Brexit and beyond

With the date for Britain leaving the EU on the horizon (at the time of writing, it’s still set for 29th March), this month’s article looks at whether Brexit has impacted legal professionals, but also looks beyond Brexit at what else is affecting them.

• According to our Salary and Benefits Benchmarker 2019, Brexit has impacted around 8% of legal professionals.
• While less than one-in-ten have been affected by Britain’s pending departure from the EU, 42% believe it will have a future impact on their job roles. 
• 30% of legal professionals don’t believe Brexit will impact their job, while 20% remain unsure.
• Despite uncertainty about Brexit deals or no-deals, 30% of legal professionals would consider relocating from the UK for their next role. This is up from 27% in last year’s Salary and Benefits Benchmarker.
• Looking beyond Brexit, career progression is the key factor impacting legal roles. The lack of progression was responsible for 23% of legal professionals leaving their last job in search of better opportunities.   
• Seeking a salary increase was one of the other top factors causing legal professionals to find a new job. 47% of legal professionals haven’t had a pay rise in their current role, while 39% thought their salary was below the market average.
• Leadership ambitions remain strong among legal professionals. 69% aspire to be a leader, a percentage that’s remained around the same level in Salary and Benchmarker surveys since 2015.
• 36% of legal professionals believe they can fulfil their leadership aspirations in their current firm, while 31% don’t think it’s achievable and the remaining third of professionals being unsure.
• Of those that don’t think it’s possible to pursue career ambitions in their current firm, 25% don’t see a clear route of progression, while 21% thinks stepping-up will negatively impact their work/life balance.

For more insights contact the team.