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Which lawyers are firms recruiting for ahead of FY24–25?
Private practice recruiters are seeing demand for particular kinds of lawyers as the new financial year gets underway.
Jerome Doraisamy
According to Naiman Clarke managing director Elvira Naiman, the market is shifting back in favour of employers, following a period of being more favourable to candidates.
Speaking recently on The Lawyers Weekly Show, Naiman reflected on the legal profession entering an “employer’s market”, and subsequently, what will constitute realistic salary expectations for lawyers across the board in the new financial year.
If, indeed, roles are harder to come by for lawyers looking for a change, those searching for new roles will be keen to know whether their expertise is being sought after by employers.
Betsy Bargh, a senior associate (legal) at u&u. Recruitment Partners, agreed that the “once heavily candidate-driven” market is “now stabilising”, given changes in demand not just for private practice lawyers but also for in-house counsel.
“Firms and legal teams are becoming more selective and considered in their recruitment approach. The demand for corporate lawyers is decreasing due to shifts in the economic market,” she said.
That said, Bargh went on, “with the ongoing infrastructure and construction boom, there is and will continue to be strong demand for planning and environment lawyers, as well as construction lawyers”.
“Additionally, the continued technological advancements across industries are driving increased demand for IT and tech lawyers and specialists, particularly in the in-house market,” she said.
Paul Burgess, a director at Burgess Paluch, is seeing demand in various areas.
“Projects, infrastructure, and energy remain key areas of demand for lawyers, driven off the back of ongoing government projects. Insurance remains busy, with a range of roles, while litigation is more subdued, with a balance between the supply and demand for lawyers,” he said.
“Property lawyers are in relative demand, with lawyers in private practice still getting good interest. In private client areas, those in family, and in particular wills and estates, are seeing plenty of interest, with our ageing population providing a growth period in front-end estate planning as the Boomers start to pass wealth to their families.”
Elsewhere, Definitive Consulting managing partner (APAC) Holly Ritson said that, right now, there is “real demand” for employment specialists, driven by recent legislative change and specific aspects of disputes, while global firms are “driving growth in sector-focused hires” across technology and digital, healthcare and life sciences, and energy transition.
Corporate and M&A hiring has eased for now, she advised, “which means this is the perfect time to secure outstanding talent in these areas”.
“All too often, firms make the mistake of trying to hire when the need is greatest, which inevitably means the top-level partners are flat out and often too busy to meet other firms,” Ritson said.
“But the market will swing back sooner rather than later, so the firms taking a strategic view now will have a real competitive advantage over those simply reacting to demand down the line.”
Ultimately, Doron Paluch reflected, the market is “a little all over the place at the moment”.
“Some firms are busy and hiring aggressively, as they remain optimistic about incoming work. Other firms are being overly cautious and have started to batten down the hatches,” said Paluch, who is also a director at Burgess Paluch.
“There is a general understanding that high-calibre lawyers are and will remain in very short supply, so many firms will still hire when they find one even without a definitive vacancy.”
It appears that an employer’s market is indeed upon us, and firms remain intent on hiring for certain roles to shore up key practice areas. This said, and is perhaps always the case, top talent will always be sought after by firms looking to stay ahead of the competition.
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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