Klein Hamilton

The latest report from CV-Library reveals that job applications in the legal sector have increased by 14.5% in the last year. The report from CV-Library analysed job market data throughout 2019 and compared it with statistics from 2018. It reveals that the legal industry saw the sixth biggest jump in applications year-on-year. A key driving factor behind the jump in applications may well be the fact that average pay in the legal sector jumped up by 1.5% in 2019. Lee Biggins, CEO, and founder of CV-Library commented: “Despite severe political and economic uncertainty over the last year, it’s positive to see that the legal industry has continued to grow. We’ve noticed that this is an ongoing trend across several sectors, which should instill confidence in employers who may have put their recruitment plans on pause in the run-up to the election; especially as January is consistently one of the best times to hire.”  The report also shows that businesses in the legal industr...

It might sound like the dream but having two job offers on the table can make for a hard decision. Our experts share some crucial things to consider if you’re struggling to decide. Think long-term One of the key reasons people change roles is to develop their career, so when deciding on your next move your long-term career ambitions should be a vital consideration. Every career decision a candidate makes will ultimately impact on their long-term career ambitions, which means it’s all the more important to make the right choices. Long-term ambitions should act as an end goal, and whichever job choice you make now, it should move you further down the road towards that end goal. Be careful of ‘push’ factors When considering each role, ask yourself whether it would fulfil the reasons you decided to look for a new job in the first place. Any candidate will likely experience ‘push factors’ driving them away from their current role, but if the new job on offer doesn’t address thes...

Although coming to the decision that you’re ready to change jobs is a big step, translating that decision into the reality of finding a new role with a new employer can still seem a frustratingly long way off. But to give you the reassurance that things are moving in the right direction, there are actually lots of things you can be doing – starting from now... Write your ideal job description You know you want to move on… but move on to what? Have a go at drafting a job description for your ideal role. Factor in your strengths and areas of interest, and think about the areas you like or dislike about your current role. Use this ideal description to inform your job search. Draw up a timetable Break down your job search into a series of manageable phases – such as Research, Selection, Applications, Interview Preparation – with a realistic timeframe against each phase. Work out what you need to do at each phase – e.g. for the Application phase, you’ll need your CV ready, for the ...

Commercial awareness Legal recruiters cite commercial awareness as one of the most important attributes a candidate can have. It basically means possessing knowledge of current developments in local, national and world business, particularly any issues that may impact a law firm and its clients. Firms expect employees to market their services to prospective clients, as well as develop trusting relationships with existing ones. Ultimately, law firms are businesses, so lawyers must appreciate the commercial importance of meeting deadlines, keeping costs low and handling information confidentially. A client, meanwhile, will expect their lawyer to fully understand how their business is run, and which wider social, political and economic issues may affect them. If applicable, lawyers must also appreciate the short, medium and long-term implications of their client's business proposal, and think strategically about the organisation's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and th...