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‘How’s everyone feeling about the NQ job market?’

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By Legal Cheek on

21

Qualifying in September


In our latest Career Conundrum, a soon-to-be associate is eager to hear how others are finding the NQ recruitment market.

“Hello Legal Cheek. I have a career conundrum that I would like you to put publish to your readers. I am one of many trainees due to qualifying this September and I am a bit concerned about how the market is looking. I am fortunate enough to have an offer from my current firm but not in my first choice department, and from looking around externally it seems slim pickings. How is everyone else finding it?”

If you have a career conundrum, email us at tips@legalcheek.com.

21 Comments

Anon

Not good. Qualifying in March next year and I am starting to feel fearful by the rumoured drop in retention in the cohort above me, and the lack of NQ roles out there.

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(11)(2)

Banner

I’ve already accepted a role with my training firm but I hear it’s a struggle depending on which areas you’re looking to qualify. If it was me I’d stick with your second choice department and look to move next year

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(6)(1)

Banner

That’s assuming things improve!

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(4)(0)

.

The retention scores seem fairly solid so far this year with a few exceptions of course.

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(1)(7)

BloeJoggs

Ive heard the market is very bad,
in my limited understanding

September ’24 qualifiers had an awful market,
March ’25 qualifiers had it slightly better
But September ’25 qualifiers have it even worse than September ’24.
Some of the big hitters (rumours) have had some of the lowest retention rates in years.

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(9)(2)

Mr B Fawlty, Esq.

SC-trained qualifying in September here. I got a job externally (US firm) in my preferred specialism (and got multiple offers from different firms in that area to choose from), but the market generally is tough right now.

Seems like most of the opportunities are in leveraged and asset backed finance, some in funds too, some tax, but pretty barren outside of that. All with the types of firms you’d expect. The disputes market is absolutely turbo-f*cked – a couple of months ago, the entire NQ market was competing for about 5 roles. Anecdotally, I have seen people over the last few intakes at my firm who wanted to go into corporate also struggle and end up having to take pretty significant pay cuts to get anything (despite coming from a well-regarded corporate practice), but I don’t know how much that market might have picked up now deal flow has improved a bit.

If you’re only now looking externally for a September start, in all honesty I think you’re probably going to struggle.

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(16)(3)

Interested

How comes disputes market is turbo-fucked?

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(7)(0)

University of East London LLB graduate

Because the disputes market likes to fuck turbo?

I dunno blud

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(1)(2)

Anon

Absolute horror show. My firm’s retention rate has dropped 30% on last year, and I couldn’t stay on as none of teams where I had completed a seat during my TC had a vacancy. Taken a job externally but with a significant pay cut

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(5)(0)

NQinManchester

I qualified in June of this year with around a dozen others. Those who spoke to the teams in which they wanted to qualify 12-18 months ago all landed jobs in those teams. Those who didn’t make themselves known and expected it handed to them didn’t have roles ‘made’ for them and have left. I don’t know why more trainees don’t think of playing the long game when they start their TC.

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(6)(8)

Golden retriever

MC Sept 25 – it’s been awful. I ended up not being retained (even though I did well in all seats). I have been interviewing at other firms but they seem to be moving very slowly. I’ve been making preparations to go back to my parents in September in case I cannot find a job. Poor planning by the these firms tbh.

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(7)(1)

Anon

The market is very slow. It’s not completely barren but there are very few available roles. When a role does come up it is extremely competitive.

I am having to broaden my horizons and consider alternatives (including applying for regional forms and considering a role in my team of second choice).

I really feel for everyone qualifying at this time. Hopefully the market will improve soon.

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(4)(0)

Anon

Very tough. Big demand from US firms in Leveraged and Real Estate Finance and in Funds. UK firms well catered for with their own qualifying trainees. If you want an advisory role the options available are limited so you need some good fortune with vacancies coming available. In any case, it helps to start looking around as early as possible if you can’t stay / don’t want to stay at your training firm. This worked for me as I engaged recruiters from about March time and found a new role by May. I would advise engaging a good number of recruiters. Recruiters will tell you differing things based on their knowledge / specialism / own interests so speaking to a few helps you to build up an accurate picture of the market.

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(2)(0)

Klaxon

Pick your chinny carefully though.

Most of them are shiny-suit goons fresh out of a local poly with limited intellect who will talk a great game but more often than not deliver little.

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(4)(1)

Curious

These comments are quite surprising in the context of the strong recent financial results being posted by many law firms, with revenue and PEP up strongly in some cases. Why is the NQ market so bad at the moment? Is it AI?

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(1)(2)

Olgoi Khorkhoi

It’s greed, plain and simple.

The partnerships at these firms are desperate to extract as much PEP as possible, at the expense of the fee earners and other employees.

‘Twas ever thus.

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(2)(1)

Sep 24 Qualifier - Silver Circle

Sep 24 qualifier – no roles in the team I wanted so wasn’t retained, have struggled to find a contentious NQ role so have had to move in-house. Carried on speaking to recruiters to move back into private practice and having no luck, lots of 2-4 PQE roles but not NQ. It is an awful market.

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(3)(0)

Anon

Truly truly awful and recruiters don’t seem to be honest.

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(0)(0)

Chinny klaxon

Yeah no shiz son, recruiters are two bit spivs who only talk up their “book of business”, often incompetently.

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(0)(0)

Sad fourth seat trainee

No role at my firm, no role elsewhere. Firms interviewing for NQ level expect knowledge of 2PQE. Applying to in house roles, other cities and to 2nd, 3rd and 4th choice areas. Still nothing. Completely barren. Only roles are property/real estate and funds.

Is it better to be unemployed and wait for a role, or take a step back to a paralegal role?

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(0)(0)

Desperate Trainee

Not many jobs around. The HR MD at my firm (Elite US) has indicated that only 40-50% of us will be retained due to reduced business need.

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(0)(0)

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