Recruitment Market Update: H1 2025 - Inhouse Roles (London)

In the first half of 2025 we identified just over 1,500 in-house legal roles based in London advertised on the LinkedIn platform.  The roles were spread across Commerce & Industry, Financial Services, and Government/Not-for-Profit sectors.

Activity levels fluctuated month by month, but there was a general trend of the market slowing as the year progressed.  The average number of roles per month in Q2 was 20% lower than Q1.

Sector	No. Of Roles	% of Total
Commerce & Industry	873	58%
Financial Services	493	33%
Government/Not for Profit	137	9%
Total	1503	100%

Monthly Hiring Trend

• January to March: Strong start with 275 roles on average per month, potentially driven by new budgets and strategic hires at the start of the year.  

• April to June: Slight slowdown, averaging 225 roles per month.

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Sector Insights

1. Commerce & Industry (873 roles)

This was the most active sector for in-house legal hiring, accounting for nearly 60% of roles.

Top Sub-Sectors:

• Technology – 373 roles (43% of C&I roles), spanning SaaS, AI, data privacy, and commercial contracting.

• Sports, Media & Entertainment – 151 roles, with continued demand from digital platforms and broadcasters.

• Retail & Consumer Goods – 87 roles, reflecting sustained e-commerce and branding activity.

• Other Notable Areas: Energy/Infrastructure (60), Healthcare (53), and Professional Services (52).

2. Financial Services (493 roles)

Hiring in financial services remained strong, though there was a noticeable dip in May and June.

Top Sub-Sectors:

• Fintech / Crypto / Payments – 163 roles advertised by a range of organisations from small startups to major payment providers.  There were several firms that posted multiple roles (notable firms were Mastercard, Visa, Coinbase, Deel and Binance

• Banking – 140 roles, largely across regulatory, lending, and governance areas. Many of the major investment banks advertised roles and there were multiple roles at firms such as Barclays, NatWest Group and JP Morgan Chase

• Asset Management – 85 roles across a range of asset managers from small funds to large asset management business such as Blackrock and M&G plc

• Insurance – 66 roles, often focused on regulatory, commercial and product legal support. Munich Re and Swiss re both posted multiple roles.

3. Government / Not-for-Profit (137 roles)

Hiring in this sector was relatively stable, with January to March being the busiest period.

Top Sub-Sectors:

• Central & Local Government – 59 roles, typically focused on public procurement, projects, and governance.

• Charities / NFP – 50 roles, including general counsel and compliance-related positions.

• Regulatory Bodies – 28 roles, primarily legal advisory and enforcement positions.

Senior-Level Hiring

Over 100 senior in-house legal roles were advertised in H1, including General Counsel, Deputy GC, and Head of Legal positions:

Sector	No. of Senior Roles
Commerce & Industry	63
Financial Services	28
Government / NFP	17

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Key Takeaways

• Technology and Fintech lead the way in hiring, perhaps reflecting the ongoing digitalisation of industry and finance and the growing legal functions at these organisations.

• Opportunities at senior levels are where the majority of roles are positioned, however there are still some opportunities for junior lawyers.

• The market cooled slightly in May and June, but remained more active than H1 2024, offering cautious optimism for lawyers considering a move in H2.