London Legal Jobs Overview - 1st October 2025 (Inhouse)

London In-House - Hiring Rebounds in September After August Lull

The London in-house legal job market saw a modest rebound in September, with 235 new roles advertised directly by companies on LinkedIn. This marked a recovery from August’s low of 185 openings, though activity remained subdued compared with earlier peaks in 2025.

While hiring levels continue to fluctuate, the overall composition of the market highlights resilience across a range of sectors, with financial services and technology once again leading demand.

Headline Breakdown: Financial Services and Commerce &Industry Share the Spotlight

The September figures reflected a balanced spread across the three headline groups:

• Commerce & Industry: 118 roles (50%) – comfortably ahead of August’s 87, signalling renewed demand across corporates.

• Financial Services: 97 roles (41%) – another strong month, reinforcing the sector’s role as a cornerstone of in-house hiring.

• Government & Not-for-Profit: 20 roles (9%) – broadly consistent with recent months.

Chart of new London inhouse roles advertised directly by organisations on LinkedIn

Sector Leaders: Technology and Finance

Technology continued to dominate, posting 51 new roles in September – the highest of any sector and up from 37 in June. The sector is currently one of the primary drivers of in-house demand and with sustained investment in digitalisation and growth across tech-enabled businesses this is likely to continue.

Financial services hiring also remained robust:

• Banking: 27 roles – steady demand across traditional institutions.

• Fintech, Crypto & Payments: 32 roles – a strong showing, underscoring the ongoing momentum in digital finance.

• Asset Management: 9 roles – a modest level of activity, up slightly on August.

• Insurance: 26 roles – the standout within financial services, with hiring at its highest level so far this year.

Sector Highlights and Shifts

Several other areas showed notable movement in September:

• Sports, Media & Entertainment: 14 roles – a healthy contributor, though below August’s sharp rise (21 roles).

• Healthcare & Lifesciences: 8 roles – showing signs of stability after previous declines.

• Retail & Consumer Goods: 14 roles – an improvement from August’s 6, but still below earlier levels in 2025.

• Energy & Infrastructure: 7 roles – continuing to register modest but consistent activity.

Chart of London inhouse roles (by sector) advertised by organisations directly on LinkedIn

The September rebound suggests that while overall hiring remains below the highs of early 2025, demand for in-house lawyers in London is far from stagnant. Technology and financial services will likely continue to set the pace, while corporates across multiple industries have reactivated hiring pipelines after August’s dip.

Stay updated on the latest In-house legal hiring trends by visiting www.therackle.com or following us on LinkedIn.