Klein Hamilton

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...

Law’s 30-year employment boom could go into sharp reverse over the next decade, according to a study commissioned by the Law Society of England and Wales. But lawyers are unlikely to be the main casualties - legal secretaries and support staff are set to bear the brunt of any contraction. These are among the ‘scenarios’ envisaged in a study on strategic workforce planning commissioned by Chancery Lane from the Institute for Employment Studies and published today. Using employment data from 2017, the report analyses how the market will need to adapt to a more deregulated environment, tougher commercial pressures and increasing adoption of technology in the years to 2027. Overall, the report predicts a fall in employment of 13,000 (4%) on the 321,000 employed in the law in 2017. The number of legal professionals and associates is projected to continue rising, by around 2% a year. But the number of legal secretaries - a role headed for extinction - will slump by two-thirds, while the...

The legal services market will need to adapt to a more deregulated environment and stronger commercial pressures! The legal services market will need to adapt to a more deregulated environment, stronger commercial pressures and increasing adoption of technology, the Law Society of England and Wales said as it released research to inform strategic workforce planning for the sector to 2027. “Our analysis anticipates the shape of the future legal workforce, identifying trends and skills gaps based on a range of alternative scenarios, from technology adoption and Brexit to competition,” Law Society president Simon Davis said. “Developments identified here will help define the roles and skills required for solicitor firms to perform successfully, while the Law Society will continue to refer to these findings to plan and develop relevant support for our members.” Since 1993 the number of legal professionals has increased steadily, at an average rate of just under two per cent per ye...

The option of becoming a freelance solicitor makes it cheaper and easier to set up and practise alone than ever before. The option of becoming a freelance solicitor makes it cheaper and easier to set up and practise alone than ever before. Unlike the process of establishing as a sole practitioner – it can take months to get a new firm authorised – if you have a practising certificate and want to become a freelance solicitor, you could be up and running in less than a week. To get going, you simply need to notify the Solicitors Regulation Authority and ensure that you have a letter of engagement and terms of business which meet the notification requirements set out by the regulator. If you want to offer reserved legal services, you will also need three years’ post-qualification experience and ‘adequate and appropriate’ professional indemnity insurance. It really is that simple. Except, of course, nothing is quite that simple. The low upfront costs and promise of reduced bureaucra...

Here are ten points to bear in mind in order to excel when attending networking events. Do your research Before attending a networking event, you should not only make yourself aware of the focus of it, but also take the opportunity to consider the attendance list, if there’s one available. Peruse any online profiles of the people with whom you’ll be networking, while bearing in mind the next tip. Don’t stay glued to your phone   It’s acceptable to take it out to check the contact details of someone who doesn’t have a business card, but not to talk, text or check messages. By focusing on your phone, you’ll seem too busy to engage with and may be considered disrespectful. Do remain subtle   Don’t come on too strong. Whether you’re discussing legal matters or simply chatting on a personal level, avoid going overboard on what or how much you know. Avoid forcing your opinions on anyone, even if you hear something you don’t agree with. Don’t be late ...

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 ...

We spend around a third of our adult lives at work, according to the World Health Organisation. Of course, many of us work primarily to provide a stable home for ourselves and our families and to enable us to pursue our hobbies, interests and passions. But with so much of our precious time devoted to our work, shouldn’t it carry some greater meaning too? Certainly the research suggests so. For example, some 83 per cent of millennials (and 80 per cent of Gen Z-ers) believe that business success should be measured not just in terms of financial performance, but also by a broad mix of goals that includes making a positive impact on society and the environment; improving people’s lives; and an emphasis on inclusion and diversity in the workplace, according to the 2018 Deloitte Millennial Survey. In their quest for meaningful employment, some will look to work in the not-for-profit sector. But meaningful work doesn’t have to mean charity work, and it does not even have to mean a car...