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Staff demand in private practice ‘remains high across all tiers’
New research suggests that legal candidates — particularly those with five or more years of PAE — are still high in practice areas across the board, with boutique practices continuing to hire and grow as well.
Jerome Doraisamy
According to global recruitment firm Hays, almost one-half (47 per cent) of employers intend to increase their permanent staff levels, which — in the private practice space — means a focus on legal practitioners with experience under their belts.
“Construction and property lawyers with at least three years’ [post-admission experience] are needed in the flourishing infrastructure and commercial markets,” the recruiter said.
“Both private and public sector roles are available, with a number of public-private partnerships moving forward. Both front-end and back-end experience is sought; front-end lawyers are needed to provide contract advice while back-end lawyers are required to handle disputes that arise during or in the aftermath of a project.”
Commercial litigation is another buoyant area, Hays continued, creating demand for commercial litigators with skills across insolvency and construction.
“Litigators and financial advisory specialists at all levels are sought as firms create new teams to deal with high work volumes resulting from the banking royal commission,” it said.
“High domestic and overseas investment in commercial infrastructure in Australia sees demand remain high for lawyers with commercial contract experience to negotiate, draft and review a wide variety of commercial and service agreements.”
Further, contracts and procurement experience is in high demand, the recruiter noted, particularly in the government sector, with a major focus on commercial and probity capability.
There is an emphasis on “ICT procurement expertise”, it added.
“In other areas of demand, commercial, construction, property, environment, family, employment and finance lawyers with two or more years PAE continue to be sought,” Hays said.
“Corporate and M&A lawyers with two to nine years PAE are also required as firms lose candidates to in-house roles that offer internal business exposure and improved work/life balance.”
“Firms of all sizes continue to recruit more graduates, which is positive news for the future skills pipeline.”
The research also found that businesses looking to increase their permanent staff in the legal department require counsel across the board who can help respond to the “intensifying” parameters in the wake of the banking royal commission.
Jerome Doraisamy
Jerome Doraisamy is the editor of Lawyers Weekly. A former lawyer, he has worked at Momentum Media as a journalist on Lawyers Weekly since February 2018, and has served as editor since March 2022. He is also the host of all five shows under The Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network, and has overseen the brand's audio medium growth from 4,000 downloads per month to over 60,000 downloads per month, making The Lawyers Weekly Show the most popular industry-specific podcast in Australia. Jerome is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, and a board director of Minds Count.
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