse, left out altogether?

Without a cover letter, your job application is just another sheet of paper, or another PDF file on the computer screen – one often lacking in personality and excitement.

And you know what? That’s fine: after all, the CV’s function is to list experience and skills. Your cover letter is there to add interest.

Without a cover letter, your CV is much more likely to be skimmed over and discarded. It might not even be read at all – almost certainly the case if the job description has asked for a cover letter to be included.

However, that’s not to say that any old cover letter will do.  There’s an art to writing a good cover letter – one that will make a recruiter straighten in their seat and think, ‘hmm, this person looks interesting.’

WHAT TO INCLUDE AND WHAT TO LEAVE OUT OF A LEGAL COVER LETTER 

• Write your cover letter in the first person. When you’ve written your first draft, check over it and you’ll probably find that you’ve started every single sentence with ‘I’. Go back and reword some of the sentences so that they have variation in how they begin – it makes the cover letter read better and will increase the impact.

• Mix it up and write different cover letters for different organisations. Personalisation is key and always gets noticed. Your legal recruitment consultant can help you with this. For each legal job application, scour the job ad to look at the particular skills or competencies they’re seeking. Write your cover letter to tell them how your skills and experiences fit what they are looking for. Include why you want to work for their company too.

• Remember not to ramble: If it’s a big block of text crammed onto one page, then you put the person off ever reading it at all. Four to six very short paragraphs are the perfect length.

• Ensure you create white space between each major piece of information, so that it is easy to read and pick out the critical parts. In today’s online world many cover letters could be read on mobile so factor this in too.

• Use straightforward, clean language; you are a legal professional after all. Complex language can be a headache for the reader and confuses the message – i.e. why you’re the ideal person for the role.

• Break overly long sentences into shorter ones, then read it aloud and see how it sounds.

• Put all your contact details on the cover letter. If you are unavailable to take calls during working hours, advise when is suitable.

• Make sure you mention the name of the company in the body of the cover letter and demonstrate that you have done your research on the company in some way. This marks the application out as targeted and that you care enough to make your application stand out.

• Strike a balance. Every company enjoys being flattered. While you want to demonstrate you are the right person for the role, be aware you don’t come across as sounding desperate.

• Don’t send your letter without having someone read over it for spelling and grammar mistakes. Of course, run it through spellcheck first, but that won’t always pick up homophones such as ‘their and there’ or ‘your and you’re’.

• Put real thought into what the reader might find interesting about you, your work experience, your interests and your personality.

In short, keep it short. Keep it readable. Keep it relevant to the job offer. Get someone to check it. Above all, put some serious effort into making sure it’s as good as it possibly can be, as a lack of effort will rarely open the door to an interview.

About Clayton Legal

Clayton Legal has been partnering with law firms across the country since 1999 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability. We have made over 5,000 placements from partners to legal executives, solicitors to paralegals and legal IT personnel to practice managers.

If you are building your legal team or looking for your next career move, we can help.
Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.

If you’re reading this, then chances are you’ve managed to succeed in doing two things:

The first, is finally getting that legal role you’ve worked long and hard to land, for which you owe yourself a massive pat on the back and a huge congratulations once again.

Now that your foot is firmly through the door and you’ve been introduced to your colleagues and starting to get on with the job at hand, this next 3-6 months (or perhaps longer) is crucial to ensure you breeze by the next milestone in your career – passing your probation.

Probationary Period: A Definition

According to the CIPD, a probationary period is the time where your employer will be assessing your suitability for the role and general capabilities identified at the interview stage.

As a general rule in the UK legal sector, probationary periods last anywhere between three and six months, depending on the level of the role – and is also a period where you too are assessing your own suitability and ‘fit’ as a new employee.

I’m sure at this early stage in your new role, a thousand and one things must be running through your head at this thought, such as your hitting your objectives, impressing your manager and peers, and generally meeting their expectations – and it’s probably taken up quite a bit of headspace already. The truth is that a lot of these worries can be quelled by taking a few simple steps to ensure you’re on the right trajectory to become a bonafide part of the furniture.

The first thing to say is that you’ve already got this far by making a killer first impression – talking about your skillset and suitability for the role throughout the interview process. However, this next crucial stage is about demonstrating that suitability.

And, whilst the first few months in a new role can often be somewhat of a rollercoaster as you settle into your new team, the environment, and the workload, our top 6 tips below should help to ensure you tick all the boxes as you head towards that all-important probation meeting in a few months’ time.

1. Don’t forget the basics

Dress code, punctuality and the right attitude are all non-negotiables if you’re serious about standing out to your manager and colleagues. Make sure your appearance is neat and professional and in line with the firm’s dress code policy. You should also be mindful of avoid unnecessary absences, if at all possible, as well as frequent tardiness. Getting to work and meetings prepared and on time is important at all stages in your career, never more so than in these first impactful first few months.  Basic as they may seem, having these things covered can do a lot to calm the nerves and help you settle in well in those first few weeks.

2. Consider the ‘double-A criteria’

I’m sure one of the first things that spring to mind when thinking about your probation is how you’ll fare compared to expectations regarding your ability and competence when doing your job – after all, that is the crux of what you’ll be assessed on during your end of probation review. However (believe it or not) your competence in your role is less likely to be the reason you’d fail your probation.

During your hiring process, your legal recruiter as well as those hiring at your law firm, will have assessed your CV, qualifications, experience, and skills aligned to the job role – and this first few months are now how you demonstrate what we call the ‘double-A criteria’

• Attitude and
• Aptitude

HRmagazine in the UK and LeadershipIQ in the US shared extensive data that confirms that attitudes drive over 89% of hiring failures, while a lack of technical ability came in at only 11%. Career Builder shared similar alarming research that 30% of managers had sacked staff for poor timekeeping.

Therefore in summary, it will be your mindset, your can-do attitude, and your positivity that will hugely impact your success over this critical period.

Plus, if there are things you are perhaps struggling with technically, it is highly likely your new firm will offer training and support to upskill. A positive attitude and will to succeed however can’t be taught – so you need to ensure you bring this to the table yourself.

3. Be obsessive about organisation

Staying on top of your work is paramount in any context and your first week or two in your new role is no different. As you’re gradually eased into the job and given more responsibility, staying organised will give you the opportunity to not only show your boss you’re productive but also that you’re capable of handling the workload and are completely on top of things.

There are many productivity and ‘work management’ tools out there that can help massively with this, too, such as Monday.com, Asana or Trello  – many of which offer free access (for the basic product) or at least a free trial period.

These powerful 3^rd party tools are great for cross-team collaboration, reporting and project management, yet it’s also worth saying that even an Excel spreadsheet or a notebook that helps you keep track of tasks and to-do lists are a great starting point.

4. Don’t be afraid to speak up

Particularly if you aren’t sure how to do something, have questions, or generally need help. I’m sure you’ve heard this one over and over and undoubtedly it can be easier said than done when all you’ve got on your mind is how to impress your manager and peers.

The reluctance to ask questions often stems from new recruits not wanting to come across as incompetent or being unable to use their own initiative, however being inquisitive is a truly positive trait that can have the opposite effect. In your first few weeks for example, you’re going to have a lot of information thrown at you and unless you’ve got an unusually great memory, you’re simply not going to be able to remember every single thing you’re told (even if you’re able to get most of them down on paper). Asking questions or simply saying ‘I don’t understand’ can and will show your colleagues and employers that you’re invested in learning more about your role and giving yourself the best chance of succeeding in it.

Plus, according to a recent article in Forbes, there may actually be a ‘risk’ in assuming you do know – so always raise your hand, put your head above the parapet, and be vocal to get clarification (and demonstrate your enthusiasm and willingness to learn).

5. Be proactive

The first few months of your probation present an excellent opportunity to raise your professional profile via networking, whether it be with colleagues at the workplace or with other legal professionals at external events.

Depending on the size of your firm, there may also be internal committees, programmes or steering groups to get involved in such as those focused on Corporate Social Responsibility, business improvements or pro bono projects in the community. Getting involved in things like these early on will undoubtedly help to solidify relationships with others in the business – and more than likely, other individuals outside of your direct team or department. As well as demonstrating that you are passionate about the business, it also, by proxy, raises your profile throughout the firm as someone who (already) has a vested interest in its future.

6. Leave time to prepare for your review

With all of the above to consider, as well as the job and workload itself, those first few weeks and months will undoubtedly fly by – yet it’s so important not to leave any preparation for your official ‘probation review’ until the very last minute.

Hopefully your manager engages regularly (either informally or through more formal 121s perhaps) on your progress and how you’re settling in, but either way, this final meeting is usually the chance where the ‘pass’ decision comes to a head.

There are various steps you can take to ensure you feel fully prepared:

1. Re-read the job description:

It will help remind you of the tasks and responsibilities of your role and you can use it to gauge whether you’re meeting expectations or are falling short. You can also use it to see whether there are big discrepancies between what the job description says and what your experience has been. It can help you to know ahead of time what you’ll be assessed on in the meeting.

2. Review your work so far:

Focus on three key questions that are almost guaranteed to come up in the meeting:

• what have you enjoyed working on?
• Is there anything that you haven’t enjoyed working on?
• What have you learned so far?

3. Speak to your co-workers:

Be aware that you’ll receive critical advice aimed at helping you improve. Use it as an opportunity to make improvements where you need to (and try not to take it personally).

And finally,

A probation period is often quite daunting as you do your best to settle into a new firm, engage in new professional relationships, and work hard to build on that great first impression your employer had of you back at the start of the process.

However, it’s also a great time for you personally to reflect on what you have learned so far at this juncture, how much you have already added value to your new employer, and how far you have come since that first day walking into the office (or logging on to the IT system).

Passing your probation is the final milestone that will see you become an official member of the team and for that reason should be treated as a crucial step in your career advancement – yet with a few simple steps and preparation, should be one you pass with flying colours.

About Clayton Legal

Clayton Legal has been partnering with law firms across the country since 1999 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability. We have made over 5,000 placements from partners to legal executives, solicitors to paralegals and legal IT personnel to practice managers.

If you are building your legal team or looking for your next career move, we can help. Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.

The end of one year and the start of another is typically when our thoughts start to turn reflective about our work and home life.

Questions to ask yourself to further in your legal career:

• Are you where you want to be?
• Did the challenges of this year highlight that you’re not entirely happy in your current role?
• Are you where you want to be in your legal career?
• Did you level-up this year and want to flex your new skills in a role with more responsibilities and a higher salary?
• Have you been toying with the idea of a change but have been dissuaded thinking that now isn’t the ‘right time’?

All of these thoughts will be going around in the minds of many legal employees. Even more so this year, after such significant shifts have happened in both our work and personal lives.

Today we look at how legal candidates can start planning now to take advantage of legal career opportunities in 2023.

What Do You Want from Your Legal Career?

This year has provided many of us with additional time to reflect that we didn’t know we needed.

The extreme circumstances of emerging from the pandemic have been the catalyst for some significant mindset shifts.

Some legal employees found that during their firm’s time of crisis they were truly working within a team and for an organisation that they were happy with – for others, it provided the clarity to realise that they were not.

In some cases, there might have been certain career opportunities that you were promised which have not come to fruition, and this year might have shone a light on your employer’s dedication to your training development.

The rise of remote/ hybrid work this year has highlighted the importance of flexibility for both legal employers and their employees.

Even next year, when the pandemic is long gone, how many will want to stay remote on a full-time basis?

Many legal employees have seen the value of not just remote work, but a flexible approach to working, and will be looking for this from their employer.

I spoke to a candidate recently who was looking for a new role due to their employer’s inability to be flexible with remote work even though it was a success during the lockdown, and I’m sure there are many other candidates in a similar position.

Another area where candidates are placing their focus on is their training and development in a post-pandemic world.

Training and Development

Of course, this year has not been easy for many firms, but employees must feel assured that their employer is invested in their development.

Some law firms were quick to adapt digitally and offer staff all of the help and support they needed to work from home successfully. But other legal professionals have found that they were not supported in a way that is conducive with career progression.

Even despite the pandemic and economic crisis, there are legal firms who have continued to train and develop their teams this year.

Are you regularly being supported and offered training and development in your current legal role, or has it been put on hold because of the pandemic?

If you feel that your employer is not providing you with substantial development opportunities, this is a sign to look for a role with a company that will.

So, where are the challenges and opportunities within the legal sector for 2023?

Redundancies and Skills Shortages

Like all industries, the legal sector has had areas that have suffered due to the pandemic and others that have thrived.

Personal Injury law is one area where we have seen redundancies, whereas property law, Conveyancing and Family Law has been in high demand.

There are currently skills shortages across Conveyancing and Property Law, so consider this if you are considering a 2023 career move, but talk to your legal recruiter about where the opportunities are in your area.

If you are going to be applying for new legal jobs in 2023, now is the time to revisit your CV.

Getting Your Legal CV Ready

January is historically a buoyant time for the jobs market, and 2023 is set to be no different.

When looking for a new role, you will want to appear to prospective employers as the legal candidate to invite to an interview – and you can do this with some tweaks to your CV.

Think about what you can offer potential employers based on the challenges you have faced and the growth you have achieved this year.

Employers are looking for emotionally intelligent employees with a growth mindset who can flex. Demonstrate how you have overcome challenges this year in regards to remote working, helping your employer as well as your colleagues through the challenges of Covid.

Digital skills and the willingness to learn are going to be essential in 2023 too.

For example, “In my role this year, I used my previous cloud knowledge to help our firm make the switch from office-based to home working. I stepped up and offered to be the facilitator and help my colleagues remotely with WFH challenges such as digital file-sharing and taking digital payments”.

If you need assistance tailoring your legal CV, we can help. Contact us here or call our team of legal career experts on 01772 259 121 to find out more.

Next Steps?

Where do you want to be at the end of 2023 in your legal career?

Some great and underutilised and underdeveloped legal candidates are staying put because of perceived risk, but now is the time to think about what you want.

We can help you with career planning, CV writing, your legal job search and setting up interviews.

Get in touch with us by calling 01772 259 121 or contact us here to discuss your legal career options for the new year.

About Clayton Legal

Clayton Legal has been partnering with law firms across the country since 1999 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability. We have made over 5,000 placements from partners to legal executives, solicitors to paralegals and legal IT personnel to practice managers.

If you are building your legal team or looking for your next career move, we can help. Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.

Look the part.

Dress to impress regardless of the level of the role that you are going for. Make an effort and dress in a suit or if you don’t have one, your smartest interview clothes. (Remember 1st impressions count)

Know where you are going.

If you don’t know where you are going it never hurts to do a dry run prior to your Interview, failing this make sure that you leave plenty of time to get to your destination. It is better to arrive early and go over your research than to turn up late and flustered.

Know you target audience.

Research the company that you are going to interview for and use any additional knowledge that your consultant may have gained to improve your chances to blow them away!!

Don’t rely on the interviewer being a mind reader.

Ensure that you sell yourself to the best of your ability; the person interviewing you may have had nothing to do with short listing you and has only seen your CV 5 minutes ago, not having time to digest it. Use this opportunity to sell yourself into the job.

Smile!!! Be happy to be there.

Employers are not just looking for excellent skills but someone to fit into an existing team, smiling will help overcome your nerves and show the employer that you are a happy, enthusiastic individual that they should have on board.

SAMPLE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

• Why do you want to join our organisation?
• What would you do if …….. happened? (hypothetical questions)
• Describe a situation in which you dealt with confrontation (for example a difficult customer).
• Describe a situation in which you influenced or motivated people.
• What other roles have you considered/applied for?
• Describe yourself in three words.
• Describe a situation in which you used your initiative.
• Describe a situation in which you solved a problem.
• Describe a situation in which you took responsibility.
• What are your hobbies?
• What was your biggest setback? Or how do you deal with adversity?
• Describe a situation where you had to plan or organise something.
• What is your usual role in a team?
• Describe a situation where you had a difficult decision to make.

EXAMPLE ANSWERS FOR QUESTIONS

Please note Clayton Legal does not advise that these are the correct answers to the questions listed but are a guide on how they may be approached.

Why do you want this job?

One of the most predictable questions and very important! You need to demonstrate that you have researched the employer and tie your knowledge of them into the skills and interests that led you to apply. Try to find some specific features on which the employer prides themselves: Their training, their client base, their individuality, their public image, etc. This may not always be possible with very small organisations but you may be able to pick up something of this nature from the interviewer.

Describe a situation in which you lead a team.

Outline the situation, your role and the task of the group overall. Describe any problems which arose and how they were tackled. Say what the result was and what you learned from it. Try and keep the examples work related and as relevant to the role you are applying for as possible.

Describe a situation where you worked in a team

Most jobs will involve a degree of teamwork. The interviewer needs to assess how well you relate to other people, what role you take in a group and whether you are able to focus on goals and targets.
Outline the situation, your particular role and the task of the group overall. Describe any problems which arose and how they were tackled. Say what the result was and what you learned from it.

What are your weaknesses?

The classic answer here is to state a strength which is disguised as a weakness, such as “I’m too much of a perfectionist” or “I push myself too hard”. This approach has been used so often that, even if these answers really are true they sound clichéd. Also, interviewers will know this trick. If you feel they really apply to you, give examples: you could say that your attention to detail and perfectionism make you very single-minded when at work, often blotting out others in your need to get the task done.

A better strategy is to choose a weakness that you have worked on to improve and describe what action you are taking to remedy the weakness.

Don’t deny that you have any weaknesses – everyone has weaknesses and if you refuse to admit to them the interviewer will mark you down as arrogant, untruthful or lacking in self-awareness, This question may be phrased in other ways, such as “How would your worst enemy describe you?”

Who else have you applied to/got interviews with?

You are being asked to demonstrate the consistency of your career aims as well as your interest in the job for which you are being interviewed. So if you have applied to one large Law Firm it is reasonable to assume you will be applying to them all.
What you can certainly say in your favour, however, is that the present employer is your first choice. You may even answer the question by explaining you have yet to apply to any other organisations for this very reason. Perhaps your application to the other firms is imminent, depending on the stage you are at in the recruitment cycle.

Give examples that are:
• Relevant – related to the business you are presently being interviewed for
• Prestigious. They will reflect well on the firm interviewing you
• Consistent. Not from lots of different job areas or employment groups of less interest to you than the present opportunity
• Successful so far. Do not list those firms who have rejected you.

What are your strengths?

This allows you to put across your “Unique Selling Points” – three or four of your key strengths. Try to back these points up with examples of where you have had to use them.

Consider the requirements of the job and compare these with all of your own attributes – your personality, skills, abilities or experience. Where they match you should consider these to be your major strengths. The employer certainly will.

For example, team work, interpersonal skills, creative problem solving, dependability,
reliability, originality, leadership etc., could all be cited as strengths. Work out which is most important for the particular job in question and make sure you illustrate your answer with examples from as many parts of your experience, not just university, as you can.
This question may be phrased in other ways, such as “Tell me about yourself” or “How would a friend describe you?”

Have you got any questions?
At the end of the interview, it is likely that you will be given the chance to put your own questions to the interviewer.

• Keep them brief: there may be other interviewees waiting.
• Ask about the work itself, training and career development: not about holidays, pensions, and season ticket loans!
• Prepare some questions in advance: it is OK to write these down and to refer to your notes to remind yourself of what you wanted to ask.

It often happens that, during the interview, all the points that you had noted down to ask about will be covered before you get to this stage. In this situation, you can respond as follows:

Interviewer:

Well, that seems to have covered everything: is there anything you would like to ask me?

Interviewee:

Thank you! I’d made a note to ask about your appraisal system and the study arrangements for professional exams, but we went over those earlier and I really feel you’ve covered everything that I need to know at this moment.

You can also use this opportunity to tell the interviewer anything about yourself that they have not raised during the interview but which you feel is important to your application:

Don’t feel you have to wait until this point to ask questions – if the chance to ask a question seems to arise naturally in the course of the interview, take it! Remember that a traditional interview is a conversation – with a purpose.

Examples of questions you can ask the interviewer

These are just a few ideas – you should certainly not attempt to ask them all and indeed it’s best to formulate your own questions tailored to your circumstances and the job you are being interviewed for! Make sure you have researched the employer carefully, so that you are not asking for information which you should be expected to know already.
• I see it is possible to switch job functions – how often does this happen?
• Do you send your managers on external training courses?
• Where would I be based – is this job function located only in …?
• What is a typical career path in this job function?
• Can you give me more details of your training programme?
• Will I be working in a team? If so, what is the make-up of these teams?
• What are the possibilities of using my languages?
• What are the travel/mobility requirements of this job?
• How would you see this company developing over the next five years?
• How would you describe the atmosphere in this company?
• What is your personal experience of working for this organisation?

About Clayton Legal

Clayton Legal has been partnering with law firms across the country since 1999 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability. We have made over 5,000 placements from Partners to Legal Executives, Solicitors to Paralegals and Legal IT personnel to Practice Managers.

Whether you are building your legal team or are looking for your next career move, we can help. Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.

As I sit down to write this post, my phone has pinged to let me know that the UK economy has rebounded with the fastest growth since World War Two. A 7.5% increase despite falling back in December due to Omicron is a positive situation for business in the UK.

In contrast, our cost-of-living worsened in December after inflation jumped to 5.4% – its highest level in almost 30 years – driven by the higher cost of clothes, food, and footwear; this is likely to get worse as the cost of fuel doubles for many.

Andrew Bailey, the governor of the Bank of England, says to ask for a pay rise now is to cause further economic decline.

In fact, according to a recent analysis by the Office for Budget Responsibility shared in the Newstatesman, the UK is on course to endure two more decades of stagnant wages, revealing the negative news that we should expect to earn less in 2026 than 2008.

Confusing when we consider the legal sector.

The last two years have seen many law firms report their best year ever, which we can confirm with the number of recruitment instructions we are receiving from our clients.

As a hard-working and productive legal professional, what are your options? Let’s share a few suggestions in this post.

Know Your Facts

The legal candidates we work with here at Clayton Legal are switched on. They know how their firm is faring in the market and what growth is anticipated in future years.

When law firms plan growth, they also understand that they will need to plan financially to increase headcount and ensure their current team is engaged and recompensed appropriately.

Well, hopefully, that is the case.

Though not in every firm.

Taking your time to research salary packages puts you a step ahead because it demonstrates that you have evidence to back up your pay raise request. This data is vital because it will give you leverage when starting the negotiation.

The question then is where your current firm sits on the spectrum, and are you being paid the going rate?

This brings me to the next point.

Know Your Value

Pay and remuneration is a prickly subject, and we aren’t guaranteed a pay rise every year for simply turning up and delivering on our objectives.

Remember, no legal manager likes being held to ransom and at the same time, they appreciate honesty. If you aren’t happy with your remuneration package, you have to tell them; as uncomfortable as that conversation feels.

At Clayton, whenever a candidate comes to us where pay is a problem, we always ask if they have had a discussion with their manager first.

It’s surprising how many people haven’t.

Sometimes a straightforward conversation like this works. Sometimes it doesn’t, and this is where honesty with yourself is important. Here are a few questions to consider.

• What value are you delivering to the firm?
• What results did you achieve last year that were above what was expected?
• Is your manager or HR fully aware of your contribution to the firm?
• Considering this, how will you demonstrate how valuable you are?

As a first start, use your performance objectives showing all your achievements. This way, you will let your firm appreciate your worth and what it might cost to replace you.

You could take your manager through the goals that were agreed upon together and what actions you have taken to achieve the results you have.

You will be surprised how well this works. Your manager could be responsible for a lot of people. They are human too, and might not have all your performance wins etched in their memory.

Know What You Want

This final point is key; know what you want, and here are a few things to consider.

• Do you have a figure in mind?
• Is this based on your personal need?
• Your analysis of the current market?
• How much you think you are worth?

It is important to know what you want and why and have justification for the figure you are asking.

Here is something else.

Is money your real motivator, or are there other options to consider? The world of work is changing, and many firms could consider hybrid working for day weeks and sabbatical leave. These are all options that are now on the negotiating table that wasn’t just a few short years ago.

Know Your Walk-Away Point And Your Options

You might be pleasantly surprised that your pay rise suggestion is accepted, especially in the current talent market.

However, be prepared that it might not. Therefore you need to consider your options.

The upside is that we are currently in a candidate-driven market because of the skill shortage fuelled by Covid-19.

For you, this means that your options are open, and if you are prepared to move, you can potentially join a new law firm and continue to develop your career while being appropriately rewarded.

And this is where we can help.

The team here at Clayton Legal have placed literally thousands of legal professionals.

Our twenty + year record of success has enabled us to develop trusted relationships with many of the UK’s law firms, including the Legal 500, Top 200 and smaller and independent regional law firms. We work in partnership with all our customers to deliver on both career expectations and business drivers.

Depending on your role and experience, we may be able to personally represent you to our clients too. If you would like to have a confidential conversation about you and your legal career then do get in touch. You will find all our contact details here.

What Next?

Though many workplace sectors experienced poor growth last year, the legal sector wasn’t one of them. Here at Clayton Legal, we have multiple clients looking for skilled and ambitious candidates like you. For a confidential conversation about your legal career goals and your next move, please get in contact with one of our team here.

About Clayton Legal

Clayton Legal has been partnering with law firms across the country
since 1999 and has built up an enviable reputation for trust and
reliability during that time. We have made over 5,000 placements from
Partners to Legal Executives, Solicitors to Paralegals and Legal I.T.
personnel to Practice Managers.

If you are building your legal team or looking for your next career move, we can help. Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.

At the start of a new year, many of us review where we are in both our personal and professional lives. For those of us working in the legal sector, it’s no different.

The specific details of the legal path you want to take might differ slightly. However, the five fundamentals we are sharing today form part of any successful career planning process, as we have observed placing more than 5000 legal professions over the last twenty-two years.

First, let’s put some context around the impact of the new ‘norm’ when it comes to creating your plan.

The New Norm

As we navigate our way out of the pandemic and multiple new variants, it is fair to say that the new normal hasn’t impacted the legal sector as much as others, except for improved technology, communication channels and virtual recruitment.

We noticed here at Clayton Legal that the phone continued to ring after the initial few weeks of the first lockdown as clients asked us to help fill their roles. This continued throughout 2021, accelerating at pace as the year went on. 2022, so far, shows so sign of this appetite to hire slowing down.

Hybrid, home, and remote working are still major debates across firms as they consider the permanency of such working arrangements.

As predicted by the Microsoft Workplace Trends report, many candidates we speak to are keen to have some flexibility around working in the office or at home. Consequently, we are seeing more firms willing to consider hybrid working moving forward.

The critical piece of the conversation is that skilled legal candidates are in short supply. This results in employers counter offering employees to stay with them rather than moving to a new law firm. Some legal candidates continue to have multiple offers on the table.

In summary, if you are a skilled candidate looking to move, this is your time.

What an opportunity, though let’s have a sense check here. Jumping into a new role with an improved package and a hybrid working opportunity is OK, provided it is part of your long-term plan.
Therefore, consider this as you plan your career. Moving and building your career takes time, depending on the level you want to achieve.

So, what should you be considering in your overall plan?

Decide What You Want

Goal setting and tweaking can happen at any time of the year. As Professor Maxwell Maltz shared in his New York Times bestseller, human beings are success-seeking creatures, and therefore we want to achieve success.

Without goals to inspire and drive you, it’s impossible to know if you’re moving in the right direction. In simple terms, if you don’t know the destination, then you can’t plan the journey.

Deciding what you want allows you to take control of your professional life.

Simply saying that you want something isn’t enough. Goal setting is a strategic process that considers what you want to achieve through a series of milestones and action steps and ends with hard work and dedication.

Therefore, setting a goal and then moving towards it is a logical process we would all be advised to tap into.

Most legal professionals want:

• • To work in an area of law that they enjoy and find interesting

To receive sufficient income for their work to enable them to live comfortably

• To be considered as being professional and knowledgeable
• To achieve a work/life balance that allows them to enjoy a life away from their work

No matter your opinion about setting goals, you will find yourself meandering around with no real sense of purpose unless you are clear on what you want.

Choosing stretch goals means finding the right balance between targets you can realistically achieve and aims that challenge you.

However, don’t set goals that are too easy, either. It’s essential to challenge yourself, as that way, you can reap the rewards of feeling accomplished and driven. Find goals that help you raise the bar on your work and performance.

Always have both short- and long-term goals in mind.

Let’s take an extreme example. If you are a trainee solicitor who wants to become a barrister, you will have to move, study, and gain experience over several years to achieve what you want. This will therefore inform the steps you need to cover in your plan.

Remember, the legal field has many options for you to consider. The more you learn about the legal space, the more you’ll discover new career opportunities and paths you can take.

A Goal Setting Framework

One of the most popular goal-setting strategies involves creating “SMART” goals. There are variations on what the “SMART” acronym stands for, but most experts agree that it requires your goals to be:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Relevant
• Time-Bound

Your legal career goals must be clear and defined. A vague goal like “I want to get a promotion” doesn’t provide sufficient direction. Determine what kind of promotion you want that will fit your plan and when you want to accomplish that target.

Conduct a Skills Audit and Contact A Legal Recruiter

To accomplish what you want in your legal career, you will have to up-level your skills relevant to your desired roles. Knowledge is power, and this is where talking to someone who has the ultimate position you want can be useful.

Although, remember that a lot has changed during the last few years and what was once required for a role, either skills or experience, might have changed.

This is where talking to a specialist legal recruiter will help. Here at Clayton, we have over twenty years’ experience recruiting legal professionals and can guide you on the best next steps according to the specific legal career path you want to take.

With the specs for your ideal job to guide you and your CV in hand, write a list of the skills you need to work on and rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 4. A rating of 4 indicates that you’re an expert in the area, while a rating of 1 means that you have very little knowledge or skill in that area.

Once you know which elements need the most work, you can develop a list of activities that will help you close the gap.

Managing Your Mind

The first step in developing your legal career is to embrace the right mindset by managing your mind. More than ever, the pandemic has highlighted the importance of working with our mentality to handle whatever is happening globally.

It’s easy to assume that creativity, intelligence, or talent are the things that set successful people apart from the rest of the world. However, the truth is that all the most powerful people in business today reached their goals through perseverance, grit, dedication, and the right mindset.

Your ultimate goal may take a few years, and the more you can manage your mind through the process, the better.
Good Luck!

What Next?

Though many workplace sectors experienced poor growth in 2020 and into last year, the legal sector wasn’t one of them. Here at Clayton Legal, we have multiple clients looking for skilled and ambitious candidates like you. For a confidential conversation about your legal career goals and your next move, please get in contact with one of our team here.

About Clayton Legal

Clayton Legal has been partnering with law firms across the country
since 1999 and has built up an enviable reputation for trust and
reliability during that time. We have made over 5,000 placements from
Partners to Legal Executives, Solicitors to Paralegals and Legal I.T.
personnel to Practice Managers.

If you are building your legal team or looking for your next career move, we can help. Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.

For legal professionals considering a career move, navigating the job market, now more than ever, can be daunting, especially in practice areas where creating stand out is key. Making sure your application is the one that gets noticed, makes that vital positive first impression and works hard to get you that interview, and into that dream role is key. Read our top 10 tips:

1. Do the groundwork thoroughly

You’ve scoured the market, you’ve seen a new opportunity that has piqued your interest, and you know you’re a great fit – but taking a step back and researching that new opportunity beyond the advert is important. Research the firm thoroughly, even if you’re already aware of their brand and reputation in the market. Look at their digital footprint, their social media channels, their brand, and voice across the sector. What are their values, their mission and vision? What are their growth plans and future aspirations? If, at the end of the process you’re sure you’re on the right path, this undertaking will pay dividends at interview stage in demonstrating your knowledge about them as a potential employer.

2. Give your CV some TLC

Neglect your CV at your peril. This humble document is still a pivotal tool to sell your skills, competences and experience and is often the first opportunity you have to impress. Pay close attention to spelling and grammar and don’t forget the basics – clear formatting, chronological work history, personal contact details – but above all make the time to make it relevant to the role you’re applying for. For those who have previous experience outside of legal, perhaps just include the basics here – Company, job title and employment dates. You can then use the remaining space you have to focus on the experience and skills from your most recent roles – applicable, of course, to the role you’re applying for. The same applies if you have many years of experience – you won’t have the space to describe in detail each role and your responsibilities and achievements; particularly as we’d recommended a CV should be on average 2/3 pages long – and at most, 4 depending on your level of experience. Leveraging those skills and experience to make it clear you’re a match is vital – make it compelling, engaging but above all, specific.

3. Learn to love a cover letter

Whilst some believe the ‘cover letter’ as a tool in your application armory has had its day, many in the legal sector concede that they do still have a part to play in allowing lawyers to further demonstrate suitability for roles and illustrate relevant skills and experience. Again – making it specific to the role and that Firm is key. Demonstrate you’ve done your research about that Firm and highlight why you’re the person they need to hire. Be clear, concise and don’t ramble. We’d recommend keeping it to the one page if you can.

4. Hone that elevator pitch

Refining and perfecting your elevator pitch is time well spent as a jobseeker – and will add value when you’re in an interview scenario further down the line. Being able to articulate your intent, unique attributes, experience, and skill set in 30-60 seconds is an art, but once you have this crafted, it can be used to help define your personal statement and across online application forms.

5. Set aside time

Taking time to search the market for new opportunities takes time, and with those prospective roles in sight, formal job applications often take much longer than you might think – especially if you take on board the advice to personalise your application and supporting documents. Setting time aside in your schedule to dedicate to your job application activity is crucial; factoring in time to proofread, spell check and customise.

6. Embrace the tech

The pandemic has certainly brought about a lot of change when it comes to hiring legal professionals – virtual interviews and onboarding made possible through the rapid acceleration and adoption of tech solutions. As a job seeker, look to standout with alternative ways to raise your personal profile. Video platforms for example are a great way to add personality and weight to your application far beyond the traditional CV and cover letter duo. Requests for video supported applications are increasing, and often facilitated by recruitment agencies. Embrace these tools if they’re offered as another vehicle to demonstrate your suitability.

7. Time to get personal

Without a doubt, your (relevant) experience, skills, qualifications, and education are the hero elements of your legal job application– be that in your CV or a Firm’s own application form. But highlighting your interests out of work is still a great technique to demonstrate your personal qualities, and how you might fit with company culture.  Often an optional section of your application forms or CV, that doesn’t mean they’re a waste of time. Rather, used smartly, hobbies and interests can really strengthen your application and make you more ‘human’.  Try to stay away from stipulating interests that don’t really demonstrate a skill or quality that you’re hoping the hiring manager is looking for. ‘Going out with friends’ for example may be something you do outside of work, but it does little to further exhibit your strengths, skill set, personality, or transferrable qualities relating to the job at hand.

8. Audit your own digital footprint

Like it or not, hirers may conduct their own research into you as a potential employee far beyond the documentation that you have sent to champion that application. Therefore, it’s always wise to sense-check your social media channels to either set to private, or ensure your profile is one you wouldn’t mind your new employer seeing.

9. Boost your network

Connecting with the Hiring Manager at the Firm you’re applying to on LinkedIn may seem bullish, but it can be a savvy move and increase your chances of getting an interview. The connection request should be seen as another opportunity to introduce yourself and interest in the role and wider Firm. Being proactive means you could also open up conversations around the role in more detail that the job spec advertised, and a reciprocal ‘follow’ or connection will offer that individual another window into your experience and voice in the market. It is also worth saying that at this juncture, keep it professional. You don’t want to pile any pressure on regarding your application at this stage.

10. Enlist the help of an expert

Formally registering with a specialist recruitment agency will undoubtedly give you a head start with your job search – furnishing you with market insight as well as the inside track on the Law Firms that are hiring. And, when that dream role is in sight, you’ll be offered practical advice on the basics, refined by experts who live the hiring process and all of its anomalies day in, day out.

Next Steps

If you would like to speak to us confidentially about market conditions, opportunities in your practice area or geographical region, or if you are actively looking for a role and would like us to help give you that competitive edge, we would love to speak to you.

About Clayton Legal

Clayton Legal has been partnering with law firms across the country since 1999 and has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability during that time. We have made over 5,000 placements from Partners to Legal Executives, Solicitors to Paralegals and Legal I.T. personnel to Practice Managers.

If you are building your legal team or looking for your next career move, we can help. Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.