There are over 300 legal recruitment companies in the UK. They range from large, high-profile, multi-office, multi-sector contingent agencies, to niche, one-man band consultancies specialising in a particular legal discipline or location. There are also search agencies, who ‘headhunt’ candidates for a select few clients and there are hybrids of these too.
Agencies are instructed by law firms or companies to introduce to them lawyers who meet their particular job specifications. In some cases, this may prompt an agency to run a specific ad campaign in the legal press to attract interested applicants. Agencies are paid by the employer on a contingency fee basis - they get an agreed percentage of the candidate’s first-year salary but as a candidate, you don’t have to pay anything.