There is currently, Carlyle Kingswood Global director (legal and governance, in-house) Phillip Hunter said in support, a “significant shortage” of lawyers who have anywhere between three and 10 years of PQE under their belts.

While 2025 has begun with a flurry of activity, empire group partner and national legal manager Rachael Musgrave said, mid-level lawyers remain hard to find across all practice areas.

This “scarcity”, Hunter outlined, is being driven by numerous factors.

The COVID-19 effect

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Firstly, Musgrave explained, “COVID has a lot to answer” for.

The pandemic’s impact, she said, “including reduced graduate programs and admissions, created a smaller pool of lawyers who would now be at that mid-level”.

Following those years, she went on, a tight candidate market saw salaries rise and flexibility increase.

“The silly money has now slowed, and firms are pushing for more time in the office,” she said.

“With good pay and remote work options, many lawyers question the need to move, especially amid high interest rates and economic uncertainty.”

Henderson agreed with this, noting that following the voluminous movement coming out of COVID-19, “those that moved have now settled into roles and the comfort of job security”.

Hunter made a similar but slightly different observation, noting that many junior practitioners made career moves to enhance their professional development during the pandemic. Now, he said, “as mid-level lawyers, they are prioritising stability and seeking longevity in their roles to strengthen their development and résumés, making them less inclined to consider new opportunities, even those that are highly attractive”.

Moving on and retention efforts

Once a lawyer reaches a certain number of years of PQE, Burgess Paluch director Paul Burgess explained, career lawyers are starting to move out of the profession or out of law firms and into in-house positions.

This occurs, he said, “while at the same time, they are at their most demand within the profession, as they are able to be highly leveraged and [have the] ability to work with more autonomy”.

Fellow Burgess Paluch director Doron Paluch added that, in the face of this reality, law firms have recently “been making extra efforts to retain the talent that they do have”.

Hunter has noticed this as well: “Firms are increasingly successful in retaining mid-level talent by offering competitive remuneration packages, structured career progression, and robust [employee value propositions].”

“These incentives make it challenging for in-house teams to attract lawyers from law firms,” he said.

As a result, G2 Legal Australian director Daniel Stirling said, there is “often a lower number of qualified applicants that fit the bill” to assume mid-level roles.

With high demand for candidates across all sectors, including in-house, private practice and international, Stirling said, and with “being well looked after by their current employer in terms of remuneration and career development”, mid-level lawyers are “now focused on building their career towards partnership or those sought-after GC or head of legal roles”.

High-growth sectors

There has also been, Hunter went on, a “rapid expansion” of industries such as AI, private credit, and regulatory compliance.

This, he said, is “providing [in-house] lawyers with diverse and appealing career opportunities”.

“These sectors offer compelling roles that further fragment the available talent pool for traditional in-house legal positions,” he said.

Global mobility, career diversification

Elsewhere, Hunter pointed out that a “considerable number” of mid-level lawyers in corporate roles are seeking international experience in overseas markets.

Having such practitioners look to jurisdictions such as the UK, USA, Singapore, and the Middle East, he said, has the effect of “diminishing the domestic talent pool”.

“Additionally, many are transitioning from traditional legal roles into sectors like consulting, strategy, finance, private equity, and deal-focused positions, where their legal expertise is highly valued in commercially driven environments,” he added.

Non-traditional employers

Finally, and beyond the abovementioned high-growth sectors, there is a “surge”, Hunter said, in demand for in-house legal expertise in areas like ESG initiatives, cyber security, and regulatory enforcement, particularly within financial services and fintech industries.

“Mid-level lawyers are increasingly opting for specialised roles in these high-growth areas, thereby reducing the number of candidates available for generalist corporate legal teams,” he said.

Looking ahead

In the face of all these factors, “now is a great time” for mid-level lawyers to be capitalising on favourable market conditions, whether they are contemplating a move or not, Henderson advised.

Employers looking to attract this cohort “should be clearly articulating their company culture, flexible working arrangements, benefits and leave policies”, she stressed.

“This information is being sought by mid-level and senior candidates before they even consider applying for a role,” Henderson said.