The Rackle Legal Hiring Index - Methodology
Measuring the direction of the London legal recruitment market
The Rackle Legal Hiring Index is a proprietary measure of recruitment activity across the London private practice legal market.
Rather than relying on a single statistic, such as the number of vacancies advertised in a given month, the Index combines multiple recruitment indicators to provide a broader view of market conditions. Its purpose is to identify whether hiring activity is strengthening, stable or softening over time.
The Index is designed to help lawyers, law firms and recruiters better understand changes in recruitment activity and identify emerging trends within the market.
Why the Legal Hiring Index was created:
Recruitment markets are dynamic. Vacancy numbers alone rarely tell the full story.
For example, two months may record a similar number of advertised roles, yet represent very different market conditions. One may be driven by many firms opening new vacancies, while another may reflect existing vacancies remaining unfilled.
The Rackle Legal Hiring Index was developed to look beyond headline vacancy numbers and provide a more complete assessment of market momentum.
What the Index measures
The Rackle Legal Hiring Index is based on the ongoing tracking of recruitment activity across 80 leading London private practice law firms, comprising 51 international firms (UK and US) and 29 City and national firms. Collectively, these firms account for approximately 80% of all fee earner/PSL roles in London advertised directly by law firms.
Rather than relying on vacancy numbers alone, the Index brings together a range of recruitment indicators to provide a broader assessment of market conditions. These include:
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The number of newly advertised vacancies.
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Total active vacancies across the market.
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The number of firms actively recruiting.
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Recruitment persistence and vacancy duration.
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Changes in hiring activity over time.
These indicators are assessed collectively to produce a single monthly index value.
The Legal Hiring Index measures directly advertised recruitment activity and should be interpreted alongside broader market developments. It does not measure confidential or roles not advertised directly by firms and is intended as an indicator of market direction rather than a prediction of future recruitment levels.
Interpreting the Index
The Legal Hiring Index is benchmarked so that the average monthly level of recruitment activity during 2025 equals 100.
Monthly Index values are then expressed relative to this benchmark.
Index level
Interpretation
Above 120
100-200
Around 100
Below 100
Strong hiring activity. Recruitment activity is significantly above the 2025 monthly average, with broad-based hiring across the London legal market.
Healthy hiring activity. Recruitment is above the 2025 monthly average, indicating a generally positive market
Typical market conditions. Recruitment activity is broadly in line with the average monthly level observed during 2025, suggesting a stable hiring environment.
Softer hiring activity. Recruitment activity is below the 2025 monthly average, indicating a more cautious market with fewer hiring opportunities than the benchmark period.
Why 2025?
2025 was selected as the benchmark year because it provides a consistent reference point against which future movements in the London legal recruitment market can be measured. Using a fixed baseline allows changes in hiring activity to be compared consistently over time.
Continuous development
The Rackle Legal Hiring Index is an evolving measure of recruitment activity within the London Legal market.
We are committed to continually improving the breadth, quality and accuracy of the Index and welcome discussions with law firms, inhouse resourcing teams, lawyers and other market participants who would like to contribute to the continued development of the Index.
To learn more or arrange a conversation, please contact admin@therackle.com