West Midlands - Legal Market Overview
The West Midlands continues to
cement its reputation as one of the premier business centres outside of
London with development and investment in the region continuing apace.
The last twelve months has seen further new entrants to the legal
market. More high profile mergers and additions to the legal landscape
are expected over the months to come, further emphasising the pulling
power of Birmingham in an increasingly competitive market.
Many
of the leading firms in the region can genuinely claim to handle City
quality work outside London. They frequently act for FTSE 100
organisations and other large international organisations usually the
preserve of magic Circle practices, as well as national and local
businesses. Birmingham is home to a number of market leading,
nationally recognised teams most notably across the real estate,
corporate and projects sectors. There is also opportunity to specialise
in some of the more niche practice areas including property finance,
media and EU/Competition work, which have traditionally been the
preserve of the City firms.
Legal salaries
A number of the large regional firms continue to bolster their relatively new offices in the region, leading to increased movement in the market. This has meant that in an attempt to attract and retain the best talent, the largest national practices have hiked salaries. With the exception of a few firms on the outskirts of London, it would be difficult to earn more elsewhere regionally in the UK. It is worth noting that the traditional disparity between the remuneration of Birmingham lawyers and their East Midlands-based counterparts would appear to have narrowed, with national firms having a presence in both locations opting to remunerate junior lawyers equally across the board.
For further information on the legal market and job opportunities in the West Midlands contact:
Nick Jones or Tom PogmoreT: 0121 665 4920
E: nickjones@taylorroot.com
E: tompogmore@taylorroot.com