Vacancies for private practice lawyers fell 13 per cent year-on-year with London experiencing the most acute drop with available roles down 26 per cent year-on-year. Research from specialist recruiter Clayton Legal also revealed that the North East and the South East experienced the smallest decline at three per cent and four per cent respectively. Other regions where advertised positions fell were the South West by 11 per cent and the North West by almost a fifth down 18 per cent. However, bucking the trend was the Midlands where vacancies levels remained static year-on-year.

Demand high for family and personal injury lawyers

Despite the overall picture looking somewhat gloomy, there were certain specialisms which experienced increases in vacancy numbers. Lawyers specialising in family law were in particular demand across the South and North East where vacancies were up 50 per cent and 65 per cent respectively. Personal Injury specialists have also been highly sought after with advertised roles up by 27 per cent in the South West.

Increased workloads driving recruitment

Lynn Sedgwick, Managing Director at Clayton Legal said: ‘…while there is clearly caution around Brexit, we are also seeing a change in the recruitment strategies of our clients.  Many firms are hiring lawyers for newly created positions due to increased workloads instead of replacement hires that are associated with specialists moving between firms.’ She added: ‘And as Brexit becomes more of a ‘business as usual’ scenario, we’re confident the ‘wait and see’ approach will pass.’