London Legal Jobs Overview - 1st May 2025
- edobrien92
- May 2
- 5 min read
Updated: May 4
Cautious Optimism Amid Slower-Than-Expected Growth
After a strong start in January, the London legal job market has not gained as much momentum as early indicators had suggested. April mirrored March, with a moderate volume of new roles in private practice but there was a slight decline in in-house hiring compared to the previous three months. Nonetheless, activity remains ahead of the same period in 2024, indicating that while firms are more active than last year, they continue to hire with caution.
Private Practice: Hiring Continues, but Growth Levels Off
April saw a steady but subdued flow of new private practice roles, with Banking & Finance leading the way (13 new roles) — a continuation of its Q1 trend as the most consistently active transactional area. Corporate saw 8 new roles, while Funds and Real Estate each recorded 4, showing some stability in core deal areas, though not pointing to rapid expansion.
Employment saw a healthy 12 new roles, likely reflecting ongoing demand in relation to workplace change and compliance. Litigation remained consistent with 18 new roles, including seven in Commercial Litigation and four in Insurance Litigation.
Whilst there were only 4 new roles in construction, this practice area appears to be one of the busiest on the recruitment side. At the beginning of April there were 19 roles being advertised on the non-contentious side and 6 for contentious construction.
In-House: Healthy Activity, But Slightly Down on Q1 Highs
The in-house market continues to perform relatively well, though it too appears to have settled slightly after a buoyant Q1. In April we identified 267 new unique in-house legal roles a dip from the 300+ levels seen in January and March, but still strong by historical standards.
The slight drop in numbers of new roles advertised, may be due to the Easter break, or it could be an indicator that the initial hiring surge seen in early 2025 has now eased slightly.
For a more detailed breakdown of practice areas and hiring trends in both private practice and in-house markets, check out our in-depth analysis below. Stay updated with the latest legal job opportunities by visiting the job search page on The Rackle.
Private Practice - Transactional Roles:
At the beginning of May, we identified the following number of London based roles that were being advertised by law firms on their careers’ pages in the below practice areas:
Banking & Finance: 36 roles (three being PSL roles) (seven with US firms, 24 with UK international/global firms and five with City/regional firm). There were 13 new roles added to firms’ careers’ sites during April.
Corporate: 25 roles (two being PSL roles) (eight with US firms, 12 with international firms and five with City/regional firms). There were 10 new roles added to firms’ careers’ sites during April.
Restructuring/Insolvency: Five roles (three with US firms and two with international firms). One of the roles was new, having been added to the firms’ careers’ site since the beginning of April.
Advisory Practice areas:
At the beginning of May, we identified the following number of London based roles being advertised by law firms on their careers’ pages in the below practice areas:
Antitrust/EU/Competition: 11 roles. Five with US firms and six with international firms. There were two new roles added to firms’ careers’ sites during April.
Employment - 33 roles (including one PSL role). 14 with top tier international firms and 19 with City/regional firms. There were 12 new roles added to firms’ careers’ sites during April.
FS/Regulatory - Eight roles. Six with international firms and two with City/Regional firms. There were two new roles added to firms’ careers’ sites during April.
Incentives - Five roles. Four with UK international firm and one with a City/regional firm. There was one new roles added to a firms’ careers’ sites during April.
Funds - 11 roles (one being a PSL Role). Two with US firms and eight with international firms and one with a City firm. Four of the roles were new, having been added to the firms’ careers’ site since the beginning of April.
Pensions - 11 roles (including 2 PSL roles). One with a US firm, seven with international firms and two with City/regional firms. Three of the roles were new, having been added to the firms’ careers’ site since the beginning of April.
Tax - 16 roles (including two tax litigation and one PSL role). Two with US firms, eight with international firms and six with regional/City firms. There were two new roles added to firms’ careers’ sites during April.
Litigation:
At the beginning of May, we identified the following number of London based roles being advertised by law firms on their careers’ pages in the below practice areas:
Commercial Litigation - 19 roles (including one PSL role). Four with US firms, four with international firms, 11 with regional/city boutiques). Seven of the roles were new, having been added to the firms’ careers’ site since the beginning of April.
Real Estate Litigation - Five roles. Three with international firms and two with City /Regional firms). One of the roles was new, having been added to firms’ careers’ site since the beginning of April.
Insurance Litigation - 14 roles. 14 with international firms and three with regional firms. Six of the roles were new, having been added to firms’ careers’ site since the beginning of April.
Personal Injury (including clinical negligence) - Eight roles. Four with international firms, four with City/Regional firms). Two of the roles were new, having been added to firms’ careers’ site since the beginning of April.
Specialist Litigation - Seven roles. Two with international firms and five with city boutiques. Four of the roles were new, having been added to the firms’ careers’ site since the beginning of April.
Construction, Planning and Real Estate:
At the beginning of May, we identified the following number of London based roles being advertised by law firms on their careers’ pages in the below practice areas:
Construction - 19 roles (including one PSL role). Two with international firms, 17 with City/regional firms). Three of the roles were new, having been added to the firms’ careers’ site since the beginning of April.
Construction Litigation - Six roles. Four with international firms, two with City/Regional firms). One of the roles was new, having been added to the firms’ careers’ site since the beginning of April.
Planning - Six roles. Four with international firms and two with City/regional firms). Two of the roles were new, having been added to the firms’ careers’ site since the beginning of April.
Commercial Real Estate - 11 roles. Five with international firms and six with City/regional firms). Four of the roles were new, having been added to the firms’ careers’ site since the beginning of April.
In-house Market:
During April we identified 267 new unique In-house roles being advertised directly by firms/organisations on LinkedIn.
Of the 267 roles:
4.5% were for GC's/Head of Legal
51% were relevant for senior lawyers (6+ pqe)
17% were relevant for Junior lawyers (NQ to 2)
The majority (59%) of the roles were for organisations that could be classified as Commerce & Industry, 34% for Financial Services organisations and 6% for Government/Not for Profit organisations.
There were 82 roles that had been added prior to April but were reposted by organisations in April. Of these roles, 56% were with Commerce & Industry, 41% with Financial Services organisations and 3% with Government/Not for Profit.
To see which firms are advertising roles and explore these opportunities use the job search feature on www.therackle.com
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