BCL Legal's 2010 Salary Survey Shows Modest Rise in Annual Bonuses for In-house Lawyers Across Yorkshire & the North East
19th April 2010 from 3:28 pmLeeds based BCL Legal - the legal recruitment consultancy which operates across Yorkshire and the North East - this week (Monday 19th April, 2010) launches its annual Salary Survey of in-house lawyers working within the region.
The survey of over 100 professionals compared year on year salaries, bonuses and general benefits.
A number of key findings came out of the report, most notably that the average annual bonus rose from £10,000 to £10,500 despite there being a fall of 6% in recipients – down to 65%. Lawyers with up to five years experience took home on average £5,000, those with between six and eight years received £9,500 whilst the average bonus for solicitors with 11 years plus experience was £16,000.
In terms of salary, average pay for newly qualified lawyers fell by around £5,000 and now stands at £35,000 whilst those who have been practising for between two and 10 years have seen little difference. Senior lawyers saw an average drop of £10,000 down to £135,000 per annum but in a few very exceptional cases salaries increased up to £240,000.
Other findings include; a 7% drop in lawyers receiving pension contributions from their employers and a 5% reduction in those enjoying private medical insurance. Other benefits, such as car allowances and holidays, remained static year on year.
Mark Levine, director of BCL Legal and head of its in-house department, said; ‘The annual Salary Survey is a good way to get a sense of how our clients and the wider in-house legal community is fairing. The last year has been pretty tough so it’s not surprising that there have been some fluctuations in salaries and bonuses. However, good people are still being rewarded as employers know that a strong recovery will be best achieved if they retain and look after talented staff.’
Current BCL Legal clients include; AVIVA Plc, Huntsman Limited, Addleshaw Goddard, DWF, DLA, Irwin Mitchell
BCL Legal Continues to Defy Downturn with Five New Appointments
29th March 2010 from 3:06 pmManchester headquartered BCL Legal - one of the leading legal recruitment consultancies outside London which also has offices in Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Bristol and Reading - is continuing to buck the current downward trend within the legal and recruitment sectors following a number of key appointments within its senior management and consultant teams.
Despite the tough economic climate, the last year has been a period of strong growth for BCL Legal and these appointments come at a time when the company has recently reported a 40% rise in the number of partner level placements made by its private practice team. There have also been strong performances across the in-house and temporary departments which are predicted to grow substantially throughout 2010.
Four of the new starters will be working as fee earning consultants; Ben Hartridge joins the in-house legal team with a focus on placing solicitors and company secretaries in businesses across the North, whilst Ify Okpalugo will be advising paralegals and legal executives looking to work in private practice.
Ben Gates has joined the interim and temporary contracts team where he sources temporary opportunities for lawyers acting for private practices, in house legal departments as well as public sector and not-for-profit businesses across the Midlands. Joe Gregory places solicitors within private practices in Yorkshire and the North East with a particular focus on firms in Sheffield, Newcastle, Hull and Durham.
The final appointment is Sarah Thomas who joins as training & operations director. Sarah is responsible for the training and development of all consultants and how that interfaces with the day to day operations of the business. She previously worked for a multi sector international recruitment organisation for over 15 years and in the latter years she led its training programmes across its European office network. Most of Sarah's extensive recruitment experience has been in providing solutions to financial and professional services organisations as well as private practice firms.
James Batt, director of BCL Legal commented; ‘The last year has been a really exciting time for us – especially in terms of growth and company evolution. Recruiting these talented individuals is integral to our plans for 2010 and to support our constantly improving offering. We are all excited about the appointments and I am sure they will each bring enthusiasm and experience to an already dynamic team.
James concluded; We recognise that our people are the life blood of the business so we believe Sarah’s appointment truly reflects BCL Legal’s commitment to providing a first class service to all clients and candidates.’
Sarah Thomas said of her new position; ‘I am really excited about my new role. BCL Legal has a great reputation thanks to its team of talented professionals so I look forward to aligning my skills to help drive the business forward.’
BCL Legal Announces Senior Ofwat Appointment
18th March 2010 from 1:37 pmBirmingham based BCL Legal, one of the leading legal recruitment consultancies outside London, is pleased to announce the appointment of Anne Clayton as a new in-house Principal Legal Advisor at Ofwat – the economic regulator for water companies in the UK.
Anne joins the Birmingham based team with a focus on developing and executing Ofwat’s policies in a range of ground breaking areas. Her role will also involve working with other regulatory organisations, government and senior counsel. She joins from Wragge & Co where she was a Senior Associate in the Antitrust and Public Law & Regulation teams. Before that, Anne trained and qualified at Slaughter and May, and was an Associate in its Competition & Regulatory group.
On her move, Anne commented; ‘I am very excited about joining the Ofwat team. The organisation does an invaluable job for customers and the water industry, and I am looking forward to making my mark and playing a leading role in its development.’
Mark Levine, director at BCL Legal and head of its in-house legal jobs department, concluded; ‘We wish Anne all the best and are delighted to have been involved in helping her secure this high profile position. This also shows the variety of roles that are now available to lawyers outside of private practice.’
Other BCL Legal clients in Birmingham and the Midlands include; Holland and Barratt, National Grid Transco, Weightmans, Pinsent Masons, Irwin Mitchell and Clarke Willmott.
For further information on BCL Legal, please contact Matt Neary
T: 0161 902 9472
BCL Legal Launches Cutting Edge Mobile Website for 2010
25th January 2010 from 8:23 amOver the past few years, the way people search for legal jobs has changed and evolved. The influence of the Internet, and the role it plays, is now the defining channel for job searches and is a recruiters’ most important platform. However, things never stay the same so; BCL Legal - one of the leading legal recruitment consultancies outside London - is this week launching a cutting edge and innovative mobile phone friendly website.
The site, a relative first in the recruitment sector, is an edited version of BCL Legal’s main website and is designed to allow candidates access to the jobs section via their phones quickly and easily. The key benefits for BCL Legal’s candidates are based around flexibility and convenience as the new mobile site allows them to look for a job discreetly, whenever they want. It provides an extra level of service that responds to and addresses the needs and requirements of the company’s key audience.
The Blackberry and iPhone compatible site boasts a number of unique features including; 'send this job to a friend' and ‘request a call back’. Potential future additions may include a bespoke text function which will automatically forward specific and relevant job details to a person’s mobile phone inbox.
Careful consideration has also been paid to the site’s overall design which reflects the company’s brand position. The innovative layout is in a readable format meaning there is no cumbersome zoom in/ out option - instead a simple scroll feature is in place allowing easy navigation.
James Batt, director of BCL Legal, commented; ‘It is vital for recruiters, just like any other industry, to stay one step ahead and to meet the needs of its clients. Searching for a job is always a stressful time and we want to make the process as simple and as convenient as possible.
James concluded; ‘The new mobile website has been created to do just that and we are confident it will become a pivotal part of how we do business and how our candidates research their next career move in the legal sector.’
BCL Legal’s mobile website is live now at http://www.bcllegal.com/mobile
BCL Legal Sees Shifts in Trends for the In-house Legal Community
11th January 2010 from 2:14 pmWith many private practice law firms still finding the economy tough, and with redundancies very much on the agenda, BCL Legal - one of the leading legal recruitment consultancies outside London - is seeing and predicting a number of growing trends within the in-house legal sector as we come out of recession.
Over the last year, the team at BCL Legal has seen an increase in the number of organisations taking advantage of the much publicised redundancies being made by the law firms they instruct by directly recruiting a known lawyer into their business – more often than not as their first in-house counsel. Companies from sectors as diverse as manufacturing and technology to financial services have quickly realised that employing someone who has already worked for them, but on the other side, has its real benefits.
One recent example is 2ergo – a leading global provider of mobile enabling technology with a focus on mobile marketing, mobile customer relationship management, and mobile entertainment and media. The firm, which has offices in Salford Quays, has recently recruited Paul Basger – a former solicitor at Pannone – as its new commercial solicitor.
Another development is the large increase in the recruitment of in-house lawyers on a locum or contract basis. Despite workloads remaining high, many companies are having to go through redundancy processes and are implementing unilateral head count freezes. When this happens, the only option is for them to employ the services of an interim lawyer via a recruitment agency. BCL Legal sees this as a growth area and as a result will be looking to expand both its In-house and Temporary/ Contract Business Departments throughout 2010.
Mark Levine, director at BCL Legal and head of its In-House Team said; ‘We have been in the recruitment business for many years and these trends are really starting to gather some momentum. It seems that companies are taking a step back and reviewing what they actually need and how they can fulfill it – potentially in-house. Mark concluded; ‘It has been an interesting story so far and it will be fascinating to see how it develops next year as the legal community continues to grow and gain more confidence.’
BCL Legal Defies Downturn with Rise in Annual Candidate Placements Including a 40% Surge in Partner Level Positions
7th December 2009 from 12:51 pmManchester headquartered BCL Legal - one of the leading legal recruitment consultancies outside London – is bucking the current downturn in both the legal and recruitment sectors by placing a total of 435 lawyers for the year from November 2008 – an increase of 13 on the period 2007/2008. The figure is thanks, in a large part, to the 40% rise in the number of partner level placements that the company has completed within the North West private practice sector.
This impressive growth, in such tough trading conditions, is especially encouraging following the recent news that profits have sunk on average 33% at the region’s law firms (source: Pricewaterhouse Coopers). BCL Legal, which also has offices in Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Bristol and Reading, primarily attributes much of this year’s success to rising confidence in the Insurance, Commercial Litigation, Employment and Personal Injury sectors.
Other key factors include increased numbers of high calibre legal professionals at all levels who have been actively seeking new positions - thanks to redundancies and ongoing job insecurity. As well as clients using the current situation to reassess their recruitment requirements by strategically employing the best possible staff to help drive them forward once the recession comes to an end.
James Batt, Director of BCL Legal, said; ‘Although the figures appear modest on first glance, they are great news as this year has been particularly tough for both the recruitment and legal professions. The results are also encouraging as it shows business confidence is picking up, slowly. There is no doubting that the market is still difficult but most private practice law firms and organisations are now firmly focused on making 2010 a success.
James concluded; ‘Although this year’s performance gives us a solid platform for growth as the economy continues comes out of recession, we are not resting on our laurels as we realise that new challenges will continue to test both us and our clients for the foreseeable future.’
BCL Legal sponsors C&I Annual North West Dinner alongside McGrigors LLP
9th October 2009 from 6:02 pmThe North West Commerce & Industry Group Annual Dinner this year is sponsored by BCL Legal, McGrigors LLP and Hartley Wadsworth & Partners and will be held on Friday 30 October 2009 at The Lowry Hotel, Manchester
This event is open to all those who work in or are connected with Legal Departments in North West Commerce & Industry, and therefore, Company Directors, Company Secretaries, In-House Barristers and support staff are also welcome to attend. The evening will commence at 7.00pm with a complimentary champagne reception kindly sponsored by BCL Legal.
Mark Levine, In House Director of BCL Legal said "we are delighted to sponsor the Dinner for the sixth consecutive year, it is a great opportunity to meet our clients in a relaxed environment. As well as the networking opportunity, going off previous years, it should be a lot of fun".
Pannone LLP appoint Mark Burch
8th October 2009 from 5:52 pmManchester law firm Pannone LLP has appointed Mark Burch as a consultant to its debt recovery team.
Burch was formerly head of debt recovery at Lees Lloyd Whitley, the 190 year-old Merseyside-based law firm. He has more than 20 years' experience in the sector and is featured in the profession's Legal 500.
Burch's appointment marks a return to a city in which he previously spent seven years with Eversheds. In his new role, he will work alongside Pannone's head of debt recovery, Karl Williams, in seeking new work streams as well as on existing client accounts.
“I am delighted to welcome Mark to Pannone,” said the firm's head of litigation, Simon Pedley. “Having both Karl Williams and Mark Burch in the same team is exceptionally good news for us. We already had one of the region's strongest debt recovery teams, and now we are an even greater force to be reckoned with.”
Mark instructed BCL Legal in his search for new employment.
BCL Legal Recruitment Consultants support the fifth annual Pannone LLP Connect2law Conference
7th October 2009 from 2:31 pmFor the fourth consecutive year BCL Legal supported the Pannone LLP Conect2law conference held at the Hilton Hotel on 6th October 2009.
Over 100 lawyers from across the country attended the conference to discuss issues within the legal profession. Rachel Dobson from Pannone LLP spoke about how to incentivise staff in the recession, Viv Williams taught us how to prepare a law firm for merger and the directors of QualitySolicitors.com highlighted the changes about to impact with the impending Legal Services Bill.
BCL Legal is the sole supplier of legal recruitment services to the Connect 2 Law group which is a free support network for law firms across the UK. Firms introduce work they prefer not to do to Pannone LLP in return for a whole host of benefits including a fee share. Connect2Law is designed to help firms retain their clients and access the support and resources of a larger law firm. Through Connect2Law, member firms can enhance their current offering to clients, retain and attract clients and increase their bottom line.
James Batt, Director of BCL Legal said ‘it was another successful event for Connect2Law members and suppliers. The network continues to expand and the conference is a great opportunity for members to talk to each other as well as listen to opinions from the key speakers on changes to the profession and how they are likely to impact. There is no doubt that we are living through the biggest changes to the profession and all need to adapt if we are going to have a chance of maintaining market share”.
If you would like further information about becoming a Connect2law member, contact Claire Smith, Partner, via email at claire.smith@pannone.co.uk
Weightmans Manchester office expansion with the arrival of Keoghs Employment department
21st September 2009 from 12:12 pmJoining the firm from Keoghs is senior associate Kevin McKenna and solicitor, Lindsey McCulloch.
Kevin McKenna has over ten years’ experience as an employment lawyer and specialises in all matters relating to employment law across a wide spectrum of sectors.
Lindsey McCulloch qualified as a solicitor in 2005, and will continue to defend employment tribunal claims at her new firm.
Mark Leach, partner and head of the employment team at Manchester said:
“We are delighted to have Kevin and Lindsey onboard. The experience and contacts they bring with them are welcome, especially after further client wins and panel successes within the last year. These additions to our team will help to ensure that we continue to deliver a high quality service to both new and existing clients.”
On his decision to join the firm, Kevin commented:
“This is an exciting challenge.
I enjoyed my time at Keoghs and I am looking forward to continuing to provide advice and support for long standing clients as well as making the most of the great platform Weightmans provides to develop and deliver employment products for our commercial clients.”
Both Kevin and Lindsey instructed BCL Legal who placed them at Weightmans and we wish them the best of luck for the future.
print page
top of page
