Why training at a high-street firm could give you a head start

Does ‘big’ always means ‘best’? Not necessarily when it comes to recruitment, it seems. Small firms are going the extra mile to compete with their better-known rivals and attract fresh talent through their doors. Ellie Philpotts finds out how.

On high streets and in rural areas across Scotland, smaller law firms are proud to provide communities with their legal needs. Now, with the industry continuing to adapt to shifting client demands and technology, how do they encourage, maintain and nurture new talent?

This year, a survey commissioned by the Law Society of Scotland of firms of up to 39 solicitors, uncovered a mix of highs and lows. Staff turnover and not aspiring to partnership jumped out. However, while 38% of respondents felt pessimistic about the future of smaller practices and the sector, 39% were optimistic.

What explains some of these findings?

Euan MacKay, Partner at McGlashan MacKay Solicitors, suggests that a major issue for smaller and legal aid firms is the ability of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, Public Defence Solicitors’ Office, Civil Legal Assistance Office, the Scottish Government and even councils to pay above the Law Society of Scotland’s market-recommended rates for trainees, then newly qualified solicitors.

“While we’re beholden to rates set by very same Government/Scottish Legal Aid Board, which don’t allow us to [pay these rates],” continues MacKay.

Changing trainees

The Covid-19 pandemic also caused shockwaves across our high-street law firms and their legal teams, particularly those undertaking legal aid work. To address this, in 2021 the Scottish Government started a fund, managed by the Law Society of Scotland, providing up to £1m to support 40 new legal aid trainees.

Around the same time, Glasgow’s Dallas McMillan Solicitors decided to focus on trainees, aiming to retain them long term. Previously, the firm had faced difficulties in recruiting qualified solicitors because of the competitive market and salaries offered by other firms, taking on just one trainee every two years. In 2020, it increased that to four annually.

Each trainee was recruited to work in a specific role rather than rotate positions. That year, Dallas McMillan Solicitors took on trainees in personal injury, employment, private client and commercial property, repeating the roles the following year except for in the private client position. Out of the 12 who completed their traineeships, three remain with Dallas McMillan Solicitors. Another four spent post-qualifying time at the firm too, but salaries at bigger firms appear to have been to much of an attraction for them and the other five who qualified.

Nevertheless, Managing Partner David McElroy feels that his firm’s traineeships offer something that’s not possible everywhere. “Working in a specific seat means trainees get hands-on, fee-earning experience at the early stages. When they qualify, they’re functioning at levels far above most of their peers.

“Insofar as our plan to create our own solicitors goes, we’ve been successful. We’ve attempted to match other firms by offering benefits packages and increasing salaries, and we hope those things, with the work/life balance we offer, will continue to prove attractive terms of attracting trainees and retaining them after qualifying,” he explains.

McElroy is also concerned about trainee issues on a wider scale. “When we advertise a position, we regularly receive 100+ applications. The number of diploma places on offer each year and the dwindling number of traineeships available is causing significant backlogs of people seeking roles.”

Elsewhere in Glasgow, a similar situation is playing out at Jain, Neil & Ruddy.

Co-founder Pravin Jain tells The Journal: “The biggest challenge we face with attracting trainees is that most want to train at big firms. Whereas, if they had more experience within high-street firms, their outlook might change. The benefit of training at a small firm is the responsibility given to trainees from very early on. You tend to have close contact with your supervising partner/senior solicitor daily, learning by getting involved.

“My trainee said that some of their friends, also trainees, weren’t allowed to express their thoughts, yet we encourage it. They were also surprised by their amount of client contact.”

Jain also points towards retention following qualification: “As things stand, many high-street firms, especially those that still offer some legal aid, can’t compete with salaries and benefits offered by bigger firms. We’ve been fortunate that we were able to, for a few years, retain our trainees, but there comes a point where, as a small firm, you can’t compete financially.”

Recruitment rollercoasters

However, there are many ups as well as downs. In 2016, Matthew Coffield started small high-street-style firm MJC LAW independently. In the subsequent near-decade, the firm has grown yearly, with recruitment a “constant development”.

Coffield has found the key to good recruitment to be focusing on hiring the right person, rather than a person for the right role. “I gave up recruiting for the role I thought I wanted to fill and realised a candidate’s merit could be in what they would bring to me rather than the role I could persuade them to fulfil,” he reflects. “If I recruit the right people, they work better fulfilling a role that suits their talents.”

Based in Paisley, MJC LAW now has seven staff. Coffield initially found that advertising for a ‘legal secretary’ brought limited success, but when he changed tack and advertised for candidates who wanted to work at MJC LAW, applications tripled.

He explains: “There are plenty of talented people out there, and our recent success has been due abandoning recruitment for a legal secretary and hiring candidates who want to gain experience in a solicitor’s office during their studies. What I lose in training, I gain in enthusiasm, commitment, dedication, interest in the subject matter and a desire to gain experience.”

Matthew McGovern is Partner at McGovern Reid Court Lawyers, which his father Vincent founded in Wishaw in 1991.

He feels the level of client contact and interesting cases would be attractive to someone starting out, alongside the advantage that smaller firms bring – that of more responsibility. This might be attending court earlier or applying for a restricted practising certificate.

Smaller firms also allow staff to grow and make their own mark, with less emphasis on hierarchy, because everyone has a key role to play.

McGovern recommends the power of creating optimum working environments. “Getting the internal right, before the external – training, choosing your own cases, and getting involved in business development,” he advises.

All in all, there seems to be a clear spot on Scottish streets for those whose lifestyles, personalities or ambitions are more suited to smaller teams, providing quality legal advice to local residents in need.