For legal professionals, reaching the mid-point of your associate career is an ideal moment to pause and reassess. This phase, typically between 3-5 years post-qualification experience (PQE), is pivotal for shaping the future trajectory of your career.
But why is this point of a lawyer’s career so important?
To demonstrate rather than simply tell, we’ve conducted a comprehensive analysis of the London legal job market, leveraging data from Vacancysoft, Pirical, and LinkedIn. This data covers advertised roles across various PQE levels and firms over the past three years.
The findings confirm what we, as recruiters, understand about hiring trends in law firms. By sharing this with you, we hope to show exactly what we mean when we say: you have all the power at the mid-level!
What does the data tell us?
The graph above illustrates that over the past four years, the majority of associate roles have been advertised within the 3-5 PQE range. This reflects a "hiring sweet spot" in the legal market, where firms find an ideal balance between experience and potential when bringing in new talent. After this you can see a sharp decline in the number of live roles for more senior positions.
So why do firms hire at the mid-level?
- Mid-level hires are less costly compared to senior-level professionals.
- A mid-level hire comes with enough experience to hit the ground running but is still junior enough to develop into a new firm’s culture and work towards promotion.
- Ideally, if at all possible, firms try to avoid bringing in senior hires who could potentially disrupt the career paths of their own associates.
- More junior associates often lack sufficient experience for complex matters, and firms prefer to assess potential internally before making significant commitments.
By hiring mid-level candidates, firms strike a balance between gaining necessary experience, integrating new talent into the firm’s culture, and preserving career growth opportunities for their current associates.
Challenges for Senior Associates at 6+ PQE
The market becomes considerably more competitive at the senior associate level (6+ PQE), as opportunities are far fewer due to the limited number of senior associate positions within a team’s structure. Firms typically only seek to hire a senior associate if one has left or if there is a substantial influx of work. This is why we encourage associates around the 3-5 PQE mark to carefully evaluate their current positions.
At the 3-5 PQE level, you hold significant power in the recruitment market. Firms find candidates at this stage highly attractive, giving you the strongest leverage to strategically advance your career.
If you’re at this stage, here are some critical questions to consider before deciding on your next move:
- Are you compensated at the top of the market for the hours you’re working?
- Are there genuine medium- and long-term promotion prospects?
- Do you want a significantly improved work-life balance in the next stage of your career?
- Do you enjoy the culture of your team? Does your firm align with your personal goals and values?
If you find yourself uncertain about any of these questions, it may be time to explore other options. Remember, interviewing isn’t a binding commitment—it’s a chance to see what else the market has to offer. Taking that step to explore may be the best move for your future.
If you need further guidance or insight into potential opportunities, we’re here to help you navigate this important stage in your legal career.
Reach out to us on info@sonderconsultants.com for tailored advice.
