Written by Published

Created: 05 October 2021

It’s October and the start of the final quarter of the year. This year has been a bit of a blur. It occurred to me a little earlier that I completely forgot to write a review of Q2! By way of mitigation, my wife and I had baby number 2 in May and finding the time to blog outside of recruiting and dealing with a crying, demanding and constantly hungry little person has been a challenge. But enough about my colleague Joe and back to more pressing matters……

The team at Thornton Legal has been as busy at it has ever been and shows no sign of slowing down. The Summer used to be the time when there as a lull brief lull in activity with hiring Partners sipping Martinis on their superyachts and candidates struggling to look after feral children during school holidays.

Just about every practice area, with the possible exception of PI, has been buoyant and this Summer we saw a record number of placements at firms both in terms of Solicitor and Paralegal hires.

Here is a summary of our experiences over the past few months:

There has been a lot of movement in the commercial disciplines, particularly real estate, corporate, employment and litigation.

Firms are slowly but surely bringing staff back to their offices, albeit with an emphasis on a blend of home and office-based work.

Salaries across the board are being stretched in an upwards direction. Firms with deep pockets and big corporate clients are offering big financial incentives to talented, junior solicitors. My feeling is that this is beginning to present problems for small to medium sized firms who are losing talent to larger firms in Manchester and Leeds, aided by the promise of home working and a degree of flexible working not seen pre Covid.

Solicitors working for smaller commercial firms are increasingly getting offers from large national and international firms. This would not have been the case a few years ago.

I know that I bang on a lot in these reviews about this being a candidate driven market, but this is a truly great time to be a junior (PQE) lawyer with so many potential options available.

Getting first interviews arranged has never been so easy with virtual interviews capable of being slotted in during lunch hours with so many people still working a proportion of the week at home.

Recruitment for roles which would ordinarily involve one interview is often now a two-stage process.

Firms that are unable or unwilling to offer an element of hybrid working are missing out on good candidates.

There is a lot of misinformation out there amongst lawyers when it comes to market rate salaries. Whilst it is true that salaries are on the rise, some of the figures quoted by prospective candidates and their expectations is eye watering to say the least.

I hope you all have an enjoyable remainder of the year. It will be Christmas before we know it! How terrifying!

Written by Published

Created: 01 October 2021

Running a business can be stressful (as Nick and I can testify!) with lots to juggle but taking time to show staff they are appreciated is vital to a positive culture and ultimately a successful business.

Small gestures can have a big effect on lowering staff turnover and contributing to the overall company brand and values. Here are some ways to show your team you really care, that have a low monetary value but a high impact:

Regular social events

This can be more bigger scale ‘away days’ but smaller more ad-hoc things can work better whether they be a couple of drink after works, an end of month long team lunch or something more active! As we get used to the post COVID world social events are even more important. 

Ad hoc incentives

Looking to hit a goal in the month? How about end of month pizzas or a half day for the team to say well done. 

Be a considerate boss

Staff want a boss who is approachable and who they are happy to take their problems too, sometimes professional or sometimes personal. Always be polite, say hello, say thank you, offer a tea or coffee if your making one and generally show interest in how they are generally getting on.

Flexible and hybrid working

Ok this is now an expectation rather than a benefit, but those who can't or don't want to offer it will be left benind. Some trust needs to built, but giving employees the opportunity to work from home costs nothing (save for investing in a cloud based CRM) and the flexibility can go a long way to helping juggle work and personal life.

Birthday off policy

Giving employees their birthday off work (regardless of workload!) is a great way to show the team you care. 

Invest in your workspace

Not every business has a huge open plan office with high tech gadgets looking over the city sky line but that doesn’t mean they can’t have a great workspace. Consider things like slim line PCs, natural light, big windows, a water cooler, plants and an office radio (all things we have a Thornton Legal HQ by the way! – go us).

Whether you’re a manager in an international PLC or start up SME, it’s vital to show your staff you care about them, without them you don’t have a business. Falling into the trap of high staff turnover can be fatal. Look after your team and they will look after you.

Thornton Legal is a leading legal recruitment company, recruiting for legal jobs in across Merseyside, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Yorkshire and the West Midlands We are passionate about providing a professional, innovative and reliable legal recruitment service that is focused on quality and ensures our clients are matched with the strongest legal talent available. Contact one of our legal recruitment consultants today  to see what we can do for your law firm or legal career. 

Written by Published

Created: 24 June 2021

Stress is a well-known factor in the workplace and affects people in different ways depending on age, experience, and disabilities, as well as many other factors. Feeling some level of stress is normal but when it becomes overwhelming it can affect your mental and emotional wellbeing. Everyone deals with stress differently and what works for one person may not work for the next so finding methods that work for you is key.

 Here are a few points on how to help manage stress at work : -

Be active and look after your physical health

Try taking some time out to go for a short walk, jog, take some time out for you. Many people find this reduces stress and gives a clear mind. Take the breaks you are entitled to and take time away from your desk at lunch.

Work/ Life Balance

We are already beginning to see that one of the benefits of lockdown and the pandemic is that employees and employers have re-evaluated the importance of work/ life balance with many work places now offering a much more flexible approach to working from home and flexible hours. This will no doubt cut down on the likes of the stressful start of the day for many such as the commute to work, dropping kids off early and getting everyone out of the house on time.

Take time away from work whether that be in the office or from your desk at home. It is much easier now with emails on phones, laptops at home and social media to feel like you can never switch off but try to be strict with yourself and set aside some ‘me’ time without thinking about work for socialising and relaxation. Have an end of day routine to finish off the day by tidying your workspace and doing a to do list to start the next day.

Talk to your employers

If there is a problem with your workload discuss this with your manager as between you there may be a solution. Try to organise yourself to help balance your time. Keep your diary up to date and clear any emails you do not need. Overall, don’t keep it bottled up and let your employers know you are feeling stressed.

Challenge yourself

Give yourself goals and challenges outside of work. Is there a hobby you have been meaning to start, an activity you haven’t got around to doing? Develop interests and skills that you don’t use in your job to differentiate between your personal and work life.

Connect with people

Ensure you have a good support network of colleagues, friends and family. Often a problem shared is a problem halved. Talking things through with friends and family can often help to alleviate how you are feeling. Having connections with colleagues can also make your workplace feel more familiar and enjoyable.

Avoid unhealthy habits

Don’t turn to alcohol, smoking, caffeine or other vices as a way of managing stress. Whilst it may help in the short term it won’t do much good for the long-term problem. Try different techniques such as relaxation, mindfulness and taking time out for a holiday.

Written by Published

Created: 08 June 2021

It has always been a challenge for law firms to attract good lawyers, and this is even more difficult when a member of the team finds a new job elsewhere and hands in their notice. All of a sudden the stable team is disrupted and there is a pressing need to find a replacement lawyer.

Firms are aware that the cost of hiring a replacement person can be high, not to mention the costs associated with having a position empty for any period, resulting in a fall in revenue or an added burden on the remaining members of the team who are often reallocated work.

The firm will normally have 3 months to find a replacement due to the 3 month notice period most lawyers are required to give their employer. Even so, given the disruption and difficulty in finding a new lawyer, it is little surprise that the firm will do their best to discourage the lawyer from leaving. One option open to them is to make the person handing in their notice a counter offer. In other words; offer them a salary increase to persuade them to stay.

It is therefore important that every candidate should be prepared for the scenario from the very beginning of their job search. This is something we discuss from an early stage.

Thornton Legal find that on just about every occasion where a candidate hands their notice in, the disgruntled firm tries, sometimes successfully, to counter offer their employee and prevent them leaving.

Some candidates enter the recruitment process hoping that their current employer makes such a counter offer, for others it can be the last thing they were expecting.

Either way, the decision whether to stay or go can be a daunting one but our experience at Thornton Legal is that the vast majority of accepted counter offers ultimately fail to satisfy the candidate and they find themselves re-entering the job market a little further down the line.

Why is this and why are counter offers a tricky thing to navigate?

There are a number of factors but the common themes are:

If you’re worth it now, why did it take you to hand your notice in to force their hand?

If a person is worth the increased salary or promotion that comes with the counter offer, the firm in question really should have rewarded their employee earlier. Candidates are often flattered to receive a counter offer, but they should really be asking the question why they were undervalued for such a long time in the first place and whether their current firm is the right place for them to satisfy their ambitions in the long run.

It’s often not just about the money

Other motivating factors often play a significant factor in why candidates look elsewhere in the first place: work life balance, commute, promotion prospects, firm culture and quality of work can be lacking. Accepting a counter offer just for the money can be a temporary sticking plaster that doesn’t solve any of the other underlying issues.

Staying can cause resentment/trust/loyalty issues

It’s an understated problem that once a lawyer looks elsewhere, in the minds of their firm, even if they stay, the bonds of trust and loyalty can be broken and never fully heal. This problem is circumstance specific and doesn’t occur every time but can be an issue that rears its head and is often difficult to resolve.

Does the salary increase price you out of a future move?

Staying at a firm for a big pay rise whilst useful in the short term can affect a lawyer’s position in the job market further down the line. Hefty hikes in salary can put candidates in an artificially high position that they find difficult to justify when they eventually look to move and can put some potential employers off.

Thornton Legal are at hand at every stage of the process when it comes to providing clear, pragmatic and focused advice to lawyers entering the job market. We are only too happy to speak out of hours to candidates on a confidential basis and give them sensible advice, tailored to their individual circumstances.

If you are a lawyer that would like to explore the job market in the North West, Yorkshire or Midlands, we would be only too happy to help.

Written by Published

Created: 20 May 2021

• Tell us about your background, and your role at Anexo?

I originally qualified as a solicitor but transferred to the Bar 30 years ago and I've practised as a barrister ever since. I think it's fair to say that my practice has been synonymous with credit hire for longer than I care to remember but I also enjoy dealing with professional negligence, clinical negligence and all manner of civil litigation matters.

I am the Chairman of Anexo Group but continue to practise as one of Anexo's in-house team of barristers and very much still enjoy that aspect of the job.

• What is Anexo and how does it stand out from the crowd?

The origins of the Group were the establishment of a standalone credit hire business in 1996 which relied on a panel of law firms to recover costs from insurers.

We have moved on a lot from those formative years and have created something of a unique business model by combining a direct capture credit hire business with a wholly owned legal services firm. The integrated, direct capture proposition is essential to the Group providing a complete managed service whilst also managing its risk.

• How’s business?

Very good, thank you. We have just delivered our results for the Financial Year 2020, which were extremely encouraging.

In spite of the Covid 19 Pandemic, the Group has performed very well. Our legal services division, Bond Turner, has expanded significantly and we have continued to focus on increasing cash settlements wall using our working capital to fund further growth in our credit high division, Direct Accident Management.

• What has the last 12 months taught you?

Just how robust and adaptable the staff have been across all of our teams, from senior management all the way down to first response. We place great value in the people who work for Anexo and are grateful for their contributions.

The group has shown considerable resilience throughout 2020 and into 2021 with both business divisions remaining fully operational. We were quick to move most of our staff members to remote working last year and managed to remain fully operational. The progression and settlement of cases was ultimately aided by moves from the Ministry of Justice to allow the remote operation of courts through online and telephone hearings.

• What is the outlook for the next 12 months?

Very optimistic. We are in a strong financial position and will look to continue to grow organically given the significance investments made over the last 2 years.

One of the key drivers for the growth in cash collections has been the investments in legal staff. In 2019, the number of senior fee earners at Bond Turner grew by almost 43% to reach 127 by the end of the year. Further recruitment in 2020 resulted in headcount growing by a further 18 and we will continue to look to recruit top quality people as this is fundamental to support the increased number of funded cases we are expecting over the next 12 months.

• What opportunities can you see?

I think that the arrival of DBAY Advisors Ltd as a significant shareholder in Anexo is very exciting. This coupled with what we hope will be a return to some semblance of normality over the coming months means that there is real positivity that we can continue the expansion of our main business divisions and ultimately create value for all of our shareholders.

• What has given you the greatest satisfaction in your career to date?

I am lucky to have played a key role in the development and management of the Group's business since its inception. I'm proud of the fact that this culminated in the group being admitted to trading on AIM in June 2018.

• Recruiting is a challenge for all law businesses, why should someone choose Bond Turner?

I think that the three main drivers for candidates when it comes to recruitment into Bond Turner are; job security, career advancement and decent rewards. We have a proven track record of providing all three and continue to attract good quality recruits from both claimant and defendant orientated law firms. We have been helped in this by the appointment of a dedicated in-house recruiter who works in tandem with a small number of valued recruitment companies.

• • Finally, tell us a bit about your interests outside of work? What is it you like doing?

My family and my work keep me extremely busy, but when I do manage to get some downtime, you will probably find me on my road bike, either around Cumbria where I live, or in Tenerife where I like to go on holiday. They both have some great hills!

https://www.anexo-group.com/content/about/about

Written by Published

Created: 26 April 2021

Work can be challenging at the best of times. Situations can make even the most positive amongst us feel down occasionally Feeling stressed in the workplace can make us underperform and can also affect other aspects of our lives. So, we have had a good chat in the office at Thornton Legal and come up with some ideas which we think can make you happier at work and improve your well-being.

In no particular order they include:

Having a positive mind set

Things at work don’t always go according to plan. It is important to remember that we are all trying our best and after all.. we are human, so make mistakes.

It is too easy for our brains to look at the negative of the situation. If you find yourself feeling down, turn the whole thing around and think what the positives are instead.

Talk to someone about how you are feeling

This is really important. If you are stressed about something and you can’t see a resolution, talk to a trusted colleague or your boss. It is amazing how someone else’s perspective can make you see things in a different way. Ask for their advice; how would they handle the problem. It is always easier to fix someone else issues than your own it seems.

Take a break

Sitting at a desk and looking at a screen all day is far from natural behaviour for humans.. Get up, have a walk outside in the fresh air and get some natural light. Taking some breaths of fresh air will clear your mind and calm down any negative thoughts you are having. If you go out into a green space, the very action will have a calming effect on you.

Find time for treats

This one is really important in these post Covid times when we have been prevented from doing some of the things that give us a mental uplift. Bring your favourite food to work for lunch or pop out to buy your favourite style of coffee, just the way you like it from your favourite coffee shop. Or tea! We have found that it is the little things which give us the most pleasure.

Don’t get involved in office politics

This never ends well. If someone is having a moan about something, it is guaranteed to bring your own mood down. So do your best to avoid engaging. Smile and think about something positive instead.

Have some exercise

It is amazing how taking some exercise can lift your mood. When we sit at a desk experiencing stressful situations there is nowhere for the stress hormones we create to go. This adds to the situation and often makes it worse. So, our main tip to feeling happier in the office is to get some exercise. Something you enjoy preferably. With lighter evenings this gets easier. Getting your body moving will create endorphins, which make you feel happier. It will also take your mind off the focused issues which easily accumulate after a day in the office, give you a chance to reflect on whether these issues are actually important, how you could re-frame them to make a positive outcome, and whether they matter at all.

We think that by adding some of (or all) of our ideas to your day will help you to feel more positive, happier and enjoy the time you spend at work.

If you have any other ideas on how to be happier at work, please let us know. We are always here to support our clients and candidates and would like to hear your thoughts.

All the best from us all at Thornton Legal!

Thornton Legal is a leading legal recruitment company, recruiting for legal jobs in across Merseyside, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Yorkshire and the West Midlands We are passionate about providing a professional, innovative and reliable legal recruitment service that is focused on quality and ensures our clients are matched with the strongest legal talent available. Contact one of our legal recruitment consultants today  to see what we can do for your law firm or legal career.