Press

Paralegals and Legal Executives becoming increasingly important in private practice within the Yorkshire market

1st May 2008 from 9:00 am

The outlook for the non-qualified legal recruitment market has never looked better in the Yorkshire area. Paralegals and legal executives working in private practice law firms are a large and growing constituent of the professional staff in law firms in Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and surrounds. As well as those legal professionals who come through the traditional ILEX route there now exists an abundance of LPC graduates of an exceptionally high calibre, emerging each year from the city’s highly rated law schools: the University of Leeds, Leeds Metropolitan University and BPP Law School. Relatively recently, this valuable commodity to the Leeds legal market would have exported itself to the more traditional legal centre of the City of London, however, now they are finding comparable and indeed in many cases more appealing opportunities right here in Yorkshire. LPC graduates are entering the market with the requisite knowledge and are able to secure opportunities that will give them that edge in terms of the skills and experience necessary to attain that illusive training contract and so the legal recruitment cycle continues and inevitably the market will continue to grow from strength to strength. Law firms large and small are becoming acutely aware of the potential benefits to be reaped from the non-qualified legal market and as such paralegals and legal executives have been entrusted with a far greater role in legal work covering many core legal disciplines. Increasingly, recourse to non-qualified fee earners in being considered a valid legal recruitment option by the law firms in Yorkshire. The lack of necessity to pay for continuing professional development for non qualified solicitors and the ever increasing cost of practising certificate fees mean that non qualified fee earners with strong client skills, legal knowledge and ability to ‘hit the ground running’ with an existing caseload become ever more valuable. Claire Watt of BCL Legal specialises in recruiting non-qualified and legal executive fee earners into law firms across all disciplines in Yorkshire. If you would like information in relation to employment within Private Practice, Claire is well poised to help you. Please contact her on 0845 241 0933.

Bristol Legal Jobs More Attainable as BCL Legal Recruitment Opens Office in City

18th February 2008 from 9:00 am

BCL Legal Recruitment has opened an office in Bristol city centre in response to lawyers and solicitors being lured by the opportunities and prospects that Bristol law firms offer. Career progression is a lot more attainable than in London, due to the expansion and growth plans of many law practices in Bristol. The number of lawyers all running for the same position is less and so prospects for legal professionals are that much more enhanced. BCL Legal’s Bristol office has been set up to help legal professionals migrating to the city to find their ideal role and enhance their career prospects. The prospect of FTSE 100 clients and the prospect of dealing with top quality work are appealing to legal professionals wanting to further their career as well as the opportunities to take control of their own caseload and to gain more exposure to clients are major attractions for most lawyers. Legal professionals moving from London will no doubt view salary as one of the biggest considerations for relocating. A drop of between 20% and 40% is often the case if they’re already a lawyer practising at one of the larger London firms. However, Bristol law firms compare well with other legal centres keeping pace with like for like firms in Birmingham City Centre so you they’re not underpaid in regional terms. Bristol commercial law firms have become successful with a lot of hard work and commitment from staff. So whilst there is undoubtedly a better work – life balance to be had there is still an expectation of working long hours when you are required to ‘get the work done’. Property prices, whilst a lot cheaper than London, the South West has experienced the kind of boom seen elsewhere in the UK. With offices in Bristol, Manchester, Leeds, and Birmingham BCL Legal provides a comprehensive legal recruitment service for solicitors, lawyers, law firms and businesses. For information relating to legal opportunities in commerce and industry please contact Mark Levine on 0845 241 0933 or by email: info@bcllegal.com. For opportunities in Bristol private practice please contact James Batt on 0845 241 0965 or bristol@bcllegal.com

BCL Legal Recruitment Cites Bristol as Up and Coming Legal Centre

10th February 2008 from 9:14 am

Bristol is an up and coming legal centre in the UK and is as good as it gets according to BCL Legal Recruitment. Bristol offers everything for today’s lawyers and solicitors; top quality work, a first class client base, excellent career prospects and a less hours centric environment. It is no wonder people living in the South West are reportedly the happiest in the UK! It is a common perception that there are just two major law firms in Bristol, Burges Salmon and Osborne Clarke. These two law firm stalwarts are still the established top tier with TLT Solicitors now increasing this to three. But you also have top 50 law firm Beachcroft LLP and top 100 firms Clarke Willmot, Bond Pearce, Bevan Brittan and Ashfords. And not a million miles away from Bristol in Cardiff (40 minutes by train) where top 10 firm Eversheds has an established branch as well as top 100 firms Hugh James, Morgan Cole and Geldards. It’s not only the corporate and commercial law firm heavyweights that have expanded, niche and smaller boutique firms can also boast about now being a ‘practice of excellence’ offering very good employment opportunities for legal professionals. Bristol based law firms pride themselves on treating staff well and providing a helpful and supportive environment. Most are less hours centric than comparable City firms and can genuinely offer better than average work - life balance and flexibility. BCL Legal provides a comprehensive legal recruitment service for solicitors, lawyers, law firms and businesses, across all disciplines and at all levels, with offices in Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham and Bristol. For information relating to legal opportunities in commerce and industry please contact Mark Levine on 0845 241 0933 or by email: info@bcllegal.com. For opportunities in Bristol private practice please contact James Batt on 0845 241 0965 or bristol@bcllegal.com

Leeds Private Practice Legal Jobs Market Go from Strength to Strength

21st January 2008 from 9:16 am

The legal recruitment market amongst the commercial private practice law firms in Leeds is increasingly buoyant. The UK’s second legal centre after London, Leeds recent legal recruitment trends have served to consolidate the city’s position nationally. Quality of work is at an all time high, remuneration packages continue to rise and legal talent is increasingly attracted to the city. The combination of increased quality of life without the need to sacrifice quality of work is a heady one legal professionals and BCL Legal’s Leeds office is finding the number potential recruits is continuing to increase. Existing heavyweight commercial law firms expand into new premises, Eversheds moved into their flagship Bridgewater Place office in Autumn 2007. Cobbetts’ Law Firms flagship Leeds office by the Riverside makes them the second largest commercial law organisation to move into this recently developed location, following Gordons Solicitors. Gordon’s Solicitors have continued their investment in Leeds by expansion in May 2007, merging with long established Bradford practice David Yablon. Gordons’ managing partner Paul Ayre said: “This acquisition is part of Gordons’ ongoing controlled growth strategy and demonstrates our commitment to further developing the business…”. Another indicator of the strength of the market was apparent when North West practice DWF came into Leeds via merger with Ricksons Solicitors in early 2007, resulting in a continuing legal recruitment drive in the Leeds office. Legal recruitment in Leeds has never been more buoyant, the variety and range of legal roles on offer has never been stronger, meaning that lawyers and solicitors seeking vacancies can easily fulfil their career aspirations in the city. Tom Crampton of BCL Legal specialises in recruiting Solicitors into law firms across all disciplines in Leeds. If you would like information in relation to employment within Private Practice, please contact Tom Crampton on 0845 241 0939.

The Liverpool Legal Market heats up in the run up to Capital of Culture 2008

9th November 2007 from 9:17 am

Liverpool’s National and Commercial law firms continue to enjoy a strong run up to Capital of Culture 2008. Weightmans, Halliwells, Hill Dickinson and Brabners Chaffe Street amongst others have reported a significant increase in turnover in the last financial year and have all recruited substantially in 2007. Global heavyweight DLA Piper has continued to headline with several high profile instructions. Weightmans LLP has won significant contracts with household name clients and recruited heavily into their Employment, Public Sector and Insurance teams in particular. Sian Evans has also been a significant addition to the Commercial Litigation team having joined from JST Lawyers. James See, Recruitment Manager at Weightmans LLP told BCL Legal that "the over the last 12 months Weightmans has seen tremendous growth and development. Once more we have been able to build on our success and attract new people and clients to work with us. Our reputation is growing and our market position in many areas is becoming stronger.” Hill Dickinson has continued to revel in their title of Official Solicitors for Liverpool Capital of Culture 2008 and is enjoying a period of sustained growth in Liverpool as well as Manchester and London. Halliwells and Brabners Chaffe Street both have ambitious targets for growth over the next 2 years and have already taken significant strides to this end in 2007. Looking at the landscape of Liverpool City Centre itself, the development is there for all to see. Non-contentious lawyers in a variety of disciplines are particularly in demand as a result. Construction, PFI, Employment, Commercial and Commercial Property lawyers are in high demand in what has become an increasingly competitive marketplace. Gareth McGhee of BCL Legal specialises in recruiting Solicitors into law firms across all disciplines in Merseyside and Cheshire. If you would like information in relation to employment within Private Practice, please contact Gareth McGhee on 0161 209 3300.

The North East Seeks Legal Talent

6th November 2007 from 9:18 am

Over the last ten years Newcastle & the North East of England has re-emerged as a thriving business community; billions have been spent investing in the infrastructure, the regional heritage and regeneration projects. This has helped attract businesses back into the region and many large corporations (providing quality instructions to the regions law firms) have a presence in the North East including Arriva, the Sage Group PLC & Entec, one of the UK’s largest environmental and engineering consultancies. This economic improvement has given rise to a mass of opportunities for professionals in the region and particularly for lawyers. From trainees wishing to gain excellent exposure and client contact early on in their career to experienced individuals looking for recognition and rewards, Newcastle & the North East has plenty to offer Lawyers & Solicitors across a variety of disciplines. Solicitors in the corporate, commercial, property & private client departments have a wide range of choice in both the type of firm they can work for and the type of client they wish to represent. Firms grabbing the headlines for 2006/7 include Muckle LLP, Ward Hadaway & Dickinson Dees. Ward Hadaway, for the first time, posted profits of over £400,000 per equity partner & Dickinson Dees’ turnover exceeded £56 million both improving their standings in the Lawyer Top 100 up to 85 & 48 respectively. Causing a stir in the region is Muckle LLP, formerly Robert Muckle Solicitors. With turnover increasing by 20% last year to just under £10 million the firm received 6 nominations at the inaugural North East Insider Dealmakers awards and walked away with the awards for Corporate Deal and Corporate Lawyer of the year. In October 2007 Stephen McNicol, Muckle LLP’s managing partner said "attracting talented lawyers to the region is extremely important to us. We offer quality work for quality clients as many of our competitors do, but what we find people increasingly look for is a culture which invests time in their personal and professional development; a culture that allows them to really contribute and feel valued". James Hitti, Consultant at BCL Legal, confirmed ‘the region offers a complete spread of firms from national giants including Eversheds to high quality high street operations. I deal with managing partners who have a genuine interest in working with quality staff handling quality work.” BCL Legal provides comprehensive legal recruitment services for Solicitors, Lawyers, law firms and businesses at all levels, across all disciplines and across all sectors. With offices in Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham, BCL Legal is dedicated to assisting Lawyers throughout the North East and the UK’s regions. James Hitti specialises in recruiting Solicitors into law firms across all disciplines in the North East of England. If you would like information in relation to employment within Private Practice, please contact James Hitti on 0845 241 0938

Lawyers party in Manchester for the ‘Oktoberfest’ as the Legal Recruitment Boom Continues

29th October 2007 from 9:20 am

UK legal recruitment agency BCL Legal have seen an increase in instructions in the final quartre of 2007 with many instructions from firms and in house legal departments across a wide variety of sectors. Private practices as well as in house legal departments seem set to grow across all the regions in what seems to continue to be a buoyant and candidate driven market. Particularly buoyant disciplines include Corporate, Commercial, Employment, Commercial Litigation and Construction The in house market is exceptionally buoyant with many departments looking for Solicitors and Paralegals with IP, Corporate and Commercial experience. BCL Legal is currently acting for a number of major property and banking blue chips including HBOS, Balfour Beatty plc, AMEC plc and Urban Splash. BCL Legal held a party on 18 October 2007 to inaugurate the new Trainee Solicitors from law firms in Manchester, Preston, Cheshire and Liverpool. The event was held in association with the Manchester Trainee Solicitors Group and the Young Solicitors Group at the Slug & Lettuce in Manchester city centre. Over 400 lawyers and trainee Solicitors attended from leading national law firms including Addleshaw Goddard, DLA Piper, Weightmans and Eversheds as well as local law firms including Pannone LLP, Turner Parkinson and Horwich Farrelly. Going on late into the night with local jazz band, stilt walkers and fire eaters to entertain; the event was a huge success. BCL Legal Recruitment Director Victoria Clark commented “It’s a great opportunity for the solicitors and lawyers of tomorrow to network with solicitors and partners from law firms across the region. The North West is a relatively small legal community and it’s important we promote ourselves nationally to encourage more legal work to travel out of London. The North of England is thriving and these events allow everyone to have some fun.” Victoria Clark specialises in placing solicitors into private practices in Manchester and Lancashire. With offices in Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham, BCL Legal provides a comprehensive legal recruitment service for solicitors, lawyers, law firms and businesses at all levels, across all disciplines and across all sectors. The next event sponsored by BCL Legal is ‘Thank Fawkes it’s Friday’ in Birmingham at Must on Friday 2 November from 5pm. Victoria Clark can be reached at BCL Legal Recruitment in Manchester on 0161 209 3300

Residential Conveyancing Recruitment Remains Buoyant in the North West of England

22nd October 2007 from 9:24 am

At BCL Legal’s Manchester office, Managing Consultant Clare Franklin specialises in recruiting professionals into the residential conveyancing sector at all levels. Clare works closely with Conveyancing lawyers within private practice, specialist conveyancing businesses and in house roles across the UK. The Residential Conveyancing sector has seen significant changes during 2007 with the phased introduction of Home Information Packs (HIPs) and a further move towards E Conveyancing. Despite well documented fears of a housing market slow down across the UK, many law firms across Manchester, Liverpool, Warrington and Preston continue to recruit all levels of Conveyancing lawyers from conveyancing paralegals to licensed conveyancers and residential property solcitors. Clare Franklin, commented “the market is still exceptionally strong and practices across the North West of England are expanding their Residential Conveyancing services and are now looking to recruit paralegals, legal executives, licensed conveyancers and solicitors for all manner of Conveyancing jobs”. BCL Legal is a full service legal recruitment agency with offices in Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham. Clare Franklin can be reached at BCL Legal Manchester Office on 0845 241 0994.

Specialist Conveyancing Recruitment Consultancy for the Conveyancing Sector in Yorkshire and the North East

18th October 2007 from 9:26 am

UK legal recruitment consultancy, BCL Legal is a specialist agency with a niche Residential Conveyancing team of Consultants across Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham. At BCL Legal’s Leeds office, David Carr specialises in recruiting professionals into the property sector at all levels within private practice including paralegals, legal executives, licensed conveyancers and solicitors. The Residential Conveyancing sector has seen significant changes over the past 12 months with the phased introduction of HIPS and a move towards E Conveyancing. Despite well documented fears of a housing market slow down across the country, firms across the Yorkshire and the North East continue to recruit at all levels. David Carr commented “There are a wide range of opportunities at practices of all sizes throughout Yorkshire and the North East. There has been a noted rise in residential conveyancing jobs being offered by small and mid tier firms. Additionally, large firms with national client bases continue to have regular recruitment needs”. David Carr can be reached at BCL Legal Leeds Office on 0845 2410935

Residential Conveyancing Recruitment Remains Buoyant in the East and West Midlands as Solicitors, Paralegals and Licensed Conveyancers Still in Demand

2nd October 2007 from 9:30 am

BCL Legal is a full service legal recruitment agency with offices in Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham. Melanie Daly is a Consultant at BCL Legal’s Birmingham office who specialises in recruiting legal professionals into the Residential Conveyancing sector within private practice, specialist conveyancing businesses and in house across Birmingham, Nottingham and the Midlands. The Residential Conveyancing sector has seen significant changes during 2007 with the phased introduction of Home Information Packs (HIPs) and a move towards E Conveyancing. Despite well documented fears of a housing market slow down across the country, many firms across the Midlands continue to recruit to fill jobs at all levels from Conveyancing Fee Earners to Licensed Conveyancers and Residential Property Paralegals. Melanie claims “Firms throughout Birmingham and the Midlands law firms expanding their Residential Conveyancing services and are recruiting Paralegals, Legal Executives, Licensed Conveyancers and Solicitors for all manner of Conveyancing jobs”. Melanie Daly can be reached at the BCL Legal Birmingham Office on 0121 616 0380 or via birmingham@bcllegal.com

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