Should your next new starter be a locum rather than a permanent legal hire? More and more law firms and in-house legal teams are turning to locums for a quick, easy route to quality talent.
When you need top-notch lawyers in a hurry, training home-grown talent isn’t an option. You need someone who can skip the soft landing and hit the ground running, who can cover sickness or maternity leave effectively or deliver a project on time to a high standard. When your law firm has an immediate problem, a locum is an immediate solution.
Since the pandemic, the legal recruitment boom has raised the value of locums significantly–and they know it. That’s why it’s so important to work with a specialist recruiter. A specialist can tap you into a bigger, better-quality talent pool faster, and can often provide continuous cover while you look for a permanent legal hire.
In 2023, there are several new developments in the locum hiring market. Being aware of these will give your law firm the edge over the competition.
Finding a good locum is getting harder.
After IR35 changed the definition of a “professional contractor” and made it harder for locums to work through a limited company, many have sought permanent work, leaving a smaller pool of interim talent.
However, it’s also getting faster–while finding a permanent legal hire gets slower.
In the current talent drought, finding and onboarding a permanent legal hire can take anywhere from least 2-6 months, but finding a locum to bridge the gap is getting faster than ever. With the best candidates having several offers on the table, law firms are realising they need to speed up the locum hiring process to snatch the best talent.
General Counsel is getting more general than ever.
General Counsel are now taking on corporate transactions, litigation, and other domains that used to belong to private practice law firms. A rise in litigation and mergers and acquisitions has boosted the demand for specialist in-house lawyers. A locum can provide this expertise on a project or longer-term basis.
Contract completion bonuses are in.
With candidates liable to be tempted by meatier offers, many law firms are now offering bonuses for completing a contract. It’s well worth considering if you want to retain locum talent.
Alternative Legal Services are changing the perception of locums.
Services like Axiom and Lawyers on Demand have driven law firms to let go of the outdated perception of locums as lawyers who couldn’t find a proper job. It’s now a viable career choice legal professionals make intentionally for the long term.
Locums know their value–and increasingly, law firms are realising it too.
Established in 2004, we have a proven track record of delivering excellent temporary staff nationwide that excel expectations and add unbeatable value to the teams they join. Whether this be a on a short term contract or a long term contract all of the locum candidates that we place work to an exceptional high standard
We understand how frustrating it can be when you are in need of extra help which is why our focus is to work with you to find the right candidate quickly and efficiently, every time. All of our locums are fully referenced and if we are providing you with a Solicitor we would have checked them via the Law Society.
Get in touch for a casual chat about how we can secure you locum talent, quickly and efficiently.