A new report from TBD Marketing suggests that law firms are increasingly reluctant to use LinkedIn for recruitment. The TBD Marketing Jobs Report suggests that firms are instead turning to the “old-fashioned” job advertisements on their own websites.
Despite the vast majority of solicitors in the UK having a profile on LinkedIn, almost one-quarter of the top 100 UK law firms currently advertise zero jobs on the platform.
The research shows that the number of advertised roles from the top 100 law firms on LinkedIn is down 23% compared to six months ago, yet the number of applicants increased by 79% and applications per job by 115%.
The research also suggests that the top 100 firms have grown their headcount by 3.75% since January 2022, collectively adding a staff equivalent to the total headcount at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.
Weightmans takes the title of the fastest-growing firm in the UK – up 12.3% since January – as a result of both its recent merger and renewed push on hiring.
Pinsent Masons is currently advertising the most jobs, whilst BCLP gets the most applicants per job and is the only firm with the perfect record of at least one applicant for every job it has advertised.
When it comes to Magic Circle firms, the findings show that they are advertising fewer jobs than in January 2022, down 16.6%, but have grown faster than the rest of the market.
In fact, the Magic Circle has grown by 1,125 employees since January – the equivalent of them adding a firm the size of Mishcon de Reya to their ranks.
“Many firms have given LinkedIn a try but have failed to attract the talent they’re looking for,” TBD Marketing founder Simon Marshall told The Professionals.
“That’s a real shame as, when used properly, even the free version can deliver extraordinary results. Pretty much everyone who works in professional services is on the platform and using the right language, job specs and approach can deliver eight to ten times as many applicants as other routes.”
