Central Legal Personnel: Experts in legal recruitment since 1968

While hiring at Partner level is both expensive and risky and, as research suggests, increasingly difficult to get right, the vast majority of law firms aren’t in the position to significantly grow their client base and, therefore, their business without making lateral hires at Partner level.

Panel relationships, restrictive covenants and extended periods of gardening leave all contribute to making Partner moves a hazardous process.

Central Legal understands that, while many Partners may have a seemingly compelling business case, a lateral hire that is going to be seen as a success in five or ten years’ time requires synergy of practices, a shared ethos and a willingness from both parties to fully commit to each other.

It is essential, therefore, that all three parties, including the recruitment consultancy, enter the process with their eyes wide open and take extra time to conduct due diligence.

While NQ Solicitors can, at times, be successfully placed on the strength of their academic record, their training and their personality, mid-level Solicitors, who may well form the 'engine room' of your organisation, present a far more interesting challenge for recruitment consultants.

At Central Legal we delve far deeper than a Candidate's CV and take the time to get a better understanding of their experience since qualification, including the deals/cases that they have worked on, the level of responsibility they have shouldered and the amount of exposure to clients entrusted to them.

When dealing with Senior Associates, we work hard to ensure that a Candidate's desire to make Partner is matched by a firm's outlook with regard to career progression.

The definition of Paralegal work is extremely broad and means different things to different firms.

Top tier law firms, faced with large-scale disclosure projects, may favour post-LPC candidates with strong academic records who have already secured a training contract. Conversely, smaller and niche law firms can be much more open with regard to their hiring criteria, often prioritising interpersonal skills, an ability to think on one's feet and previous experience of a specific practice area above academic qualifications.

Central Legal works with future Trainee Solicitors who are happy to undertake first round document review work prior to commencing their training, and candidates who are looking to gain further experience as a Paralegal before commencing their search for a training contract.

Central Legal has a wealth of experience of placing specialist legal support staff with London-based law firms.

Having placed Legal Secretaries on a temporary and permanent basis for nearly 50 years, we understand precisely how the nature of the Secretarial/PA role has changed over the last 20 years. This experience allows us to work closely with our clients to ensure that our Legal PA candidates are an excellent match for their specific requirements.

We are proud of the network of Practice / HR Managers we have built and are well-placed to recruit successfully at this level.

In essence, Central Legal works with a broad range of Support Staff, including Legal PAs, Legal Secretaries, DP Technicians, Secretarial Coordinators/Managers, Legal Cashiers, Accounts/Finance Managers, Practice Managers, HR Managers and other general office staff.