Kate Jasper

What are the benefits of working for a boutique law firm?

Working for a boutique firm can offer a number of advantages: the roles combine prestigious work with a good work-life balance, and are worth serious consideration. Setting goals is an important part of building a long and successful legal career. For many, the ultimate goal as a lawyer is to secure a position with one of the biggest legal firms in the City, working on high-profile clients and gaining seniority in a competitive field. However, increasingly many legal professionals are seeking a good work-life balance as one of their key goals, and may be looking for more control. Joining a boutique firm can offer these benefits, as well as many of the same advantages as working for a City firm, and can be considered as a viable alternative. The rise of boutique law firms The UK’s leading boutique law firms are largely centred in and around London, and most are founded by former partners of top City firms who left their roles to start niche practices with their own vision. Boutique firms tend to be smaller, occupying single offices and, instead of maximising their caseloads with strict billable targets, they offer more tailored and fluid services, focused on client care and case completions. Additionally, boutique firms usually allow fee earners to manage their own time more flexibly and deliver more personalised services, rather than keeping a strict schedule. Many clients prefer to work like this, and it lets solicitors enjoy a more relaxed pace of work. The best boutique firms combine this client-focused approach with a high-value client base. With many of the founders being former City partners, they are able to bring existing clients and contacts with them, ensuring they are still able to work with high-profile accounts and cases. Why work for a boutique law firm? Working with a boutique law firm can be an appealing alternative to roles in the City for a number of reasons: A better work-life balance City law firms are seen as offering the most prestigious and desirable roles, with impressive salaries and the opportunity to work with blue-chip clients. These roles can be a great benefit to any CV — but at the cost of a very high workload. By contrast, boutique law firms offer a much less taxing schedule and a better work-life balance, while still allowing lawyers to work on high-profile accounts. In my experience, boutiques are more flexible with working hours and days to fit around your lifestyle. Although salary levels for boutique firms are typically slightly lower than in the City, these roles are still well paid, and the reduced stress and improved work-life balance can be worth the trade-off for many. Greater autonomy and flexibility Boutique firms give staff much greater personal control over their schedules, allowing them to take a creative and personal touch to their client dealings. Indeed, customers working with boutique law firms will usually expect this, as they seek a client-centric service that focuses on a strong and satisfying relationship, rather than data-driven performance metrics. This greater flexibility also extends to working hours and setups. Boutiques are much more likely to offer remote working and flexible hours — key priorities for many professionals since the coronavirus pandemic. More opportunities for progression Working for a City law firm provides access to high-value career progression opportunities, but they are also very challenging to obtain. Due to their rigid progression structures, staff will need to work patiently through each level for years to earn a chance at a senior role, and it could take up to a decade to become a partner. When it comes to boutique firms, routes of progression are much less rigid, and with fewer candidates competing for the top roles, it’s possible to achieve a senior position much faster. More opportunities to get hired Boutique firms are much more likely to consider applicants from a wide range of career backgrounds. Applicants with relevant experience from a Legal 500 background can get a role with a boutique firm and earn the chance to work on high net worth accounts without a City level CV. In these roles, they will work alongside people with City backgrounds and deal with cases contested by City firms. Additionally, the hiring process for boutique firms is also much more accessible. Rather than needing a months-long process of multiple interviews and vetting stages, boutique firms will often offer a much quicker interview process, overseen personally by the senior partner, allowing much quicker hiring decisions to be made. Who’s best suited for a role at a boutique law firm? Many professionals may not realise these boutique roles are available, even though they would be well-suited to the advantages they can provide. This is why it’s important to review all of the opportunities out there before deciding your future career path. The following groups could particularly benefit from considering boutique law firms as an option: City lawyers who are looking for greater autonomy at work, or a better work-life balance Professionals who want greater flexibility in their working hours, such as mothers returning from maternity leave Young professionals who are two to five years PQE (post-qualified experience) and don’t currently have a CV that is suitable for a City firm, but want an alternative pathway to high-value client work For more advice on finding the right legal job opportunities, get in touch with Sellick Partnership. Visit our legal recruitment services page to browse our latest legal roles with boutique and City firms, or explore our online resources to find out more about the best ways to take your career forward.

10 years of progress: Laura Hayward's journey to the Board of Directors

When she finished her anthropology degree back in 2010, Laura Hayward had never had what she calls a ‘proper job’. After graduating, she gained some sales experience in a call centre before taking time out of work to go travelling, with no intention of moving into recruitment when she returned. Landing back in the UK, Laura headed for Manchester and posted her CV on a job board. That’s when she was contacted by Sellick Partnership and decided to explore the opportunities on offer. She explained: “I was looking for something different to the rules I’d had before. My career with Sellick Partnership came out of the blue, but I’m so glad that it did.” Laura started as a Resourcing Consultant in 2011 and remembers her first impressions: “The office was buzzing,” she said, adding: “It was definitely a change of pace and environment from what I was used to, but I settled into my new role quickly and felt very excited to take on this new challenge… even if it was a bit overwhelming at first.” Laura was offered exceptional support and daily training on the desk which boosted her confidence, helped her to become more in tune with the role and taught her ‘not to sweat the small stuff’ too much. After 15 months at Sellick Partnership, Laura was promoted to a Recruitment Consultant and then to Senior Consultant, followed by Principal Consultant. Then, in February 2018, she moved up again and took on a position as Manager of the Legal Public Sector. During this time, she started to take on more responsibility and had a team that she managed on a daily basis. Taking her career one step at a time, Laura – who admits she has never been a ‘long-term planner’ – said: “It goes without saying that my number one priority is to maintain our reputation as a market leader of expert legal recruitment service within the public sector. “However, I am particularly keen to look at how we can continue to expand our offering into other areas. For example, we have gone from strength to strength over the last few years, building strong relationships with universities and higher education establishments. “There’s a lot of competition between universities, so it’s important to ensure that we provide them with the right resources to promote growth.” Over the years, I have learned to trust my instincts and be confident in my abilities. Since the early days at Sellick Partnership, I have always looked forward to the future and have been excited to see where the experience and knowledge I gain would take me. With over 10 years’ experience in legal recruitment behind me, I can proudly look back on how I have helped grow our reputation as a leading provider of expert recruitment services whilst also confidently looking forward to what the future brings. Nine months after becoming a Manager, Laura was promoted again to Senior Manager and then became an Associate Director. Two years later, Laura was then offered the opportunity to step up to the Board of Directors – alongside Managing Director, Jo Sellick, and Group Directors: Hannah Cottam, Ray Wareing, Nikki Kinsey and Finance Director Mike Hoyle. She will now work closely with the rest of the team to make strategic decisions about the company’s future and said: “I really enjoy managing and my role as a Recruitment Consultant, but I’m very much looking forward to contributing to the commercial decisions that make Sellick Partnership so successful. “I’m really hoping that I can bring a different dynamic and perspective at Board level, and really push the boundaries of what I am capable of. “I love that my new role will allow me to continue to support the legal teams, but also allow me to work with the wider company as a whole. I think the skills I have gained during my 10 years with Sellick Partnership will be very valuable to others." Flexible working, a fantastic commission and bonus structure and all expenses-paid companywide events are just three reasons to come and work for Sellick Partnership. Find out more about our benefits and our current vacancies here: https://t.co/zIvRi51GH4 pic.twitter.com/jrCsDHij4j — Sellick Partnership (@SellickGroup) March 3, 2022 Offering advice to those looking to progress in their career, Laura explained: “Ultimately, you don’t have to always rely on your employer to tell you how to progress. If you feel ready for the next challenge, or that you might be soon, start mapping out your ideal progression plan and discussing your options with them. “With your progression plan behind you, think about ways that you can make yourself the very best candidate for your dream position, identifying what you can do to set yourself apart from your peers. “Finally, trust the process – these things don’t happen overnight. You will go through the motions, and you may even find yourself at a crossroads at times. But understanding the difference between your current role and the next step will be crucial in tackling the challenge head-on and seeing yourself to success.” If you want to hear more about the internal vacancies that we have available within Sellick Partnership, get in touch today.