Insights

Market Intelligence

Practice-area analysis, salary movement and hiring intelligence - written for senior practitioners and decision makers.

Shelves of legal reference books in a law firm library

1 October 2026 4 min read

Practising Certificate Renewal, and a Second Checklist for Your Career

Practising certificate renewal runs through October. The regulator asks its questions once a year, so here are the five career questions worth asking yourself at the same time.

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Gavel on a desk in an employment tribunal hearing room

Market Analysis

1 October 2026 6 min read

Employment Rights Act Changes, and Why Employment Teams Will Struggle to Hire

Longer tribunal windows, a six month unfair dismissal qualifying period and no compensation cap. What the Employment Rights Act changes mean for employment teams and the lawyers they are trying to hire.

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Law students at a university graduation ceremony

Market Analysis

30 September 2026 6 min read

Fewer Trainees and Lower SQE Pass Rates: The Junior Lawyer Shortage Ahead

Training contract numbers fell and the SQE1 pass rate dropped to 42%. Two September numbers that belong together, and what they mean for the 3 PQE market in five years.

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Abstract technology pattern representing AI in legal work

Market Analysis

30 September 2026 6 min read

Legal AI Is Worth Billions: What It Means for Lawyers' Jobs

Harvey raised $550m at a $15.5bn valuation while Gateley planned redundancies citing AI investment. Who is most exposed, who becomes more valuable, and what it changes about hiring.

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Close up of computer circuitry representing AI tools in law firms

Hiring Guide

31 August 2026 5 min read

The SRA's AI Warning: What It Means for Hiring and for Your CV

The SRA's warning notice on AI makes checking the skill that matters. What it changes about how firms should hire and test, and what lawyers should say about AI at interview.

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UK law firm partners in discussion at a city office boardroom reviewing partnership structures

Market Analysis

30 June 2026 12 min read

Partnership Used to Look Like Freedom. For a Lot of Solicitors, It Now Looks Like a Warning

Why the partnership proposition in UK law is being recalculated.

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Salary figures and notes on a desk in a law firm office

Report

30 June 2026 6 min read

NQ Pay in 2026: London, Birmingham and the Gap Between Them

Quinn Emanuel hit £189,000 for London NQs while regional NQ pay rose to £84,000. What the gap does and does not mean, and why the pressure point is 2 to 5 PQE.

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Investment charts and a laptop on an investor's desk

Market Analysis

30 June 2026 5 min read

Private Equity and Law Firm Buyouts: What It Means for Regional Careers

More private equity deals are completing in UK legal services, with smaller cheques going to regional and consumer firms. What a sale changes for partners, associates and support staff.

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City skyline at dusk representing US firms' London offices

Market Analysis

30 June 2026 5 min read

US Firms in the UK: Why It Matters Outside London

Twenty three US firms now sit in the UK Top 50 by revenue. From regional pay reviews to London shortlists regional specialists never applied for, here is how it reaches Birmingham, Leeds and Bristol.

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Law firm partners in a merger integration meeting

Market Analysis

30 June 2026 6 min read

After the Big Mergers: Where the Movement Will Come From

Ashurst and Perkins Coie, then Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader. The press releases are done. From a headhunter's seat, here is when the detail lands and who is likely to move.

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Legal support staff member working through documents at a desk

Hiring Guide

31 May 2026 5 min read

Paralegals and CILEX Lawyers After Mazur: What Firms Can Delegate Now

The Court of Appeal has clarified what supervised staff can do on a litigation file. What it means for firms, paralegals and CILEX lawyers, from a recruiter who places legal support staff.

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Salary benchmarking data and financial charts on a desk in a Midlands law firm office

Report

19 May 2026 7 min read

What Midlands Solicitors Actually Earn in 2026. Stop Looking at London Tables.

Public salary tables treat Birmingham as a footnote to London and skip Northampton, Leicester, Telford and Shrewsbury entirely. Here is what I am seeing across my desk week to week.

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Law firm partners in discussion at a Midlands office boardroom

Market Analysis

7 April 2026 6 min read

One in Five Want Out. The Quiet Crisis Inside Midlands Law Firms.

A recent partner survey put a number on something I have been hearing on calls for months. One in five law firm partners are eyeing the exit. The picture underneath is worse.

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Salary benchmarking data and charts on a desk in a law firm office

Report

1 April 2026 9 min read

Legal Salary Trends - Q1 2026: Regional Market Update

Quarterly salary movement across six practice areas in the United Kingdom. Live market data, not survey averages.

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Hiring partner conducting an interview with a senior solicitor candidate

Hiring Guide

15 March 2026 8 min read

What Hiring Partners Actually Look For (Beyond the CV)

Decision makers tell us what really moves the needle at offer stage. The CV gets you in the room. Everything else decides whether you leave with an offer.

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Senior solicitors meeting at a boardroom table reviewing private client matters

Market Analysis

1 March 2026 7 min read

The Private Client Talent Crisis: Why Experienced Solicitors Are the Most Sought-After Lawyers in Regional Markets

Why experienced private client solicitors are the single most in-demand professionals in regional legal markets - and what firms and candidates should do about it.

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Colleagues communicating via phone and messaging apps in a modern law firm office

Hiring Guide

27 January 2026 5 min read

Your Senior Associate Won't Pick Up the Phone. That's Not Their Problem.

A viral story put senior people on edge about Gen Z communication habits. The real story is about how 4 PQE associates actually work, and what your firm is missing by not noticing.

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