Have you ever fancied a career as a legal recruitment consultant?
What once seemed to be a left-field career move for a solicitor is now a fairly well-trodden path for those looking for an alternative to practising. Indeed, partners and recruitment managers love speaking to an ex-solicitor who actually understands the benefits (and burdens) of working in a law firm. They know that a legal recruitment consultant who has practised as a solicitor in the past will understand the demands of clients and the demands of the partnership.
Both directors of CapeClarke, Terry Cape and Chris Clarke, have practised as solicitors in the Big 6 of Leeds (Addleshaw Goddard and Walker Morris, respectively) and we love what we do. Being solicitors was not something that worked for us, although we both still have many friends who are solicitors and enjoy their jobs. Neither of us wanted to completely move away from the sector which we had strived to work in and so were looking to an alternative career path.
Being a legal recruitment consultant utilises a different skillset entirely and is much more BD-focused than any, certainly junior, solicitor role. Good legal recruitment consultants build strong relationships with their clients and candidates and this is the aspect of the job we love the most. You have to be fully aware of what is happening in the market, anticipating where strengths and weaknesses are likely to appear and quite how law firms are reacting to the economic uncertainty. All in all, it requires a very commercial and consultative approach.
We found the move into legal recruitment a highly positive – it is a lot of hard work to break into a market as a new legal recruitment consultant or, indeed, consultancy, but it is a very rewarding role and one which would suit those solicitors out there looking for something very different but still making use of the knowledge and experience you have gained in your role as a solicitor. Maybe it is the career alternative you have been looking for for some time.
If you have been thinking about a move or would just like some general advice about options in the market, please feel free to contact Terry Cape or Chris Clarke on 0113 2385965.
CapeClarke is a leading niche legal recruitment consultancy operating across Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield, Newcastle, Liverpool and London. Please feel free to check out our priority legal vacancies by clicking here. Please note these legal vacancies are only a small selection of those we have been instructed on, so please get in touch if you do not see a role which looks suitable.
+44 (0)113 2385965 