June Recap: Pride Month, Positive Developments, Partner Moves & H2 Preparations

This June, LGBTQ+ lawyers at law firms worldwide, both large and small, celebrated Pride Month. For us, Pride Month is not only a celebration of global LGBTQ+ communities but also an opportunity to commit to and pursue ambitious goals for change that extend beyond these 30 days. We have been delighted to see an array of law firms demonstrate their support and drive lasting change. Their commendable efforts, from hosting awareness events and offering speaking platforms to launching new initiatives, have been inspiring.

Law.com recently released an article spotlighting the law firms with the most LGBTQ+ partners in the UK. Their figures reveal that Weil Gotshal , Stephenson Harwood , and Proskauer Rose are among the firms with the best representation of LGBTQ+ individuals in their senior ranks. Despite some firms still reporting zero LGBTQ+ partners and others withholding data, the average LGBTQ+ representation across the 54 participating firms aligns closely with the UK national average of 3.2%. Likewise, The American Lawyers 2024 Diversity Scorecard shows, overall, Big Law's attorney ranks have gotten steadily (if incrementally) more diverse each year. The new LGBTQ+ scorecard ranks Selendy Gay , Jenner & Block , Cleary Gottlieb and Beveridge & Diamond in top positions. This progress highlights the importance of inclusive policies and support from the top.

At Sonder, we are proud to represent all legal minds and foster an inclusive, supportive culture where everyone feels comfortable. If you face inclusion challenges at your current firm, we’re here to listen. Share your concerns with us, and we will offer confidential advice and help you find an environment where you can truly thrive.

In the midst of Pride Month, we have remained exceptionally busy in a dynamic recruitment market. We are actively managing numerous processes in London, Ireland, New York, L.A., The Bay Area, Houston, Austin, Boston, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the Cayman Islands. Check out all our hot job listings at the end of this newsletter.

Preparations are underway for our 5th office launch. Plus, we've doubled our New York office headcount in just three months. As a business, we're committed to delivering the best service to our candidates and clients, and these milestones allow us to continually improve our offering.

For those celebrating, we wish you a fantastic 4th of July weekend and a great month ahead! If you're exploring options and want personalised advice on the market and opportunities, please reach out.

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Legal Recruitment Trends

• Mid-Level Associates in Demand: The appetite for associates remains very much at the mid-level with a handful of firms open to speaking to associates at the junior end.
• Overseas Opportunities: While there is a strong preference for locally trained talent, law firms are increasingly opening their doors to top foreign-qualified associates. Leading UK, Irish, Offshore and U.S. law firms in London are open to high-caliber candidates from Australia and New Zealand. Those who specialise in Competition, M&A, Private Equity, and Banking and Finance are particularly sought after. Likewise, transactional Canadian lawyers with experience at Bay Street firms in Toronto or an international outfit can explore their options in New York.
• Partner Moves: The first six months of the year have seen significant partner movements, and this trend shows no signs of slowing down. A notable pattern in partner poaching is the demand for lawyers with expertise in cross-border transactions, highlighting the global nature of current client needs. In recent months firms have been tapping into Boston’s tech and biotech sectors, leading to the highest Partner headcount growth (+15%) among US legal hubs. Likewise, Paul Weiss has been particularly active in lateral movements and has strengthened its Corporate, litigation and regulatory practices, particularly in London.
• Market Confidence: While opinions on the economy remain mixed, there's unanimous confidence that the latter half of this year will be busy for top transactional teams across all prominent legal markets. This improved market confidence, particularly in private equity-led dealmaking is fuelling a hot recruitment market.
• Salary Wars Heat Up: London's Magic Circle firms have raised NQ salaries to ￡150,000, with Macfarlane's now topping the UK firm pay scale at ￡140,000 for NQs. Meanwhile, in Australia, the end of the salary review period has brought exceptional offers, significantly exceeding last year's pay brackets. In the U.S., sign-on bonuses are emerging as incentives for in-demand associates.

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London Legal Market & Salary Guide

Following the recent salary increase, we have updated our London salary guide. In this guide, you will also find insights into associate and partner moves, hot practice areas, and recruitment trends.

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Hot Jobs

London:

• Leveraged Finance | Associate | 1-6pqe | US firm
• Dispute Resolution | Associate | 2-4pqe | US firm
• Restructuring | Associate | 2-4pqe | US firm
• Data Privacy | Associate | 2-3pqe | US firm
• Patent Litigation | Senior Associate | 6+ PQE | Prestigious International Firm
• Private Equity | Associate | 4+ PQE | Prestigious International Firm
• International Arbitration Associate | 3-4PQE | International Law Firm
• Commercial Litigation Associate | 3-4PQE | International Law Firm

U.S.:

• Secondaries | Associate | All levels | AmLaw 30 Firm | New York
• Private Funds | Associate | Class of 2017-2021 |Leading Biglaw | New York
• Fund Finance | Associate | Class of 2017-2021 | AmLaw 30 Firm | New York
• Private Equity | Associate | Class of 2021+ | Leading Biglaw | New York
• Corporate M&A/PE | Associate | Class of 2017-2020 | AmLaw 30 | Los Angeles
• M&A/Private Equity | Associate | Class of 2019-2022 | AmLaw 30 | The Bay Area
• Investment Funds | Associate | Class of 2021+ | AmLaw20 - San Diego
• Energy & Projects | Associate | Class of 2021+ | Elite International - San Diego
• Leveraged Finance | Associate | All levels | AmLaw 30 | Los Angeles
• Investment Funds | Associate | Class of 2018-2021 | AmLaw 30 | Los Angeles
• IP Litigation | Associate | Class of 2017-2020 | AmLaw 30 | Los Angeles/ Bay Area
• IP Tech Transactions | Associate | Class of 2017-2020 | AmLaw 30 | Los Angeles/ Bay Area
• Commercial Litigation | Associate| Class of 2017-2020 | AmLaw 30 | Los Angeles
• Labour & Employment | Associate | Class of 2021+ | Various Firms | Boston / D.C. / Chicago

Australia:

• Finance | Associate | 2-7pqe | Top Tier Law Firm | Sydney
• Finance | Associate | 2-7pqe | Market Leading Law Firm | Melbourne
• Construction | Associate | 3+pqe | Top Tier Law Firm | Melbourne
• Disputes | Associate | 2-5pqe | Leading Global Law Firm | Sydney
• Employment | Associate | 2-5pqe | Leading Law Firm | Sydney
• Corporate M&A | Associate | 2-5pqe | International Law Firm | Sydney
• Commercial Litigation | Associate | 2-5pqe | International Law Firm | Perth / Melbourne
• Property | Associate | 2-5pqe | International Law Firm | Melbourne

Dublin:

• Structured Finance | Associate | 2-3pqe | Leading Offshore Firm | Dublin
• Corporate | Associate/Of Counsel | 5-8pqe | Leading Offshore Firm | Dublin
• Corp M&A/PE | 3-5 PQE | Leading Irish Firm | Dublin

International:

• Construction Disputes | Associate | 2-5pqe | Prestigious International Firm | Dubai
• Corporate | Associate (Russian speaking) | 3-6pqe | International Law Firm | Dubai
• Corporate/Funds | Associate | 2-4pqe | Leading Offshore Firm | Jersey
• Funds | Associate | 3-6pqe | Leading Offshore Law Firm | Cayman
• International Arbitration | Associate | 4-5pqe | Elite Global Firm | Singapore
• Corporate Insurance | Associate | 5+pqe | Global Law Firm | Dubai

Don't see a role that suits your skillset? We provide tailored search services, so don't hesitate to reach with your details, requirements and ambitions for the future, and one of our team will be in touch.

We're Sonder Consultants. We connect superstar lawyers with their dream legal positions.? Get in touch to start your job search: https://www.sonderconsultants.com/#contact ?