Autumn is an important point in the legal recruitment calendar.
The summer holiday period is over, newly qualified lawyers are settling into permanent roles, and many law firms are turning their attention to the final quarter of the year and their priorities for the year ahead.
For lawyers, it can also be a natural point for reflection. Appraisals and salary reviews may have taken place, promotion decisions are clearer and there has been time to consider whether expectations around progression, development or flexibility have materialised.
Together, these factors can create greater movement in the legal recruitment market during the autumn months.
For law firms, understanding what drives that activity can help them make better decisions about when, where and how to recruit.
Autumn can be a natural decision point for lawyers
Not every lawyer considering their options in autumn will be actively looking for a new role.
Some will simply be taking stock.
Has their salary moved in line with expectations? Is their workload sustainable? Are they getting the development they were promised? Is there a realistic route to the next stage of their career?
For some, the answers will reinforce their decision to stay. For others, they can prompt an initial conversation about what else might be available.
This distinction matters for employers. Some of the strongest candidates in the market won’t necessarily be applying to advertised vacancies, but they may be willing to explore an opportunity if it offers something their current position doesn’t.
Recruitment becomes closely linked to business planning
Autumn isn’t only a natural point for candidates to consider their careers. It’s also an important planning period for firms.
By this stage of the year, there’s greater visibility around performance, workloads and future growth plans. That can make it easier to identify where additional resource or expertise might be required.
Rather than simply looking at current vacancies, firms can consider questions such as:
- Which teams are regularly operating at capacity?
- Where is work increasing?
- Are there skills or experience levels the team is currently missing?
- Which practice areas does the firm want to grow?
- Are there succession risks that need addressing?
- What additional resource will be needed to achieve next year’s plans?
Answering these questions early can help firms move from reactive recruitment towards more considered workforce planning.
Senior hiring requires a longer-term view
Autumn can also be a useful time to consider requirements at Senior Associate, Legal Director and Partner level.
Senior appointments are rarely just about filling an empty seat. They can be tied to succession planning, developing a particular practice area, strengthening leadership or bringing new expertise into the firm.
They can also take longer.
The right senior lawyer may be performing well in their current firm and have little reason to actively search job boards. Reaching those individuals often requires relationship building and a clear proposition about what the move could offer them.
If a firm knows it may need additional leadership or senior expertise during the following year, beginning those conversations in autumn provides much more scope to approach the market strategically.
Firms are competing for talent on more than one front
Lawyers have a wide range of career options available to them.
Depending on their practice area, level and priorities, they may be considering opportunities with Legal 500 regional firms, high-quality high street practices, specialist boutiques or larger national businesses.
Location can add another dimension. Hybrid working and changing attitudes towards commuting mean candidates may consider opportunities across a wider geographical area than they once would have.
This means firms aren’t necessarily competing only with businesses that look like them.
A lawyer might weigh the resources and profile of a larger firm against greater autonomy within a boutique. Others may compare a city-centre role with an opportunity closer to home that offers a shorter commute or greater flexibility.
Understanding what matters to the type of lawyer you want to recruit is therefore crucial.
Salary is only one part of the decision
Autumn career conversations can naturally bring salary into focus, particularly following appraisal and pay-review season.
Firms need to understand where their salaries sit within the relevant market. However, being competitive doesn’t necessarily mean offering the highest salary available.
Lawyers will often consider the wider proposition, including:
- Flexibility
- Quality and variety of work
- Workload
- Progression
- Leadership
- Development opportunities
- Team culture
- Commute and location
The balance between these factors will differ from one individual to another.
This is why firms benefit from understanding their own strengths. If you aren’t going to compete at the very top of the market on salary, what does your firm offer that will genuinely appeal to the lawyers you want to attract?
Candidate experience still matters
Even with a strong role and attractive proposition, firms can lose candidates during the recruitment process.
Good lawyers may be considering several opportunities at once, particularly in areas where demand is high.
Long gaps between interviews, slow feedback or uncertainty around next steps can allow another opportunity to build momentum.
That doesn’t mean recruitment decisions should be rushed. It means firms should have a clear process before going to market, including who needs to be involved, what each stage will assess and how quickly feedback can realistically be provided.
Keeping candidates informed when there is a delay can make a significant difference too.
Don’t wait until a vacancy becomes urgent
Perhaps the biggest opportunity autumn presents is the chance to look beyond immediate vacancies.
If you know a particular practice area is likely to grow next year, or that a senior lawyer may need additional support, you don’t necessarily need to wait until there is a live vacancy to start understanding the market.
Early conversations can help firms establish:
- What candidate availability looks like
- How salaries are moving
- What other firms are offering
- Which aspects of their proposition resonate with candidates
- How long a particular hire is realistically likely to take
That information can then feed into wider workforce and business planning.
Use autumn to get ahead
Autumn creates a useful window for law firms to assess where their teams stand today and where they need to be in the year ahead.
Some requirements will need immediate action. Others may simply require early market mapping, succession planning or conversations with potential future hires.
The important thing is having visibility.
When firms understand where pressure points are likely to emerge, they have more time to find the right person, shape the opportunity appropriately and make recruitment decisions that support longer-term growth.
How we can help
At Realm, our specialist recruiters work with law firms across the North West, Yorkshire and the Midlands to understand both their immediate recruitment requirements and their longer-term plans.
Because we speak to lawyers across our specialist communities every day, we can provide insight into candidate availability, salary expectations, changing priorities and what different groups of lawyers are looking for from their next move.
Whether you’re recruiting this autumn or starting to think about the team you’ll need next year, we can help you understand the market, identify potential talent gaps and develop a recruitment approach that supports your wider business plans.
