Global Legal & Compliance Salary Survey - Laurence...

Global Legal & ComplianceSalary Survey

2016

http://www.laurencesimons.com

Contents

2

Methodology ................................................3

Introduction ..................................................4

Global trends ................................................6

Key Findings

UK

Brazil

France

Italy

Benelux

Germany

Switzerland

Demographic of respondents ..............8

Current employment .............................. 16

Remuneration............................................20

Headcount .................................................. 24

Compliance ................................................ 26

In-house Commerce & Industry ........................... 29

Compliance ................................................40

Financial Services.................................... 42

Private Practice Partners ........................................................ 62

Associates ................................................... 65

In-house ......................................................72

Private Practice ........................................72

In-house ........................................................74

Private Practice ....................................... 76

In-house ....................................................... 79

In-house ....................................................... 82

In-house ....................................................... 89


In-house ....................................................... 92

Co

nte

nts • M

eth

od

olo

gy

Global Legal &

Com

pliance Salary S

urvey 2016

During 2015 Laurence Simons conducted a survey with clients and candidates focusing on remuneration, bonuses and recruitment trends. We surveyed legal and compliance professionals from numerous industry sectors across the globe.

The salary survey is based on the data received from our online survey, our global database and the expertise of our experienced consultants. We surveyed legal and compliance professionals working across private practice, in-house and financial services and have provided salary ranges where we received sufficient data.

It is important to note that the salary survey should be used as a useful guide, but if you need any tailored or specific advice, please do contact us directly.

Middle East, Turkey &Africa

Russia

India

North America

Methodology

Middle East

In-house ..................................................... 108


Africa

In-house ......................................................120


Turkey

In-house ......................................................124

Private Practice ......................................126

In-house ....................................................... 97

Private Practice ......................................103

In-house ......................................................129

In-house ......................................................133

Private Practice ...................................... 135

Laurence Simons has been

recognised for over 25 years as

both a leader and pioneer in

the field of legal and compliance

recruitment. During this time

we’ve helped businesses build

high-performing teams, expand

internationally, challenge the

status quo and supported new

ideas.

With the help of those in our extensive

network of lawyers and compliance

professionals we have received

responses to this 2015 survey from a

total of 69 countries, and our findings

give key insights into industry trends

across multiple territories. We hope

that this will be a valuable resource for

individuals wanting to progress their

career as well organisations in the legal

and compliance sectors.

Our statistics on the overall perceived

outlook of the economy derived

from this survey show some stark

contrast between those countries

now emerging from the recession

and those experiencing continued

political and economic uncertainty. If

we exclude the data from the Brazilian

demographic, which accounts for 25%

of our responses, we see an overall

77% of respondents feeling positive

about the economic outlook for 2016.

If we include the Brazilian data this

number drops to only 37% feeling

positive, given that 66% of Brazilians

feel pessimistic about the current

and future prospects of the economy

for 2016. Nevertheless, we can still

conclude that global outlook from

legal and compliance professionals

is improved on the figures in the last

survey (where only 43% of respondents

had positive expectations of the future

economy) with 61% of all respondents

expecting a salary increase in the next

12 months.

The desire for increased remuneration

continues, with 65% of lawyers open

to the possibility of moving abroad to

improve their income, similar to the

results of the last survey.

44

Introduction

Whilst Europe is still the most popular

choice for relocation, the numbers

have dropped by 22% with only 37%

of respondents choosing Europe as an

option.

Female respondents, who comprised 39%

of the total, raised interesting questions

about women in the workplace, especially

in the BRIC economies and the Middle

East. Topics such as maternity rights,

equal opportunities and highlighting

women’s achievement in legal practice

interests us greatly and the volume

of comments in this survey are an

encouraging echo of the growing voice

of high achieving women in the legal

sector. Laurence Simons will continue

to focus on Women in Law through our

global events, which can be viewed on

the Laurence Simons website.

In those BRIC economies that continue

to experience economic instability

we envisage sustained changes

to recruitment policy, as detailed

throughout the survey. So far this has

been evident in Brazil and Russia.

Laurence Simons will continue to support

legal professionals through these

transitions and we encourage you to

share your ideas and experiences on our

social media groups.

We would welcome your feedback so if

you have any questions or wish to discuss

your career or recruitment plans please

do not hesitate to get in touch with us.

Kind regards

Clare Butler

Global Managing Director

Global Legal &

Com

pliance Salary S

urvey 2016

5

Intro

du

ctio

n

Sourcing Talent

Sourcing quality legal talent, especially

on an ad-hoc basis or for temporary

roles can be a challenge. Temporary

contracting within the industry remains

a very small proportion of the total,

with 96% in permanent employment

and 4% in temporary employment.

Some employers have noted the lack

of data available on international

candidates open to contract and

temporary roles and the consequent

difficulty in attracting interest from

candidates in other countries.

Since many lawyers lack strong digital

and/or technological skills law firms

and legal teams are currently having

to source specialist IT professionals, so

those who do possess these skills stand

in good stead in the competitive job

market.

Relocation

Relocation and international

opportunity is also of interest to

lawyers of all levels of experience,

including senior partners wanting

variety within their professional

experience that cannot be provided

on home turf. Interestingly, whilst

relocation remains an attractive

prospect to 65% of survey respondents

only 7% made their last career move

between countries.

Those who have successfully

relocated have mentioned that it can

be challenging to adapt to different

management styles and this should be

taken into consideration when moving

country.

The preferences for relocation are:

Europe (37%), North America (26%),

Asia (14%), Global (6%), Middle East

(6%), South America (4%) and Africa

(1%).

The issue of moving roles within a

system of rigid recruitment practice,

whereby companies hire based on

paper profiles, has been criticised as

being prohibitive as it becomes harder

to find new challenges.

Global Trends

66

Compliance

There are concerns about the

amalgamation of compliance teams with

legal teams. Some express a desire to

see this integration furthered and others

question whether compliance, specifically

in areas such as data protection and

anti-corruption is outside the remit

of the legal teams. Because of these

concerns and the growth of compliance

in recent years there exists a challenge

of how compliance is integrated within

organisations. As it stands 51% of

compliance teams sit within the legal

department.

The desire from companies to source

compliance professionals from a legal

background has continued to increase

year on year, with the current figure at

67% in comparison to 65% in 2014. In

practice only 54% do come from a legal

background, which shows a small 1%

increase from 2014.

Remuneration

Remuneration is again a common theme,

with concerns over stagnated pay

particularly in regions with turbulent

economies or political instability.

Competition between firms trying to

hire top talent internationally face the

added challenge of creating attractive

benefits packages at the risk of losing

medium and senior level consultants to

competitors or private practice.

There is also concern over a lack of

transparency surrounding maternity

leave and payment, and an absence

of clear guidance on this within the

profession. Managers in firms with high

volumes of staff on long-term leave

have also expressed concern over the

lack of quality resources for locum and

temporary work.

Some lawyers have communicated

the difficulty experienced in managing

increasing workloads, as well as

maintaining client relationships whilst

remaining within the confines of budgets

that have stagnated over recent years.

Global Legal &

Com

pliance Salary S

urvey 2016

7

Glo

bal T

ren

ds •

So

urc

ing

Ta

len

t

88

GENDER

PQE LEVEL

AGE

PRACTICE AREA

Male

61%21-29

30-39

40-49

50-59

60+

Less than 1 year

1-2 years

3-4 years

5-6 years

7-8 years

9-10 years

11-12 years

13-14 years

15-16 years

16+ years

In-House Commerce & Industry

Private Practice (Law firm practice)

In-House Financial Services

8%

49%

31%

11%

1%

1%

1%

5%

7%

11%

11%

11%

11%

12%

30%

60%

25%

15%

Female

39%

What is your Gender?

Which of the following describes your level of

experience within the legal industry?

What age category do you fall within?

In which area do you currently work?

60%

25%

15%

Key FindingsDemographics of respondents

Global Legal &

Com

pliance Salary S

urvey 2016

9

LOCATION

25%

Brazil

16%

UK10%

Russia

6%

USA

6%

France

4%

Germany

4%

UAE3%

Italy

3%

Switzerland

3%

Netherlands

3%

Ireland

2%

Singapore

2%

India

2%

Belgium

1%

Spain1%

Hong

Kong

1%

Australia

1%

Turkey

1%

Luxembourg

6%

Other

Ke

y F

ind

ing

s •

De

mo

gra

ph

ics o

f resp

on

de

nts

1010

Job TitleIn-House Financial Services

Which of the following best describes your job title?

Analyst

Assistant General Counsel

Assistant Vice President

Associate

Compliance Analyst

Compliance Manager

Director

General Counsel

Head of Compliance/Chief Compliance Officer

Legal & Compliance Counsel

Legal Counsel

Senior Lawyer

Senior Legal Counsel

Senior Vice President

Vice President

Other

1%

5%

2%

2%

1%

3%

4%

19%

5%

5%

9%

6%

15%

3%

5%

15%


Global Legal &

Com

pliance Salary S

urvey 2016

11

Sector/DisciplineIn-House Financial Services

In which sector/discipline do you work in?

Private Banking

Corporate Banking

Investment Banking

Retail Banking

General Insurance

Life Insurance

Hedge Fund

Asset Management

Custodian Banking

Brokerage

Private Equity

Other

4%

10%

15%

6%

11%

2%

2%

15%

1%

2%

6%

26%

Ke

y F

ind

ing

s •

De

mo

gra

ph

ics o

f resp

on

de

nts

1212

Job TitleIn-House Commerce & Industry

Sector/Discipline In-House Commerce & Industry


In which sector/discipline do you work?

4%

1%

Assistant

General Counsel

Aerospace &

Defence

1%

4%

Associate

Legal Counsel

Automotive

2%

3%

Chief Compliance

Officer

Chemicals

3%

4%

Chief

Legal Officer

Construction &

Materials

1%

2%

Company

Secretary

Electronics

3%

6%

Compliance

Officer

Food &

Beverages

3%

5%

Corporate

Counsel

Healthcare

6%

1%

Director

House, Leisure

& Personal

Goods

10%

4%

General

Counsel

Industrial

Engineering

9%

2%

1% 6%

1%

Head of Legal

Media

Mining Oil & Gas

New Media


Global Legal &

Com

pliance Salary S

urvey 2016

13

6%

10%

Head of Legal

Compliance

Pharmaceutical &

Biotechnology

10%

2%

Legal Counsel

Professional

Services

7%Legal Manager

3%Real Estate

1%Patent Attorney

3%Retailers

3%Regional Counsel

1%Sport

4%Regional

General Counsel

17%Technology

14%Senior Legal Counsel

5%Telecoms

2%Senior

Legal Manager

1%Tobacco

1%Trade Mark

Lawyer

3%Transportation

10%

1%

2%

12%

Other

Travel &

Leisure

Utilities

Other

Key Findings • D

emographics of respondents

1414

Job Title Private Practice

Sector/Discipline Private Practice


In which sector/discipline do you work?

28%

2%

Associate

Antitrust

1%

2%

Compliance Office

to the Legal Practice

(COLP)

Aviation and

Shipping

6%

4%

Counsel

Banking &

Finance

4%

2%

Managing

Partner

Capital

Markets

1%

4%

Newly Qualified /

Junior Associate

Commercial

24%Corporate

2%Employment &

Labour Law

2%Energy

4%Engineering &

Construction

2%

4%

4%Financial

Services

HR

Intellectual

Property/Patent

Demographics of respondents

Key Findings

Global Legal &

Com

pliance Salary S

urvey 2016

15

2%Of Counsel

18%Partner

25%Senior

Associate

2%Solicitor

13%Other

17%Litigation

1%Management

3%Private Client

4%Real Estate

2%Regulatory

7%Tax

1%TMT

1%Trade &

EU Law

8%Other

Key F

ind

ing

s • Dem

og

rap

hic

s of re

spo

nd

en

ts

1616

How are you currently employed? Do you anticipate a pay increase in the

next 12 months?

Permanently

No

Temporary/

Interim/

Contract/

Locum

Yes

96%

40%

4% 60%

How long did it take for you to find your current position?

How did you find your current position?

16% 6%

27%

26%

12%

9%

4%

Less than a year More than

10 years

1-2 years

3-4 years

5-6 years

7-8 years

9-10 years

9% 10%

1% 4%

30%

3%

11%

9%

5%

18%

Advertising

(online)

Professional

network

Social Media

network (not

including LinkedIn)

Other

Recruitment

consultancy/headhunter

Advertising

(print)

Direct approach

Internal

promotion

LinkedIn

Personal

contact

Key findingsCurrent Employment

Global Legal &

Com

pliance Salary S

urvey 2016

17

If you do not receive a pay increase in

the next 12 months will you consider

leaving your role?

On average, how many hours a week do

you work?

What percentage of your annual

basic salary would you consider an

acceptable pay increase?

No

Yes

42%

58%

0-5%

6-10%

11-15%

16-20%

21-25%

26-30%

More than 30%

Less than 10

11-20

21-30

31-35

36-45

46-50

51-55

56-60

61-65

More than 65

18%

35%

21%

13%

5%

4%

4%

1%

1%

1%

2%

25%

33%

19%

12%

4%

2%

How would you rate your current job security?

Secure

Insecure

Very

Secure

Very

Insecure

67%

16%

13%

4%

Key F

ind

ing

s • Cu

rren

t Em

plo

ym

en

t

1818

Please identify the closest reason(s) as to why you left your last position.

*Respondents could choose all that apply

9%

6%

Better location/

easier commute

Internal

promotion

2%

5%

Better

training

Job security

16%

5%

Better work

/life balance

Job too

stressful

20%

2%

Career

change

Left in-house

to move to

private

practice

3%

11%

Commercial

Left Private

Practice to move

In-house

8%

1%

Cultural Fit

Maternity

Leave

6%

2%

Dispute with a

team member

or manager

Mergers /

Acquisitions

25%

16%

Enhanced career

prospects

More

responsibility

32%

40%

Higher salary

New challenge/

interesting work

12%

0%

10%

4%

Improved benefits

package

Paternity

Leave

Improved

bonus

potential

Promotion

4%

Redundancy

7%

Relocation

0%

Retirement

1%

Return to

studying

1%Sabbatical

2%

Travelling

11%Uninspiring

leadership

4%

I have only had

one employer

since beginning

my legal career

5%

Other

Current Employment

Key Findings

Global Legal &

Com

pliance Salary S

urvey 2016

19

Where do you see your career progressing in Law?

Do you anticipate changing jobs in the

next 12 months?

Would you consider relocating internationally

for a suitably attractive opportunity?

Changing industry

Remaining in the same industry

Moving from In-house to Private Practice

Moving from Private Practice to In-house

Moving into a management role

Moving into a non-fee earning role

Moving away from law to a general management

role/commercial role with a company.

Leaving law all together

Other

18%

34%

2%

6%

24%

1%

9%

2%

4%

Yes, I will actively

be looking for a

new role

No, I will not actively

be looking for a

new role

Yes

No

Maybe

Maybe, if the

right opportunity

presents itself

30%

26%

65%

15%

20%44%

Key F

ind

ing

s • Cu

rren

t Em

plo

ym

en

t

2020

Did you receive a pay increase

in the last 12 months?

As a percentage of your basic salary, what level was this year’s bonus?

Were you satisfied with

your pay increase?

Did you receive a bonus

this year?

Yes YesIt has not been

announced yet

YesNo

No

No

68% 63%17%57%32%

20%

43%

17%

27%

21%

12%

6%

4%

2%

1%

2%

3%

5%

Less than 10%

10–19%

20-29%

30-39%

40-49%

50-59%

60-69%

70-79%

80-89%

90-100%

More than 100%

Remuneration

Key Findings

Global Legal &

Com

pliance Salary S

urvey 2016

21

In which month is your bonus typically paid?

How did this differ from last year’s bonus?

Remained

the Same

Increased

Decreased

Significantly

Increased

Significantly

Decreased

Dissatisfied Satisfied

Highly

Satisfied

Highly

Dissatisfied

6%

8% 20% 6% 3% 2% 11%

22% 8% 6% 4% 3% 1%

53%

26%

12%

8%

1% 24% 61%

10%5%

How would you assess your level

of satisfaction with your bonus?

Key F

ind

ing

s • Ru

mu

nera

tion

January February March April May June July August September October November December

My c

om

pany d

oes

no

t p

ay b

on

use

s

2222

Which of the following benefits are included in your current package?

How is your bonus paid?

82%

25 days or more holiday

/paid time off

80%

Annual bonus

scheme/structure

35%

Car or car

allowance

7%

Childcare/

daycare

46%

Company pension

scheme/structure

18%

Flexible benefits

(choosing from a

range of options)

35%

Flexible working

(homeworking/

flexitime)

15%

Gym

membership

71%

Health insurance/

private medical

6%

Housing

allowance

47%Insurance (PMI/death

in-service/life insurance)

28%

Meal

allowance

54%

Mobile phone

allowance

7%

Schooling

allowance

22% 2%Share incentive/

EMI scheme/option

scheme/Stock options

Other

2%

Not applicable to

me, I don’t receive

any benefits

*Respondents could choose all that apply

86%

9%

1%

1%

3%

Cash

Part cash/part deferred

Shares/options

Fully deferred

Other

Remuneration

Key Findings

Global Legal &

Com

pliance Salary S

urvey 2016

23

Please indicate how important each of the following employee benefits

would be to you, when considering a new role.

Not Important

Quite Important

Very Important

Vital

25 days holiday or more 5% 23% 31% 41%

Annual bonus scheme 4% 22% 42% 32%

Car or car allowance 45% 29% 20% 7%

Flexible benefits (choosing from a range of options) 32% 43% 20% 4%

Flexible working (homeworking/flexitime) 17% 38% 30% 14%

Company pension scheme 19% 34% 29% 19%

Insurance (PMI/death in-service/life insurance) 18% 32% 30% 20%

Schooling contributions 53% 28% 14% 4%

Housing contributions 59% 27% 10% 3%

Share incentive/EMI scheme/option scheme 30% 37% 24% 9%

Key F

ind

ing

s • Ru

mu

nera

tion

2424

How many people are there in your legal

team/practice group?

What headcount growth do you expect in

2016?

If you have involvement in the recruitment process, what has been your biggest recruitment

challenge in the last 12 months?

0-5

6-10

11-15

16-20

21-30

30+

34%

23%

11%

8%

6%

18%

21%

12%

3%

3%

3%

49%

9%

1-5%

6-10%

11-15%

16-20%

More than 20%

No headcount

growth expected

Headcount

decrease expected

38%

36%

6%

2% 2%

1%

11%

1%

1%

1%1%Not involved in

the recruitment process

Sourcing talent

with the right

skills/experience

Retaining staff

Losing potential

hires to counter

offers

Maternity

Leave

Paternity Leave

Budget

restraints

Redundancy

Outsourcing

OtherRetirement

Headcount

Key Findings

Global Legal &

Com

pliance Salary S

urvey 2016

25

By what percentage has headcount in your

department increased?

How are you feeling about the future of the economy over the next 12 months?

How has the number of staff in your

department changed over the past twelve

months?

More than

20%

Increased

6-10%

Remained

the same

1-5%

Decreased

11-15%

16-20%

Unsure

27%

40%

26%

36%

24%

22%

13%

10%

2%

2% 37% 20% 32% 8% 1%

Extremely

Optimistic

Optimistic Indifferent Pessimistic Extremely

Pessimistic

Other

Key F

ind

ing

s • Dem

og

rap

hic

s of re

spo

nd

en

ts

2626

Is compliance a stand-alone function or part of another department?

What is the background of your dedicated compliance staff?

Stand-alonePart of the legal

department

Part of the finance

department

Other

38%51% 6% 5%

55%

11%

1%

1% 1%

2%

22%

5%2%

Legal

Finance/Risk

HR

Sales & Marketing Commercial

Control

Mixture depending

on function/

organisation

OtherOperations

Key FindingsCompliance

Global Legal &

Com

pliance Salary S

urvey 2016

27

From what background would you prefer to source your compliance team?

Legal

Finance/Risk

HR

Sales &

Marketing

Operations

Control

Other

Commercial

67%

10%

1%No preference

1%

1%

2%

3%

2%

13%

Key F

ind

ing

s • Co

mp

lian

ce

UnitedKingdom

[email protected]

+44 (0) 20 7645 8500

322 High Holborn, London, WC1V 7PB

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mailto:london%40laurencesimons.com?subject=

Technology & Telecommunications

The Technology and

Telecommunications market has seen

fairly consistent activity throughout

2015. Investors have pumped a

record £1bn into London’s thriving

tech sector this year as the capital’s

digital economy rockets, with experts

predicting that the capital could soon

be on course to challenge Silicon

Valley. As a result, we have seen a

number of first counsel hires in start-

ups within the technology space at the

mid to senior level which has opened

up the market. We’ve seen a steady

increase in demand from last year for

candidates and this has resulted in

fierce competition for high calibre and

marketable lawyers who tend to have

multiple opportunities in play.

Overall there is a bias towards junior to

mid-level recruits. As such, companies

are willing to recognise the value of

high performing lawyers and we are

seeing an increase in salaries as

leading in-house teams aim to remain

competitive.

There is stronger demand across a

variety of skill sets than in previous

years which spans across general

commercial, privacy, data protection

and IT/ IP. These are being driven by

innovations in the technology space

thus candidates with outsourcing,

software licensing and cloud services

experience are sought after. Alongside

this, candidates are expected to be

viewed as trusted advisors to an

organisation where they are integral

rather than a control function and so

sales-focused roles are becoming more

apparent within the market.

UK

• In-h

ou

se C

om

merc

e a

nd

Ind

ustry

G

lobal Legal & C

ompliance S

alary Survey 2016

29

United KingdomIn-house Commerce and Industry

Technology and telecommunications

will be a continued growth area with

organisations introducing outside

talent and demonstrating confidence

and stability within the market.

Mid-level roles have become more

frequent and it can be inferred that this

will continue to improve in 2016 as the

tech space continues to grow. Given

the competitive nature of the market,

it is likely that we will see an uplift in

salaries in the coming year.

3030

PQE Median salary range

0 - 1 £48,000 - 55,000

2 - 3 £50,000 - 65,000

4 - 5 £60,000 - 80,000

6 - 7 £80,000 - 90,00

8 - 9 £85,000 - 95,000

10 - 11 £95,000 - 110,000

Head of Legal £110,000 - 150,000

General Counsel £180k +

Media

Within the media sector there remains

a continued demand for 2-5 year PQE

candidates, which is creating some

movement within both in-house and

private practice teams at the junior end

of the spectrum. As such, due to the

solid talent pool, clients are holding a

strong preference for those with in-house

experience (whether through previous

roles or time spent on a secondment).

Over the course of the year salary and

benefit levels have remained fairly stable,

especially with those organisations

whose brands are established in the

market. That being said many private

practice candidates are prepared to

take salary decrements to move in-

house. As a result remuneration levels

remain consistent this year and it can

be deduced that no major changes will

occur over the coming year.

At the more senior level there has

been slightly less activity as teams are

continuing to grow organically. This has

resulted in yet another slow year for hires

at this level, reflected by the low increase

on salaries and benefits being offered.

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PQE Median salary range

0 - 1 £42,000 - 48,000

2 - 3 £48,000 - 60,000

4 - 5 £60,000 - 75,000

6 - 7 £75,000 - 85,000

8 - 9 £85,000 - 90,000

10 - 11 £90,000 - 100,000

Head of Legal £110,000 – 130,000

General Counsel £150k +

In-house Commerce and Industry

Energy

Trends in the energy sector in 2014

were seen to continue throughout 2015

albeit with some signs of recovery in the

oil sector. Moving into 2016, oil prices

climbed with hopes that an agreement

might be reached between Opec and

non-Opec oil producers to run down the

supply glut which has dragged down the

oil price over the last 18 months. As the

deliberation continues, what is certain is

that the high of $115 per barrel seen in

2014 is unlikely to return soon, which has

of course had an impact on hiring within

the sector.‘

Perhaps unsurprisingly, hiring has tended to be on the agenda when firms are replacing rather than expanding and a number of firms have announced cuts as operating expenditure on existing assets is reduced.

Hiring within the sector has continued to

show a strong preference for candidates

with sector experience.

Turning attention to the renewable

energy sector, investment has dropped

over the course of the year, in the midst

of changes to tax exemption policy in

the UK. Similarly to their oil and gas

counterparts, renewable energy firms

have tended to hire in response

to replacement rather than expansion,

and lawyers with experience of projects

within this sector are highly sought after.

Salaries across the energy sector have

remained largely unchanged, with oil and

gas firms tending to remunerate higher

than those in the renewable energy

sector, and indeed other areas across

industry and commerce.

Looking ahead to 2016, the energy

sector will undoubtedly continue to

face uncertain times, though we expect

opportunities to present themselves

still, in particular for those candidates

with proven industry experience, able to

demonstrate value within a sector that

faces unique challenges.

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Energy

FMCG/RETAIL

Over the year there have been some

interesting challenges across Europe,

in particular the European Commission

inquiry into antitrust competition laws

within e-commerce, which has sparked a

refocus on strategy within the sector. As

a bi-product of this it has reinforced the

challenges some firms face in response

to the technological age and an ever

increasingly competitive landscape.

That said, whilst we are noting that

lawyers in this space are having to adapt

to such challenges, the retail and FMCG

market has neither peaked nor troughed

over the past year. Throughout 2015

we have seen a steady flow of roles in

the UK, particularly at the mid-level,

however, understandably in view of the

above mentioned challenges, a number

of our clients are looking for lawyers with

backgrounds and experience outside

of FMCG or retail.

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PQE Median Salary Base Range

0 - 1 £50,000 - 59,000

2 - 3 £59,000 - 69,000

4 - 5 £69,000 - 80,000

6 - 7 £79,000 - 95,000

8 - 9 £95,000 - 111,000

10 - 11 £108,000 - 135,000

Head of Legal £140,000 - 190,000

General Counsel £250,000 +


3434

PQE Median Base Salary Range

0 - 1 £40,000 - 52,000

2 - 3 £47,000 - 55,000

4 - 5 £57,000 - 72,000

6 - 7 £70,000 - 90,000

8 - 9 £75,000 - 97,000

10 - 11 £95,000 - 116,000

Head of Legal £110,000 - 135,000


At the senior end however, budget

constraints are still having an impact

on headcount, especially within FMCG.

As such the market remains relatively

slow at this level.

Salaries in the sector are still

unfortunately on the lower end in

comparison with other sectors.

Nevertheless, we have noticed an

increased flexibility on salaries in the

more senior positions this year and are

hopeful for a marked increase in 2016.

We also anticipate that with competition

for talent high, businesses will be focused

on internal salary levels in order to retain

top talent.

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Real Estate & Construction

2015 maintained the trend for new

development projects, in particular

within the housing sector where demand

continued to outweigh supply. The year

also saw investment into infrastructure

projects, which has of course had an

impact on in-house legal teams. We have

continued to see hiring within this sector

as in-house teams respond to a greater

workload as a result of ongoing projects.

Hiring has tended to remain at the mid-level within this sector and we have seen examples of lawyers making the move directly from private practice into in-house legal teams.

Salaries have increased partially on last

year, as firms work to both attract and

retain talent. We expect these trends to

continue in 2016, as the housing sector

responds to increased demand, and the

outlook remains good for lawyers within

this sector, and those looking to move

into it. Competition for in-house positions

within this sector remains high, with the

number of opportunities outweighed

by the pool of candidates. As a result,

employers will pay close attention to

candidates’ academics, quality of training,

and their involvement in relevant projects

when making a hire.


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0 - 1 £49,000 - 55,000

2 - 3 £55,000 – 60,000

4 - 5 £60,000 - 79,000

6 - 7 £80,000 - 90,000

8 - 9 £85,000 – 95,000

10 - 11 £95,000 - 110,000

Head of Legal £110,000 - 150,000


United KingdomIn-house Commerce and Industry

Life Sciences

The Life Sciences market, and in particular

the pharmaceutical sector, has experienced

a hive of activity over the past year.

There are a number of reasons for this

increase but most notably we can put this

down to a marked increase in bids and

M&A activity together with the sprawl of

“spin-off” bioscience entities. Furthermore,

we have also seen the settling of key EU

regulatory guidelines and transparency

regulations, which has led to more

stringent requirements surrounding new

medicines when they are put through for

FDA approval.

The only lull in activity in 2015 was seen

during the national elections when we

saw a brief activity freeze before we

approached the usual summer slowdown.

That said, the election fall-out provided

little change to the NHS or impact to

industry in the UK (there is however no

denying that funding will continue to be a

challenge) and we have continued to

see a steady flow of mandates in the

second half of the year. In particular,

we have seen a noticeable increase in

opportunities at the senior level, which

largely stems from US-based

businesses commercialising their products

in Europe and a steady flow of mid-level

roles to support the 2014/2015 major M&A

reshuffle.

Compliance still forms the backbone of this industry’s skeleton; however, what could be considered a “knee-jerk” reaction to stricter EU regulatory guidelines has been tempered and growth within compliance teams levelled off this year.

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0 - 1 £40,000 - 50,000

2 - 3 £50,000 - 67,000

4 - 5 £67,000 - 85,000

6 - 7 £75,000 - 95,000

8 - 9 £85,000 - 115,000

10 - 11 £90,000 - 125,000

12 - 13 £105,000- 130,000

14 -15 £120,000 +

Head of Legal £170,000


Base Median Salary Range

We’ve seen a noticeable trend in

multinationals looking to hire more lawyers

directly out of private practice, in particular

in litigious IP focused roles. Candidates

with secondment experience will continue

to have an edge on those from private

practice, as the understanding of the role

legal plays remains key to the success and

competitiveness of this fast-paced

and heavily regulated sector.

As a whole, the Life Sciences market

continued to thrive over 2014/2015, which

we expect to continue in 2016 with many

products in phase 3 and complex drug

launches and bids imminent.

3838

United Kingdom

The in-house market within the leisure

and hospitality sector has remained

reasonably stable throughout 2015. As

with previous years, the bulk of the hiring

has been at the 2-5 PQE level with in-

house teams predominantly targeting

lawyers within private practice who have

worked with high profile clients within

this sector. We have not seen a great

deal of interim hiring in 2015, which is

testament to the current stability of the

industry.

There has been a little more movement at the mid to senior level in 2015 than in previous years with the bulk of the senior hiring being for experienced commercial lawyers.

We expect recruitment in the Leisure

and Hospitality sector to remain stable

with the potential to increase due to the

positive economic outlook for 2016.

Leisure And Hospitality

PQE Median Salary Range

0 - 1 £45,000 - 50,000

2 - 3 £50,000 - 60,000

4 - 5 £60,000 - 75,000

6 - 7 £75,000 - 90,00

8 - 9 £80,000 - 95,000

10 - 11 £90,000 - 110,000

Head of Legal £110,000 - 150,000



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Market Overview

As expected, in an ever changing regulatory environment, there has been an increase in demands on corporations across all sectors of commerce and industry.

As with 2014, 2015 saw a steady flow

of roles at all levels and in particular in

areas such as global anti-corruption

enforcement, which remain a constant

focal point and concern for businesses,

especially those with an international

reach into the emerging markets space.

It is of note however that businesses in

the UK outside of the financial services

and oil and gas sectors, still tend to

have relatively lean structures and small

teams. Often these teams share some

of the burdens by integrating with

legal and finance in particular. This is

perhaps understandable as it keeps cost

bases down and helps link the business

together by sharing knowledge and

assisting in the roll-out programmes from

the top down. However, whilst teams

within the industry and commerce arena

do remain small, there are a number

of international companies that are

bolstering their international hubs in

compliance hotspots and are growing

their teams across the emerging markets.

This is by no means a new trend, but

from speaking to numerous Heads of

Compliance, and CCOs, we have noted

the shift in policy towards expanding

teams in other regions with the aim of

strengthening regional businesses. This is

arguably a natural step in the evolution

of compliance since the hotspots tend

to be outside of the UK.

Furthermore, the lean nature of the teams

in the UK means that they have been and

are more often heavily stretched - with

hectic travel schedules, which in itself can

present a business risk.

As a result we are finding that

compliance candidates looking for mid-

senior roles with international remits are

now more mobile and open to relocation

than ever before. This reflects the needs

of international businesses and also that

roles at a senior level in the UK are not so

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prevalent in view of the fact that

businesses are decentralising the function

to be closer to their regional branches

and businesses.

In 2016 it is presumed that this trend will

continue, though for businesses with

their HQs in the UK the key figures will

understandably remain housed with the

group function. For those at a mid to

senior level it does however mean that

there are exciting opportunities abroad

and illustrates how transferable the skills

of a compliance professional are.

Regarding packages in the UK, there has

only been a slight increase at the senior

level. The mid-level, however, has seen

an upward shift - especially between the

4-8 year PQE mark, which in turn has

pushed up salary levels. At the 8-10 year

PQE mark, unless the candidate has a

wide global remit or responsibility for a

department, we can see that the salaries

tend to flatten out until they reach the

next level in their careers.

In-house Compliance


0 - 1 £35,000 - 45,000

2 - 4 £50,000 - 65,000

5 - 7 £65,000 - 85,000

8 - 10 £85,000 - 100,000

UK Chief Compliance Officer £110,000 - 170,000

EMEA Compliance Director £120,000 - 220,000

Global/ Group Ethics & Compliance £230,000 +


Global Legal &

Com

pliance Salary S

urvey 2016

41

Investment Banking

The investment banking sector has

continued to maintain a cautious

approach to hiring legal professionals

throughout 2015. Headcount has

continued to be challenging for line

managers to obtain.

We have seen significant recruitment

activity for regulatory lawyers at all levels

and we expect this trend to continue

through 2016. The regulatory skill set

can prove a difficult one to recruit for,

particularly at the 2-5 years’ PQE range.

This can be due to regulatory teams

within private practice being generally

quite lean with lawyers enjoying a

relatively good work/life balance as well

as being paid more than their in-house

counterparts. This makes it more difficult

to entice them to move in-house at a

junior to mid level.

We have also seen a surprising trend of senior lawyers/Heads of Legal and General Counsels moving back into private practice.

We believe this is due to a lack of senior

opportunities within the investment

banks and salaries have plateaued in

recent years versus private practice

where they continue to rise consistently.

Compensation levels have remained

broadly in line with the previous year

although there has been a spike at the

2-5 years’ PQE mark for derivatives,

regulatory funds and corporate lawyers.

We anticipate that this will continue

to be the case over the next year with

regulatory change remaining a constant

challenge for the investment banks.

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United KingdomIn-house Financial Services

Investment Banking – Derivatives/Structured products

Investment Banking – Prime Services


0 - 1 £68,000 - 78,000

2 - 3 £77,000 - 90,000

4 - 5 £88,000 - 98000

6 - 7 £95,000 - 110,000

8 - 9 £110,000 - 135,000

10 + £125,000 - 150,000

Team Head / Director £135,000 - 200,000



0 - 1 £68,000 - 78,000

2 - 3 £77,000 - 90,000

4 - 5 £88,000 - 110,000

6 - 7 £110,000 - 35,000

8 - 9 £120,000 - 145,000

10 + £140,000 - 160,000


Global Legal &

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Investment Banking – Capital Markets (ECM/DCM/Securitisation)

Investment Banking – General Banking (Corporate/Loans/Infrastructure/Finance)


0 - 1 £65,000 - 75,000

2 - 3 £74,000 - 85,000

4 - 5 £84,000 - 98,000

6 - 7 £94,000 - 105,000

8 - 9 £104,000 - 125,000

10 + £124,000 - 135,000



0 - 1 £51,000 - 65,000

2 - 3 £61,000 - 84,000

4 - 5 £79,000 - 98,000

6 - 7 £97,000 - 121,000

8 - 9 £119,000 - 125,000

10 + £124,000 - 135,000


In-house Financial Services

4444


0 - 1 £51,000 - 65,000

2 - 3 £64,000 - 84,000

4 - 5 £74,000 - 95,000

6 - 7 £97,000 - 121,000

8 - 9 £119,000 - 125,000

10 + £124,000 - 135,000



Head of Legal / MD £200,000 - 350,000


Investment Banking – Regulatory/OTC Clearing

Investment Banking – Head of Legal/General Counsel

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Derivatives Documentation (ISDA ® Negotiations, Clearing, Futures, Prime Brokerage and Repurchasing agreements).

2015 was a consistently stable year in the

derivatives documentation space. The

investment banks maintained a cautious

approach to hiring and turnover within

the teams hasn’t been high. Certain

banks have been hiring negotiators on an

interim basis for regulatory project work.

Many of the banks as part of their

squeeze on costs have, in recent years

chosen to near shore and offshore

more vanilla work meaning that hiring

in London has tended to be for more

technical negotiators with more of a

clearing/prime brokerage focus. This

has meant that salaries have increased

in line with the technical requirements

of the teams in London. There have

been a select few senior roles, however

settled senior negotiators haven’t had the

appetite to make lateral moves.


0 - 1 £48,000 - 54,000

2 - 3 £54,000 - 64,000

4 - 5 £64,000 - 84,000

6 - 7 £80,000 - 92,000

8 - 9 £90,000 - 110,000

10 + £95,000 - 130,000

Head of Team / Director £110,000 - 150,000

4646

Asset Management & Funds

Recruitment for lawyers within the asset

management sector was fairly buoyant

throughout 2015 with the bulk of hiring

taking place at the 3-6 year PQE mark.

This incorporated both regulated and

private funds with skill sets most in

demand including UCITS, OICS and

AIFMD.

With demand high at the 3-6 year PQE level, we started to see a small increase in base salaries, as firms competed for the best talent.

We expect this trend to continue in

2016. At the more senior end of the

market with far fewer opportunities there

remains a healthy appetite amongst

senior candidates to make the next

move. General Counsel salaries have

stayed fairly flat and typically range

from £130,000 upwards. There was

an increase in bonus level within the

asset management sector as firms

performed better in an improving trading

environment.


0 - 1 £55,000 - 70,000

2 - 3 £65,000 - 80,000

4 - 5 £78,000 - 105,000

6 - 7 £98,000 - 125,000

8 - 9 £122,000 - 135,000

10 + £122,000 - 145,000

Team Head / General Counsel £130,000+

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0 - 1 £55,000 - 65,000

2 - 3 £60,000 - 74,000

4 - 5 £74,000 - 83,000

6 - 7 £82,000 – 100,000

8 - 9 £95,000 - 112,000

10 + £115,000 - 140,000


Investment Banking - Asset Management/Funds

Private Equity

Recruitment activity in the private equity

sector remained constant throughout

2015. We saw a tendency for private

equity and venture capital firms to

combine legal and compliance functions.

There have also been a number of first in-

house counsel hires across the market.

The private equity and venture capital

sectors remains highly sought after

industries for corporate, private equity

and funds lawyers looking to make the

move in-house. Salaries in this space

have remained steady and comparable to

those in private practice and PE/VC firms

are generally offering generous bonuses

and benefits.

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0 - 1 £60,000 - 72,000

2 -3 £65,000 - 80,000

4 - 5 £75,000 - 90,000

6 - 7 £87,000 - 100,000

8 - 9 £100,000 - 120,000

10 + £115,000 - 130,000

Head of Team / Director £110,000 - 160,000 Global Legal &

Com

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0 - 1 £50,000 - 62,000

2 - 3 £60,000 - 69,000

4 - 5 £68,000 - 90,000

6 - 7 £91,000 - 98,000

8 - 9 £99,000 - 106,000

10 + £105,000 +

Team Head £125,000 +


Retail Banking

Within retail banking and consumer

financial services areas most in

demand continued to be consumer

credit, payment services and MCOBS/

mortgages. Consumer credit in particular

remains a big focus for many businesses.

We have also seen a trend for some of

the larger institutions to base their staff

outside of London which clearly narrows

down the pool of candidates and can

make recruitment harder for specific

skills.

Furthermore with institutions facing headcount restrictions there has been a focus on recruiting interim staff in order to meet resourcing requirements.

There has also been increased

recruitment from the challenger banks

and newer entrants, and these are

attractive propositions for candidates

working in the sector.

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Insurance

2014/15 saw significant changes occur

in the insurance sector with substantial

consolidation through M&A. This

obviously had an impact on recruitment

within the insurance and re-insurance

markets and the majority of hiring was

done at the 2-5 years’ PQE level.

There was a slight increase of movement

at the senior end of the market. Generally

speaking, however, there continues to

be a lack of new Head of Legal/ General

Counsel opportunities (to be expected in

the current climate). This has resulted in

a healthy appetite amongst candidates at

the more experienced end of the market,

making it an employers’ market when

hiring more senior lawyers.

Overall, companies in the insurance and re-insurance sectors have steadily continued to recruit corporate M&A, regulatory and product specific lawyers.

Salaries have, however, remained steady

and as always re-insurance organisations

continue to pay a premium for talent.

Bonuses in most cases have been paid,

with a market trend of 20%.

From the data we have collected,

it is interesting to see that 40% of

respondents left their last role for a new

challenge and the prospect of more

interesting work, this was closely followed

by 28% seeking agile/flexible working

arrangements. This is a significant

increase on last year’s results.

As a general rule bonuses have

decreased in recent years and it is

interesting to note that candidates at all

levels now have a much greater focus

on overall packages when considering

a move i.e. additional cash benefits, car

allowances, medical and health care

benefits and in particular annual leave

entitlements. 36% of respondents stated

that 25+ days holiday as a benefit forms

a key part of their consideration when

looking to make a move.

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0-1 £45,000 - £60,000

2-3 £55,000 - £68,000

4-5 £62,000 - £85,000

6-7 £83,000 - £95,000

8-9 £87,000 – 100,000

10-11 £100,000 -120,000

Team Head £110,000 - £150,000


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Brokers

We saw an increase in the recruitment

of lawyers amongst the brokers in 2015.

Typically candidates with commercial

and regulatory experience were most

sought after as General Counsels looked

to expand their legal teams – this is in

contrast to previous years when the bulk

of hiring has been to replace leavers or

cover maternity. Most hiring took place

at the junior to mid-level with businesses

often preferring to recruit from other

in-house departments rather than directly

from private practice.

We expect 2016 to continue to be relatively active for the brokers, with the majority of teams anticipating at least one hire over the course of the next 12 months.


0 - 1 £50,000 - 62,000

2 - 3 £60,000 - 76,000

4 - 5 £74,000 - 90,000

6 - 7 £91,000 - 105,000

8 - 9 £106,000 - 115,000

10 + £116,000 -125,000

Team Head £126,000 -149,000


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Payments

Recruitment activity and salaries have

remained stable throughout 2015.

We have however seen an increase in

hiring at the senior end of the market.

Candidates with broad commercial and

financial services regulatory experience

are still highly sought after within

the payments industry. Furthermore,

investments in technology make it an

attractive sector for lawyers looking to

make the move from private practice into

in-house.

We predict an increase in hiring over the course of 2016 due to regulatory changes within the payments sector, this will inevitably cause salaries to increase due to the supply and demand of this specific skill set.


0 - 1 £48,000 - 58,000

2 - 3 £55,000 - 67,000

4 - 5 £68,000 - 80,000

6 - 7 £81,000 - 90,000

8 - 9 £91,000 - 98,000

10 + £99,000 – 110,000

Team Head £111,000 - 130,000


5454

Interim

The interim market within financial services

continued to be buoyant through 2015. As

usual the more senior temporary hires have

been due to maternity leavers, however,

there has also been significant temporary

recruitment within the regulatory space.

In the investment banking sector, line

managers have still struggled with

obtaining headcount for permanent

recruitment and interim hires have proved

an efficient additional resource to their

teams. There has also been a substantial

amount of recruitment of temporary

lawyers on regulatory projects across all

levels leading to an increase in salaries.

There are also fewer candidates at the

3-5 years PQE mark available for interim

positions.

A relatively busy interim legal market

has meant an increase in the quality of

experience and talent in the market with

experienced lawyers choosing to become

professional temporary workers to gain

a broader range of experience, new

challenges and environments as well as the

flexibility that contracting can offer.

We predict 2016 will continue to be a busy

recruitment market across the majority of

the financial services sector for talented

interim lawyers.

PQE Median Salary Range / Daily Rate

0 - 1 £250 - 350

2 - 3 £350 - 400

4 - 5 £420 - 550

6 - 7 £550 - 675

8 - 9 £650 - 750

10 + £700 +

Team Head £126,000 - 149,000


*Exclusive of fees

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Global Legal &

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urvey 2016


Compliance – Financial Services

Investment Banking Compliance

The recruitment of compliance

professionals continues to be an area

of focus for many institutions from the

smaller players through to the very

largest. This is driven by the complex and

demanding regulatory environment in

which the firms operate.

There remains fierce competition for strong candidates particularly at AVP and VP level.

Recruitment at the more senior end

of the market has stabilised over the

last couple of years – however there

are more opportunities for senior

compliance professionals than their legal

counterparts. With a lack of available

candidates and high levels of buy back

at resignation stage we anticipate a busy

year for financial services compliance

recruitment and salaries continuing to

edge up further.

MonitoringMarkets

AdvisoryRegulatory KYC AML

Associate£35,000 -

50,000

£45,000 -

62,000

£45,000 -

58,000

£32,000 -

46,000

£35,000 -

50,000

AVP£50,000 -

75,000

£50,000 -

80,000

£50,000 -

75,000

£45,000 -

78,000

£45,000 -

65,000

VP£70,000 -

105,000

£85,000 -

125,000

£75,000 –

105,000

£70,000 -

95,000

£65,000 -

100,000

Director£110,000 -

140,000

£115,000 -

150,000

£100,000 -

150,000

£90,000 -

120,000

£100,000 -

140,000

MD/Head of

Compliance

£140,000

plus

£140,000

plus

£140,000

plus

£130,000

plus

£130,000

plus

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Asset Management Compliance – Institutional & Retail

Retail Banking Compliance

MonitoringMarkets

AdvisoryRegulatory KYC AML

Associate£35,000 -

50,000

£40,000 -

55,000

£40,000 -

55,000

£30,000 -

45,000

£35,000 -

50,000

AVP£55,000 -

75,000

£60,000 -

80,000

£60,000 -

80,000

£55,000 -

65,000

£55,000 -

70,000

VP£80,000 -

95,000

£80,000 -

100,000

£75,000 –

95,000

£65,000 -

80,000

£70,000 -

90,000

Director£100,000 -

130,000

£110,000 -

150,000

£100,000 -

140,000

£80,000 -

110,000

£100,000 -

130,000

MD/ Head of

Compliance

£140,000

plus

£140,000

plus

£140,000

plus

£130,000

plus

£130,000

plus

Compliance Analyst £35,000 – 40,000

Compliance Associate £45,000 - 55,000

Compliance Manager £55,000 – 80,000

Senior Compliance Manager £75,000 – 95,000

Head of Compliance £130,000 plus

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United KingdomIn-house

Paralegals- Financial Services & Commerce and Industry

Paralegal recruitment has been

unsurprisingly buoyant in 2015. The shift

in many in-house departments’ attitudes

towards the use of non-qualified legal

professionals has been significant.

Paralegals prove to be hard working, bright

and dynamic additions to many teams

across various sectors.

Managers are starting to make use of junior talent, seeing paralegals as a cost effective and productive way to manage increased capacity.

We have seen particular growth in the

banking sector, with large banks choosing

to create legal centres of excellence to

produce and grow junior talent from a

paralegal level. Large legal teams more

often than not have paralegal support

and we expect the trend of paralegal

recruitment to continue to grow.

Starting salaries remained consistent

and ranged from £20,000-£25,000 in

commerce and industry and £25,000-

£30,000 in financial services. There has

been a slight increase in salaries for more

experienced individuals with managers

realising that to keep talented, sector

experienced paralegals they must pay a

premium.

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Financial Services

Commerce & Industry

Level Salary Range Typical

LPC £20,000 - 26,000 £24,000

1 - 2 years £25,000 - 32,000 £27,000

3 - 4 years £28,000 - 36,000 £32,000

5 + years £36,000 - 50,000 £40,000 +

MD/ Head of

Compliance£140,000 plus £140,000 plus

Level Salary Range Typical

LPC £25,000 - 30,000 £28,000

1 - 2 years £27,000 - 33,000 £31,000

3 - 4 years £29,000 - 38,000 £36,000

5 + years £40,000 - 50,000 + £50,000 +

£140,000 plus £140,000 plus

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Company Secretarial

We have seen a good level of company

secretarial recruitment in 2015; around

50% of the roles have been due to

company growth with the rest being

made up of interim replacements and full

time replacements. We have seen a good

appetite among mid-level candidates open

to a move, particularly within financial

services.

There has been a lot of activity in the

insurance and pharmaceutical markets

with significant consolidation, mergers and

expansions. This has resulted in a number

of more senior company secretary roles

with companies looking for candidates

with up to 10 years of experience in listed

firms.

We have also seen an increase in the

number of junior assistant company

secretarial roles in financial services, more

often on an interim basis to facilitate the

increased capacity due to regulatory

change.

We anticipate company secretarial

recruitment to remain consistent going

into 2016 with more senior roles opening

up due to continued growth of companies,

particularly within commerce & industry.

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UK In-house - General overview of other sectors

2015 has seen an increase in the tempo in

the war for talent at the mid-level across

most sectors. As such finding high-

calibre candidates at this level has been

challenging for many clients; even though

making the move from private practice to

in-house is still a popular proposition for

many lawyers. This is primarily due to the

demand at this level and we have observed

that many candidates have had multiple

opportunities to choose from - even more

so than last year. As a result company

brand perception in the market is now

more important than ever particularly at

the mid-level.

Sectors that have been particularly busy

have been the automotive, logistics

and shipping industries which perhaps

reconfirms that the economy is doing well

as most of these businesses are adding to

their teams to cope with the demand in

extra sales. It is also the case that within

these sectors there also has been more

movement at the senior / GC level than we

have seen in many years.

In terms of salary levels, certainly at the

mid-level, we have witnessed a steady rise

as businesses compete for talent. At the

senior level however we have seen only

a minimal rise as the market is still more

client led than candidate-led. That said

we expect the senior market to steadily

improve over the next year or so, barring

any economic disasters / downturn.

In 2016 we are hopeful that the market

will remain buoyant. It is of note that the

market is still behaving more cautiously

than in the boom times of 2007, but this

is understandable and it is debatable

whether we will see the same buoyancy

in the market for many years. That said

it is an optimistic outlook for the UK for

2016 and we expect steady growth in the

demand for talent in the short to medium

term.

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United KingdomPrivate Practice

Partners

2015 was another strong year overall for

the legal profession in the UK, with total

revenue for the leading firms showing

continued growth and the more domestic

firms either consolidating gains or

seeking strength in numbers through

merger activity.

We have witnessed a continued upward

trend in partner compensation this year

and increasing levels of confidence

being shown by firms, individuals and

clients. This has led to more long-term

thinking and planning which always has a

tendency to “loosen the purse strings”.

In addition, while in recent years our

clients have wanted to recruit; now they

need to recruit to exploit much more

benign conditions. This has put further

upward pressure on compensation.

The sway and continued success of US

firms remains influential as they develop

their London offerings assertively; hiring

individuals but always preferring teams.

Their persistent determination to build

a sustainable presence in London and

the “top dollar” mantra has increased

competition for the best individuals.

This year, of the partners who completed the survey 83% have seen an improvement to their compensation package either through base remuneration or bonus/profit share entitlement.

79% said they anticipated a further

increase within the next 12 months, a

marked increase on last year’s 55%.

Virtually all of them were “optimistic”

or “extremely optimistic” about the

economic environment.

6262

Over 50% said they were not satisfied

with their current levels of compensation

and around the same number said that

if they did not receive an increase in

the next 12 months they might consider

changing roles. This is reflected by a

decrease from 50% last year to only a

quarter of respondents considering a

career change in 2016.

You can draw a number of conclusions

from this data. It is always easier to

be more bullish on paper than when

confronted with the practicalities of an

actual move. However, it does indicate

a robust and confident candidate base,

feeling more secure in their market place

and so willing to exploit their renewed

bargaining power to achieve higher levels

of compensation - whether internally or

through a lateral move.

Activity levels generally improved

across the board in 2015 and demand

is there in all transaction-led practice

areas. We see the consequential upward

pressure on remuneration in specialist

areas like energy, renewables, IT and

TMT, insurance, financial services and

regulatory.

The results of our survey show that

market sentiment is positive for 2016,

so it is an exciting time for the London

and UK partner market with many

firms feeling that there are plenty

of opportunities to make significant

progress in the year ahead and so make

up for the “lost years” of the recession, on

both an individual and corporate level.

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United Kingdom

In terms of the year(s) ahead, one of the

most interesting areas will be how the

new ABSs contemplate different methods

of compensation as they continue to seek

external sources of capital. Will there be

a rise in cash and stock/options deals?

And will these new market forces and

changes materially alter traditional and

conservative attitudes to remuneration

amongst the general partnership

population. The attraction of longer term

holdings will have to overcome historic

attitudes towards annual profit share, and

this will be an area to watch.

London Salary/Fixed Share Partner

West End/Niche firms £85,000 - 200,000

Mid-market firms £110,000 - 225,000

Magic/Silver Circle firms £170,000 - 275,000

US Firms £180,000 - 300,000

Private Practice

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Associates

This year 83% of our respondents had

received a salary increase over the last

twelve months, a clear indicator of the

ever increasing competition for talented

associates. The levels of these increases

varied, with 65% satisfied with their

pay rise.

In the early summer, most of the

Magic Circle firms raised their salaries

significantly, meaning their NQ lawyers

earn at least £70,000, and in some cases

substantially more. More experienced

lawyers also received significant uplifts.

Our conversations with candidates

would suggest that this strategy has

been successful, and more Magic Circle

lawyers now cite satisfaction with their

remuneration and bonuses. Fewer are

now seeking moves to other firms for

purely financial reasons.

Several US firms have however also

increased their rates to distinguish

themselves from the Magic Circle,

with some of the larger, more anglicised

firms that have traditionally paid

mid-Atlantic rates have raised their bands

closer to their New York competitors,

providing plenty of choice for those

associates interested in £90k+ NQ pay

structures.

50% of respondents received a bonus

this year, with 65% of those satisfied with

the amount. This is a modest increase

on last year, when 43% of respondents

received bonuses, and 58% were satisfied.

Bonuses generally sit between 5% and

10% of basic salary, although there was

variety and some well remunerated US

firm lawyers reported bonuses of 50-60%

of salary.

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Firms that cannot compete on salary

must offer something substantially

different.

The number one reason for moving positions remains quality of work, and some Magic Circle associates are finding that their careers are better served in smaller, more streamlined teams.

There are a number of firms in the City

which offer high-quality work, increased

partner and client contact, lower

chargeable hours targets and healthy

although sub-MC remuneration packages.

These firms have proved popular this

year as associates consider their future

partnership prospects.

Mid Atlantic Firms

We have had varied reports from West

End and niche firms. As with last year,

the increases at the junior and mid-level

were not on the same scale as the top

tier, but we have heard more reports of

firms giving significant salary increases

and promises of partnership to top

performing senior associates. These

firms understand the importance of

progression to this category of lawyers

and are following a sensible long term

strategy. Firms continue to use the

flexibility that is built in to their now more

merit-based bandings.

PQE Level Salary Range

NQ £70,000 - 75,000

1 PQE £75,000 - 82,000

2 PQE £85,000 - 92,000

3 PQE £94,000 - 104,000

4 - 5 PQE £105,000 - 115,000

6 + PQE £120,000 - 125,000

Private Practice

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New York Firms

Magic Circle


NQ £90,000 - 101,000

1 PQE £95,000 - 110,000

2 PQE £100,000 - 115,000

3 PQE £110,000 - 125,000

4 - 5 PQE £120,000 - 145,000

6 + PQE £135,000 - 160,000


NQ £ 68,500 - 70,000

1 PQE £74,000 – 92,000

2 PQE £83,000 - 104,000

3 PQE £92,000 - 115,000

4 - 5 PQE £100,000 – 125,000

6 + PQE £120,000 - 140,000

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Silver Circle / Top International

City


Silver Circle / Top International £70,000 - 75,000

1 PQE £75,000 - 82,000

2 PQE £85,000 - 92,000

3 PQE £94,000 - 104,000

4 - 5 PQE £105,000 - 115,000

6 + PQE £120,000 - 125,000


NQ £59,000 - 65,000

1 PQE £62,000 – 70,000

2 PQE £65,000 - 75,000

3 PQE £67,000 – 88,000

4 - 5 PQE £79,000 - 95,000

6 + PQE £90,000 – 115,000

Private Practice

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West End / Boutique


NQ £40,000 - 50,000

1 PQE £42,00 – 55,000

2 PQE £50,000 – 60,000

3 PQE £55,000 – 70,000

4 - 5 PQE £60,000 – 75,000

6 + PQE £70,000 – 85,000

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MonteRoraima

Brazil [email protected]

+55 11 2365 3808

Rua Olimpíadas, 200 - 10º andar, Vila Olímpia, São Paulo, 04551-000

Monte Roraima serves as a triple border point

between Brazil, Guyana and Venezuela. The

mountain is steeped in local legend, with the

Pemon and Kapon natives of the Gran Sabana

seeing it as the stump of a mighty tree that

once held all the fruits and tuberous vegetables

in the world. It is notoriously difficult to climb

on the Brazilian and Guyanese sides, with very

few climbers having made the ascent.

mailto:Saopaulo%40laurencesimons.com%20?subject=

Brazil Overview

2015 was notably the worst in the last

12 years when considering the political

and economic turmoil that occurred

throughout the year. This has damaged

all sectors of the economy, which of

course includes the judicial market.

Inflation at double digit rates, growing

unemployment (actually in the region

of 8% in contrast to 5% in late 2014),

the dollar being at a high (R$ 2.69 on

1 January 2014 to R$ 4.00 in January

2015), a lowering of the degree of

investment in Brazil Standard & Poors (as

of September 2015) has caused general

market contraction and the legal and

judicial market has had to adapt to this

changing scenario.

Some areas have been particularly badly

hit by changing economics, and have

had to reinvent themselves. This was

especially apparent in the legal sectors as

banking, capital markets, real estate, oil &

gas and infrastructure.

On the other hand, the crisis has created

upsides in some sectors, which have

emerged stronger, such as arbitration, tax

and labour law. Another area that has had

a surprisingly good year was mergers and

acquisitions, which has reaped obvious

gains from the devaluation of the Real.

The area of restructuring and insolvency

law, as well as debt restructure deserves

a mention in its own right. This was

without doubt the area that grew most

in 2015, and that most rocked the market

with significant changes and partner

transfers.

Compliance continues to be the fastest

growing area in-house, in reflection of

the numerous corruption scandals that

have recently occurred and is of such an

area of great importance in Brazil. There

has been an upsurge in the amount of

directors who have taken on additional

responsibilities as compliance officers,

although in sectors where compliance

is already fully integrated, compliance

teams continue reporting directly to

headquarters.

The recession has also brought about

interesting changes within our survey. In

the 2014-15 edition for example, 62% of

respondents said they were pessimistic

about the future of the economy.

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This year this has risen to a staggering

83%. Another attention-worthy discovery

is the volume of lawyers who were

satisfied with their bonuses. This now

stands at 62%, which is the highest

in the four years since we began this

publication (and 10% higher than last

year) and shows that, despite receiving

lower bonuses than in previous years,

many appreciate the gesture in light of

the economic situation.


Junior BRL 50,000 - 65,000

Mid-level BRL 70,000 - 115,000

Senior BRL 120,000 - 200,000

Manager BRL 220,000 - 330,000

Senior Manager / Head of Legal BRL 270,000 - 433,000

General Counsel BRL 415,000 +

Compliance BRL 200,000 +

PQE Level Median Salary Range

Junior Associate BRL 64,000 - 115,000

Mid-level Associate BRL 120,000 - 225,000

Senior Associate BRL 225,000 - 360,000

Junior Partner BRL 310,000 - 550,000

Senior Partner BRL 600,000 +

Private Practice

In-house

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Whilst the French Alps are now often

associated with leisure pursuits such as

climbing and skiing, there have been known

inhabitants in the Alps since Hannibal

recorded his encounters with local tribes in

218 BC. Briançon, the highest city in the Alps

and in France sits at 1,326 metres, and retains

the high-walls and fortifications that made

it such a key stronghold for regional control

since the Roman times.

FrenchAlps

France [email protected]

+33 (0)1 80 95 68 31

21 Boulevard Haussmann, 75009 Paris

mailto:Paris%40laurencesimons.com?subject=

France In-house

The recruitment landscape in France

remains constant, but at times hesitant,

with some recruitment processes

lasting longer than anticipated. 12% of

respondents took over a year to find their

current role.

As in previous years, a majority of those

recruiting targeted candidates with

5-8 years’ experience. Senior roles

statistically being less common than mid-

level searches indicate the importance

of cultivating both personal networks

and relationships with recruiters in order

to be in the right place at the right time

when an opportunity arises. 21% of our

respondents found their job through their

own professional networks. It appears

that legal talent is being well cared for

with a majority of our respondents having

benefitted from a bonus, furthermore a

satisfactory one (64%).

Job creation has slightly outweighed

job replacements this year, and has

resulted in a more seamless recruitment

process, especially in instances where

the need to recruit is pressing and an

urgent requirement, and not avoidable or

constrained by budget.

One in two legal counsels are open to the prospect of a new job opportunity, and the percentage of those willing to contemplate relocation sits just above the 60% mark.

International relocation is also of interest

and there is a more noticeable tendency

within and outside of the legal profession

to search for work outside of Paris. We

have observed some more openings in

other dynamic regions, particularly in the

Rhone-Alpes area.

The in-house job market continues to

favour international experience, language

skills, and in some cases dual private

practice and in-house backgrounds.

During a time characterised by a cautious

approach to recruitment, employers are

increasingly demanding and wish to be

presented with candidates who are clear,

motivated and coherent in their desire to

make a career move.

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0 - 1 n/a

2 - 3 ¤40,000 - 55,000

4 - 5 ¤55,000 - 70,000

6 - 7 ¤70,000 - 85,000

8 - 9 ¤80,000 - 90,000

10 - 11 ¤85,000 - 105,000

12 - 3 ¤95,000 - 115,000

14 - 15 ¤110,000 - 135,000

16 - 20 ¤125,000 - 145,000

21 + ¤140,000 +

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France Private Practice

Private Practice

Demand in 2015 remained consistent

across all sectors in Paris, from corporate

and finance through to dispute resolution,

IP/IT, tax and employment, although

recruitment levels are yet to return to

those pre-recession.

International firms proceeded with

caution when recruiting, with a tendency

towards consolidating teams. Movement

at partner level is consistent due to new

entrants from the Anglo-Saxon world

and a significant number of boutique

firms being set up by lawyers leaving

international law firms.

Lawyers recruited in private practice are, in the vast majority of cases, French qualified.

Demand for common law qualified

lawyers does exist, but mainly in the fields

of finance, projects/energy, corporate/

M&A and, of course, international

arbitration. The compensation data below

are a representation of remuneration paid

by law firms in Paris under a

self-employed status, predominantly

made up of data from the 50 or so

largest firms. Lawyers at smaller firms

in Paris and law firms throughout the

rest of France are likely to notice some

discrepancies in compensation, which

can typically be between 10% and

20% lower.

Compensation in Paris tends to

be tiered, with US firms paying the

highest compensation, UK firms following

and national firms paying the least.

However, there are exceptions and in

some cases lawyers at French firms can

receive US practice salary levels. The

bonus policy varies from one firm to

another, with some paying up to three

months’ salary equivalent in bonuses

while others do not pay bonuses at all.

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PQE Median Compensation Range

NQ ¤60,000 - 65,000

1 ¤72,000 - 77,000

2 ¤78,000 - 83,000

3 ¤83,000 - 88,000

4 ¤88,000 - 93,000

5 ¤93,000 - 98,000

6 ¤100,000 - 110,000

7 ¤110,000 - 120,000

8 + ¤120,000 - 200,000

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Mont Blanc rises to 4,808 metres, making it

the highest mountain the Alps. Ownership

of the summit has been fiercely contested

since the early 15th century, with both the

French and Italians making claims. To this

day administration of the mountain is shared

between the Italian town of Courmayeur and

the French town of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains.

Mont Blanc

Italy [email protected]

mailto:Milan%40laurencesimons.com?subject=

The Italian in-house market was

exceptionally busy in 2015 and there was

a noticeable increase of roles – especially

for lawyers having previously worked in

private practice. The trends we predicted

in 2014 have proven to be accurate

throughout 2015 with companies

strengthening their legal departments

and reinforcing or establishing ex novo

their compliance function.

The busiest sectors within law in Italy

remain the IT/Technology and life

sciences sectors. We have also noticed

an increase in compliance roles and mid-

level legal counsel roles (6-8 PQE).

Searches for more junior candidates

coming from private practice (4-6 and

6-8 PQE) can prove challenging.

Those candidates in the 4-6 PQE range

are often keen to remain in private

practice and gain more experience

before making a move, whilst those in

the 6-8 PQE mark aspire to a GC role

as opposed to a mid-level position.

Furthermore, salary expectations are

frequently higher than market rate which

can make it difficult to secure an in-house

move. In parallel we observe that private

practice candidates who are nearing the

8 PQE level and who are less flexible,

will see their chances of moving in-

house reduced because the bulk of their

experience has been within a law firm.

Overall, there have been no significant

changes to salaries and bonuses in Italy

over the last 12 months.

The introduction of the US Sunshine act and the UK anti-bribery act has prompted many companies to re-evaluate and improve their compliance function.

We expect to see further changes to this

area in 2016. The legal market will remain

dynamic in 2016 and we do not anticipate

any significant changes in market trends.

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PQE Average Salary

0 - 1 €¤25,000

2 - 3 €¤30,000

4 - 5 €¤50,000

6 - 7 €¤65,000

8 - 9 €¤90,000

10 - 11 €¤100,000

12 - 13 €¤120,000

14 - 15 €¤150,000

16 + €¤150,000 +

Head of Legal €¤130,000

General Counsel €¤250,000 +

8080

The wealth of trees and rivers in this region

helped fuel industrialisation in the 18th and 19th centuries,

based on charcoal production that saw this area flourish

prior to the shift to coal as the primary fuel in metallurgy

in the 20th century. Today much of the Ardennes is

sparsely populated, with very few cities exceeding

10,000 inhabitants, so that the long-standing

natural beauty remains preserved.

TheArdennes

Benelux [email protected]

+31 20 520 6812

Keizersgracht 62-64, 1015 CS, Amsterdam

mailto:Amsterdam%40laurencesimons.com?subject=

BeneluxIn-house

Looking back on 2015, the legal

recruitment market has experienced

steady growth, and we saw more

positions being created in legal and/or

compliance teams.

We noticed an increased demand for

compliance managers with managerial

and leadership experience. There’s still

an ongoing interest for companies in

relocating their corporate functions to

one of the Benelux countries for tax

reasons. Companies in the Benelux

region are now more likely to build

teams comprising local lawyers, due to

the challenges faced when relocating

international lawyers on a permanent

basis, as many overseas professionals will

not be able or willing to relocate their

families.

Another key trend we’ve noticed is that

professionals who have reached the glass

ceiling will be increasingly looking for

other positions outside their companies,

and we expect them to be making

these decisions faster than in previous

years. This acceleration was already in

occurrence last year, but it is an

ongoing and ever increasing trend.

Lastly, we notice that companies that

have had candidates go through more

than 8 interview rounds (extending to

up to 10 rounds), risk losing candidates’

interest in the process, and this can be

dangerous in a competitive environment.

Top talent candidates are often

involved in multiple interview processes

simultaneously, as they are in high

demand in the market. Companies with

very lengthy recruitment processes that

span a few months run an actual risk

of losing out on those candidates who

might be tempted by a competitor offer.

Feedback from candidates who have

endured especially lengthy recruitment

processes have shown that these systems

can reflect doubt on the company in

question, as it can give the impression

of an administrative quagmire. In such

situations companies risk losing money

as well as new talent as they pay out

for interim work during the recruitment

process.

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In light of the depression in the oil and

gas industry we have noticed a number

of legal and compliance professionals

leaving the field for other sectors.

Despite changes in the regions, junior

positions are still in high demand,

including paralegal positions.

Furthermore, contract manager positions

remain of strong interest to our clients.

Strong candidates with a private practice

background and with international legal

experience, who want to move to an in-

house role after finishing the Bar training,

are quite a rare breed and prized in the

market.

No less than 62% of respondents

received a salary increase in the past 12

months; 51% of them were happy with

the increase. 71% of the respondents,

compared to 74% received a bonus last

year and 74% of this year’s respondents

were satisfied with their bonuses.

When looking at salaries for male and

female respondents, there is a substantial

gap in the age range of 30 to 59, and

even more so in the age range of 40-59.

On average, there is a 10% salary difference between male and female salaries in the Benelux region.

40% of the respondents claim they are

considering changing jobs in the next 12

months. 60% of them say they would be

willing to relocate for a new opportunity,

if necessary. 49% of the respondents say

they are optimistic about the economic

outlook.

We have also noticed new teams / sub

teams being set up in the Benelux region,

many of whom are patent professionals

of paralegal level.

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BeneluxIn-house

We expect to see a further expansion

of new teams who might have recently

set up a European entity in the Benelux

region, from paralegal to senior positions.

We also anticipate an increased offer of

candidates emerging from the oil and

gas sector.

In addition we have also noticed growing

budgetary restraints in the FMCG sector.

The life sciences sector has a more

significant budget and is able to offer

more than initially anticipated in late

2014 and has thus been able to attract

stronger candidates.


0 - 1 ¤28,000 – 35,000

2 - 3 ¤38,000 – 55,000

4 - 5 ¤55,000 – 72,000

6 - 7 ¤70,000 - 85,000

8 - 9 ¤85,000 - 110,000

10 - 11 ¤100,000 – 130,000

12 - 13 ¤120,000 – 144,000

14 - 15 ¤145,000 – 165,000

16 + ¤150,000 +

Head of Legal ¤100,000 – 140,000

General Counsel ¤150,000 +

In-house

8484


Compliance Officer/

Country Compliance Officer¤80,000 - 110,000

Regional Compliance Manager ¤100,000 – 130,000

EMEA Compliance Director ¤120,000 – 150,000

Chief Compliance Officer ¤150,000 +

8 - 9 ¤85,000 - 110,000

10 - 11 ¤100,000 – 130,000

12 - 13 ¤120,000 – 144,000

14 - 15 ¤145,000 – 165,000

16 + ¤150,000 +

Head of Legal ¤100,000 – 140,000

General Counsel ¤150,000 +

Compliance

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Germany [email protected]

The Zugspitze is the highest mountain in Germany at 2,692

metres. It was not successfully climbed until 1820 by Josef

Naus. A summit cross has stood on the mountain top since

1851, and has survived numerous lightning strikes, extreme

weather, being shot by an American soldier in 1945 and several

repairs. The original version was replaced by a replica in 1993.

ZugspitzeMountains

mailto:Germany%40laurencesimons.com?subject=

GermanyIn-house & Private Practice

The legal recruitment market in

Germany saw steady growth in 2015

with continued demand for (senior)

lawyers, mainly in the in-house market.

Candidates have experienced an increase

in opportunities, with 12% of lawyers

who changed jobs in 2015 having been

approached directly, i.e. headhunted,

about a specific job and 54% of job

seekers finding a new role within 3

months. The profession continues to be

a demanding one, with 45% of German

lawyers working more than 45 hours

per week.

The demand for specialised compliance

professionals, especially in the life

sciences and other highly regulated

industries, continues to grow, more

specifically on a senior level with

managerial responsibilities. Furthermore,

we are noticing a steady increase in

(newly created) positions in the IT and

technology industries, especially in the

Munich area.

It remains challenging to find candidates

with medium level experience (i.e.

5-7 years) with a background in both

private practice and/or in-house, and

consequentially demand for these

candidates in the market is rising.

73% of German lawyers say they have

had a pay increase in the last 12 months

and 62% were satisfied with this pay

increase. Furthermore, 76% of German

lawyers have received a bonus in the

last year and 65% of this number were

satisfied with their bonuses. Of these

65%, 36% made bonuses of up to 10-30%.

Increases of salaries and bonuses were

spread across sectors throughout the

country.

For 2016, 54% of lawyers say they are

optimistic that the economy and market

will continue to show growth and 33%

of lawyers who completed our survey

say they are planning to look for a new

role in the next 12 months, which shows

a renewed belief in the economy and the

willingness of candidates to take a risk in

leaving a secure role for a new challenge.

Global Legal &

Com

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urvey 2016

87

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Lawyers in Germany have become increasingly focused on finding a job which offers them growth and development and are more willing, in comparison to previous years, to take on an opportunity outside of their current city or region if the role is sufficiently appealing.

For the German market, this is a unique

development as candidates have been

reluctant to move over the last few years.

59% of lawyers even said they would

consider an international relocation if the

opportunity offers enough potential.

Furthermore, another trend is that

candidates often get an opportunity

within their current company to move

into a broader role than just legal or

compliance. 13% of lawyers anticipate

that in the next 12 months they will

move away from law into a more general

management or commercial role with a

company.

The German economy, and more

specifically the legal market has proven

to be quite steady over the years and has

always shown an increase in movement

in the marketplace with regards to

salary and bonuses. We expect this to

continue in 2016, especially with the

soon to be revised ligistation of the

‘versorgungswerk’.

8888

Germany


0 - 1 ¤60,000 - 75,000

2 - 3 ¤75,000 - 85,000

4 - 5 ¤90,000 - 100,000

6 - 7 ¤100,000 - 120,000

8 - 9 ¤120,000 - 140,000

10 - 11 ¤140,000 - 160,000

Counsel ¤175,000 - 180,000

Salaried Partner ¤180,000 - 200,000


0 - 1 ¤50,000 - 60,000

2 - 3 ¤60,000-70,000

4 - 5 ¤75,000 - 80,000

6 - 7 ¤85,000 - 95,000

8 - 9 ¤90,000 - 100,000

10 - 12 ¤105,000 - 130,000

13 - 15 ¤135,000 - 155,000

16 + ¤160,000 +

Head of Legal ¤180,000 - 220,000

Private Practice

In-house

In-house & Private Practice

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Compliance Officer/

Country Compliance Officer¤100,000 - 120,000

Regional Compliance Manager ¤130,000 - 150,000

Chief Compliance Officer ¤180,000 +

Compliance

9090

The Swiss National Park in Graubünden was established in

1914 as the first alpine national park, and the first of many

protected spaces which now serve to protect endangered

animals. The Swiss Alps have three different altitudinal zones,

each having distinct climates. These are the Subalpine (1,600-

2,300 metres), Alpine (2,800-3,200 metres) and Glacial zone

(reaching as far down as 1,500 metres in some valleys).

SwissAlps

[email protected]

+41 (0)7 8742 7382

Switzerland

mailto:Geneva%40laurencesimons.com%20?subject=

SwitzerlandIn-house

Switzerland is well known for its

preferential tax regime and has been

under international pressure to repeal

privileged cantonal tax regimes which

have benefited many international

companies on an individual basis.

Switzerland is striving to maintain its competitiveness as a business location in the face of some international companies relocating regional headquarters to other parts of Europe as increased costs outweigh any tax advantage.

Nonetheless, many companies continue

to grow and develop their Swiss

practices and there has been some shift

of organisations particularly in the life

sciences sector from the French-speaking

cantons to the German-speaking cantons

which enables them to benefit from a

more concentrated talent pool.

Overall, our survey showed strong

satisfaction within the legal community

in Switzerland. 73% of respondents are

satisfied with their pay increases in the

last 12 months and 84% with their bonus

levels.

This year sees an increase in respondents

actively seeking a new position, with over

50% expressing openness to a career

move compared to 20% last year. This

year also sees an increase in those who

are open to an international relocation

out of Switzerland to 78%.

The average period of time for finding a

new position continues to be 1-3 months

although traditionally this has usually

been longer for more senior positions,

often 6 months plus.

In terms of economic outlook, this year

43% of respondents are optimistic with

40% indifferent to the future of the

economy.

9292


0 - 1 CHF90,000 - 135,000

2 - 3 CHF115,000 - 150,000

4 - 5 CHF130,000 - 160,000

6 - 7 CHF140,000 - 210,000

8 - 9 CHF160,000 - 230,000

10 - 11 CHF180,000 - 260,000

12 - 13 CHF200,000 - 280,000

14 + CHF220,000 - 300,000 +

Sw

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Mount Elbrus is a dormant volcano

formed 2.5 million years ago and the

highest peak in the Caucasus Mountains

at 5,642 metres. It has not erupted since

AD 50. The Soviet Union encouraged

ascents of Elbrus, and in 1956 it was

climbed en masse by 400 mountaineers

to mark the 400th anniversary of the

incorporation of Kabardino-Balkaria, the

Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic

where Elbrus was located.

MountElbrus

[email protected]

+7 495 933 70 10

Tryokhprudny per. 9 Building 1B,

office 104, Moscow 123001

Russia

mailto:Moscow%40laurencesimons.com?subject=

RussiaIn-house

The recent changes in the political and

economic situation in Russia such as

bilateral sanctions, the collapse of the

Rouble, and restrained new investments

have significantly influenced life in the

country for the last year. Due to the

adverse economic conditions people

have had to endure a reduction in real

income that will significantly affect

consumption.

Such instability in the Russian economy

has impacted legal businesses and

led to staff redundancies in numerous

sectors, mainly in production. It is worth

mentioning that this process creates

a rise in the number of new vacancies

open for lawyers who will work solo,

while previously these legal functions

were covered by a legal team consisting

of at least 2-4 people. At the same time

we have noticed a demand for lawyers

for those companies that don’t have

an existing legal function in Russia.

This might indicate that international

businesses are prepared to stay in Russia

despite the challenges they may currently

face. 2015 saw the emergence of

numerous interesting roles both in legal &

compliance. We hope to see this activity

continue into 2016/2017 and bring new

career opportunities for Russian-qualified

specialists who are pursuing new

challenges.

FMCG

With the exception of the movement in

the FMCG sector, legal recruitment did

not experience any significant changes.

The focus was on optimisation or raising

the efficiency of current structures.

Pharmaceutical

The pharmaceutical sector has had an

active year. There was a large volume

of legal recruitment for various reasons:

the replacement of lawyers who had

moved, the creation of individual roles

in companies where previously there

hadn’t been a lawyer present, business

restructuring and team optimization.

Industry knowledge, a proactive

solution-oriented approach to working

and an ability to adjust in a changing

environment are in demand as far as

candidates are concerned.

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Strict regulations are forcing companies

to strengthen their compliance function

and pharmaceutical companies tend to

hire strong professionals to bring best

practice to this area.

IT & Telecom

Legal & compliance recruitment in the

IT and Telecom spheres thrived in 2015.

Compliance specialists were in high

demand, especially in the Telecom sector,

and we saw placements made across

Russia & the CIS region. IT companies

also saw some movement reflected by

the increase in this sector. The two main

reasons behind the recruitment changes

were restructuring and replacement.

Real Estate & Construction

The real estate & construction market

was rather calm this year in comparison

to previous active periods of recruitment.

Lawyers with experience and a focus on

commercial real estate faired best and

were most sought after.

Financial Institutions

Russia’s banking sector remains

unsettled. Hundreds of Russian banks

have had no choice but to close down,

merge or be acquired by larger rivals. 75

banks have already seen their licenses

revoked by regulators for various reasons

since the start of 2015. It means that

many employees are losing their jobs

and it will be fiercely competitive to find

relevant work with similar salaries and

benefits.

We foresee the continuing of the

growth trend witnessed in the Wealth

Management sector. According to

financial research, Russia had 160,900

millionaires at the end of 2014, an

increase of 0.8% from the previous year.

Collectively, Russia’s millionaires and

billionaires are worth US$1.2 trillion.

Geo-political upheaval and economic

opportunity are the two largest triggers

for the movement of wealth. Wealthy

individuals will often follow their money

around the world. If the opportunities

are right, we could therefore see a larger

migration of Russia’s wealthy elite to

parts of the Middle East and Asia.

9696

RussiaIn-house

In reflection of this there will mostly likely

be a strong demand for compliance

professionals to support high net worth

individuals and their business projects.

Industrial sector

Many of the prominent international

companies are planning to optimise

and strengthen their legal & compliance

departments in the industrial sector.

We’ve seen a tendency of hiring senior

internal lawyers and compliance

professionals, if companies don’t already

have a compliance function in place.

Construction & Development Medium Monthly Salary Range

Lawyer/ Legal Counsel / Attorney RUR 125 000 – 200 000

Senior Lawyer / Senior Legal Counsel /

Senior AttorneyRUR 175 000 – 250 000

Head of Legal / General Counsel /

Legal Director/ Legal ManagerRUR 270 000 - 450 000

Head of Legal & Compliance RUR 320 000 – 550 000

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Automotive Medium Monthly Salary Range

Lawyer RUR 90 000 - 150 000

Senior Lawyer RUR 140 000 - 220 000

Production Lawyer RUR 110 000 - 170 000

Litigation Lawyer RUR 80 000 - 140 000

Head of Legal RUR 270 000 - 410 000

Retail Medium Monthly Salary Range

Lawyer RUR 105 000 - 170 000

Senior Lawyer RUR 175 000 - 300 000

RE Lawyer RUR 100 000 - 170 000

Labour Lawyer RUR 130 000 - 180 000

Head of Division RUR 220 000 - 270 000


9898

RussiaIn-house

Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Medium Monthly Salary Range

Lawyer RUR 110 000 – 180 000

Senior Lawyer / Legal Counsel / Attorney RUR 160 000 – 270 000

Sole Lawyer RUR 230 000 – 260 000

Group Head in legal department RUR 190 000 – 290 000


Legal DirectorRUR 320 000 – 650 000

Legal and Compliance Manager RUR 230 000 – 310 000

Legal and Compliance Director RUR 350000 – 420 000

Compliance Manager RUR 180 000 – 240 000

Compliance Director / Chief Compliance

OfficerRUR 300 000 – 450 000

FMCG Food & Non-food Medium Monthly Salary Range

Lawyer RUR 90 000 – 160 000

Senior Lawyer/Legal counsel/Attorney RUR 150 000 – 240 000


Legal DirectorRUR 300 000 – 450 000

Lawyer at a plant RUR 110 000 – 150 000

IP Lawyer RUR 110 000 – 170 000

Brand Protection Manager RUR 160 000 – 230 000

Sole Lawyer RUR 140 000 – 210 000

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Industrial (heavy equipment, chemicals,

ingredients, packaging, paper)Medium Monthly Salary Range

Junior Lawyer RUR 50 000 - 80 000

Lawyer RUR 120 000 - 150 000

Senior Lawyer / Legal Counsel / Attorney RUR 180 000 - 220 000

Sole Lawyer RUR 180 000 - 350 000


Legal DirectorRUR 470 000 - 650 000

Legal and Compliance Manager RUR 280 000 - 375 000

Legal and Compliance Director RUR 400 000 - 640 000

Compliance Manager / Chief Compliance

OfficerRUR 160 000 - 390 000

100100

RussiaIn-house

IT, Telecom & Automatisation Medium monthly salary range

Sole Lawyer RUR 150 000 – 500 000

Lawyer/ Legal Counsel/ Regional Counsel/

Corporate CounselRUR 110 000 – 270 000

Contract Lawyer RUR 120 000 - 250 000

Project Lawyer RUR 140 000 -300 000

IP Lawyer RUR 110 000 – 350 000


Senior AttorneyRUR 170 000 – 350 000

Legal Manager RUR 210 000 – 380 000

Compliance Manager RUR 180 000 – 350 000


Legal DirectorRUR 350 000 - 500 000

Legal and Compliance Director/

Head of Legal and ComplianceRUR 380 000 - 550 000

Compliance Director / Chief Compliance

OfficerRUR 350 000 – 450 000

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Financial Institutions / Wealth Management Medium monthly salary range

Junior Lawyer RUR 50 000 - 100 000

Litigation Lawyer RUR 55 000 - 150 000

Lawyer RUR 80 000 - 175 000

Corporate Lawyer RUR 80 000 - 180 000


AttorneyRUR 100 000 - 230 000

Lead Lawyer / Chief Legal Counsel /

Senior AttorneyRUR 120 000 - 250 000

Legal Advisor RUR 115 000 - 180 000

Legal Counsel M&A / Project lawyer RUR 120 000 - 300 000


Deputy Legal Director RUR 200 000 - 465 000

Legal Director RUR 300 000 - 650 000

102102

RussiaPrivate Practice

2015 has not been a straightforward

or particularly easy year for most

international law firms in the area of legal

recruitment in Russia and the market has

had to undergo numerous adjustments in

2015 for a number of reasons.

Firstly, inbound cross border

transactional deals have significantly

(if not totally) disappeared from the

legal market (particularly public M&A,

capital markets, cross border finance

deals), which has led to diminishing

the role of Common Law that has been

so dominating in the last decade or so

in Russia. Ultimately, that resulted in a

number of international law firms closing

their doors in Russia in 2014/2015, a trend

we expect will continue into 2016. Many

of the law firms in Moscow have had to

significantly reduce the number of the

fee earners.

Secondly, even if there was a clear

requirement to bring on board an

associate within certain areas of practice

– this did not necessarily reflect the

view/position taken by the head office

(whether the aforementioned is a US

or UK firm), who hardly approved any

recruitment in Russia in the course of

2015, with very few exceptions.

Traditionally at times of political or

economic upheaval there are less

partner level promotions, which we have

continually observed through the last two

quarters in 2014- 2015.

At the same time, the risks that

goverment sanctions impose on both

joining partners’ business cases and

the relationships between hiring firms

and clients means that there have been

just a few partner moves and we do not

anticipate significant changes in the next

year or so.

The obvious trend within the Russian

legal market in the last few years is the

move by either an individual or a small

team of individuals to set up a legal

boutique, where highly qualified, trained

and experienced lawyers with experience

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gained at leading international law firms

provide fast and efficient legal services to

clients but for very competitive prices in

a variety of practice areas (LDR, IT/TMT,

Competition, Corporate etc.).

There have been significant changes

in the recent development of certain

practice areas, with a near total

disappearance of capital markets, and a

limited number of cross border M&A and

finance deals in Russia.

Particularly active areas in 2015 have been LDR, Employment, Competition and a continued prevalence of sanction-related matters especially in the busy local corporate and banking sectors.

While the recruitment market amongst

international law firms in Moscow has

consistently remained inactive, the areas

that attracted the most recruitment

have been local litigation as well as

international arbitration across all levels

of post qualification-experience, including

partners with businesses.

Some firms faced particular difficulties

in finding skilled expatriate lawyers,

following the redundancies/relocations

that took place in the expat community in

Russia in 2014/2105.

The current situation within the legal

recruitment market is a reflection of the

wider political and economic events

Russia has experienced in the last 2 years.

It is apparent that 2016 does not promise

any immediate changes and the market

will have to keep up with the current

political and economic milieu for the

foreseeable future.

Quite a number of law firms have

reported changes in salaries of up to a

20% decrease across the board, whilst

others remained unchanged. There have

been a number of firms in Moscow whose

performance exceeded expectations

in the current market (particularly

where the firms’ clients’ activities were

untouched by sanctions) and in reflection

these firms showed a regular increase

in salaries across the board. Given the

variation in salary trends it can be difficult

to generalise on the current climate.

104104

RussiaPrivate Practice

Payment of a bonus amongst

international law firms is still a relatively

normal practice, although they mainly

reflect individual performance and

targets reached by a lawyer throughout

the year. Outstanding performers

could have boasted bonus payment of

anything up to 20% of their gross annual

remuneration.

In 2016 we anticipate a further shrinking

of the market for international law firms

in Moscow. In-house legal functions will

continue strengthening their internal

legal departments with the hiring of

experienced private practice lawyers

while the law firms will continue the

rather fierce fight for Russian clients.

Active hiring is very unlikely across

the board, though will probably be

happening within certain practice areas

- predominantly the busy area of LDR

and more likely than not as replacement-

based hiring (we’ve noted instances of

new members of staff being brought

in individually to cover the work of two

professionals who have left; these are

often more junior personnel).

The salary trend in 2016 will most likely

reflect that of 2015 - some players will

keep their 2015 level salaries while the

majority, however, will probably only be

able to facilitate some minor (nominal

5-7%) increase.

Private Practice – New York firms


0 - 1 $85,000 - 150,000

2 - 3 $130,000 - 175,000

4 - 5 $160,000 - 240,000

6 - 7 $220,000 - 300,000

8 + $280,000

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Private Practice – US Mid-Atlantic

Private Practice – UK Magic Circle firms

Private Practice – Other City Firms & Large US Firms


0 - 1 $40,000 - 90,000

2 - 3 $65,000 - 135,000

4 - 5 $110,000 - 165,000

6 - 7 $140,000 -210,000

8 + $200,000


0 - 1 $45,000 - 70,000

2 - 3 $55,000 - 125,000

4- 5 $100,000 -165,000

6 - 7 $150,000 - 220,000

8 + $200,000


0 - 1 $25,000 - 40,000

2 - 3 $40,000 - 70,000

4 - 5 $65,000 - 110,000

6 - 7 $100,000 - 150,000

8 + $150,000

106106

Kilimanjaro rises 5,895 metres above sea level

and is a dormant volcano with three separate

cones: ‘Kibo’, ‘Mawenzi’, and ‘Shira’. In 1519 the

Spanish traveller Martín Fernández de Enciso

described seeing the mountain on his trip to

Mombasa and said here “stands the Ethiopian

Mount Olympus, which is exceedingly high,

and beyond it are the Mountains of the Moon,

in which are the sources of the Nile.”

Kilimanjaro

Middle East,Turkey & Africa

[email protected]

+971 (0)4 374 8334

Office F04, Block 12, Knowledge Village, Dubai, PO Box 500732

mailto:Dubai%40laurencesimons.com?subject=

Middle EastIn-house

Looking back on 2015 it is safe to say

that is has been a game of two halves

for the in-house sector. The front end of

the year was fast-paced and busy, a

follow-on from 2014 and predicted

correctly by us in last year’s survey.

However we have noticed a distinct

slowdown in new hiring in the latter half

of the year, much of it dictated by market

forces both far away and close to home.

This leaves us wary of predicting another

year of significant growth across the

Middle East in-house sector. Nevertheless

there are still pockets of activity, and

needs within certain disciplines, that

leave us optimistic for a steady 2016.

The first half of 2015 was characterised by

a greater maturation of the legal market

in the Middle East, and a move away

from top-heavy ‘armies of one’ within

multinational legal departments. We had

witnessed the start of team build outs in

2014 in sectors like Pharmaceutical and

Technology, and this trend continued in

2015 cross-industry. One of the reasons

for this need for additional headcount

was workload. Put simply, standalone

counsel are under great pressure to

deliver across many facets of a business

and as companies grow, this workload

becomes unsustainable without the need

for expensive external legal spend.

Hiring of mid-level (3-7 year PQE) lawyers can act as a win-win, as it reduces pressure, and also is less costly than farming work out to firms.

There is a growing trend in more

developed markets like the UK and US

of companies attempting to bring more

specialism in-house within legal. The

market in the Middle East is still around

5 years behind the times on this but it is

encouraging to see the early genesis of

this.

This hiring trend is not without its

challenges however, and the region fell

foul of its quiet post-recession hiring

period (2009-2013) when going to

market for these mid-level lawyers.

By virtue of the market focusing on

standalone counsel hires in the 8-15 year

PQE range over the past few years, there

has been little need for more mid-level

lawyers, and as a consequence there is

not a proliferation of them available.

108108

The best and brightest remain in Private

Practice in well remunerated roles and

as a consequence are less likely to

move. This meant that in 2015, in order

to source the PQE level and skillset

required by our clients, we did see more

international hiring taking place. The

other trend of hiring bilingual Counsel in

the top role in the past also meant that

language requirements often came in

second to skillset and qualification.

This is not, however, to be misinterpreted.

Bilingual lawyers are still highly sought

after in the Middle East and more often

than not, when clients are instructing

us to help them find Counsel for newly

created positions, the preference remains

for us to source individuals with the

English/Arabic language capability.

Laurence Simons have written thought

leadership articles on this trend, and it is

something we support, with caveats. One

thing is for sure though; it doesn’t look

set to change in 2016.

Last year saw more tumult in the

international markets, with issues in

China, Europe, and Latin America. Most

pointedly however was the continued

decline in the oil price, and how this has

directly affected the GDP of many of

the powerhouse producers in the Middle

East.

This has led to a significant contraction

in the energy sector, but has also had

a knock on effect in other parts of the

market. Real Estate has seen a drop in

the last two quarters, a lack of more oil

dollars has meant less newly announced

infrastructure and construction projects,

and over and above this investor

sentiment is less positive than it was at

the start of the year. This has meant a

slowdown in the past 6 months, and one

that we feel will continue moving into

2016.

Importantly this doesn’t mean hiring will

cease. Rather, we expect our clients to

be more strategic, looking at new hires

that offer value in both skillset and cost.

There will also be a number of newly

created roles that orbit in and around the

legal discipline. Expect to see yet more

newly created Compliance Counsel roles,

specifically focused around Corruption

and Competition Law.

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Middle EastIn-house

Government relations and public policy,

once the mainstay of lobbyists and

communications professionals, is now

a discipline being populated more and

more by commercial, outward-looking

legal professionals. This is a discipline in

its infancy in the Middle East, but one

that is set to grow quickly in the next 12-

18 months.

From a sector perspective, we expect an uptick in Tech, as some of the more disruptive, service-based startups coming out of Silicon Valley continue to increase their presence in the emerging markets.

Lawyers with experience in IP and

Franchising, as well as those with

experience in newly-setup businesses

should be in high demand.

One certainty for 2016 is the continued

struggle of hiring strong in-house talent

in KSA. We touched on this in last year’s

survey and very little has changed in

terms of dynamics. The talent pool is

shallow, the need for bilingual counsel

is far more pronounced, and the best

and the brightest in the Kingdom do not

come cheap – all things that don’t chime

with the fact that companies (particularly

multinational companies) have become

more austere with their budgets in the

past 12 months. KSA is no less affected

by the oil slump so we expect things

to be a little quieter there next year,

although it is still the one place in the

Middle East that offers the most potential

for growth. Again, companies in Tech,

Healthcare, and FMCG will all look at

growth opportunities there in 2016.

Qatar has always followed a similar

growth model as the UAE, albeit with

a time-lag of 5-6 years. Qatar has

experienced what the UAE went through

in 2009, as things have slowed, and some

of the excess hiring of previous years

needs to be trimmed.

The World Cup build-out still means

Qatar will remain buoyant, although we

do expect that next year hiring will be

more localized and at a lower PQE level.

This will only be achievable of course if

the Qatari government relaxes laws on

an individuals’ ability to transfer from one

company to another in-country.

110110

As one would expect in a market that

remains slightly static and cautious of

what may happen in the next 6 months,

salaries have remained the same, and in

some cases have gone backwards a little.

Clients are trying to eke out as much

value as possible from their hires, so we

have seen budgets for roles this year

decrease again.

There are pockets of excitement, but one

cannot realistically expect to see a rise

in salary levels when the market remains

uncertain. That being said, employers

are rewarding loyalty, with a number of

our respondents having received pay

increases in the last year. Could this trend

lead to the market being less transient

than it has been in the past? Time will tell.

Middle East in-house (This is particularly focused on the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar)

PQE Median Salary Range *(Per Month)

0 - 1 AED 15,000 - 25,000

2 - 3 AED 20,000 - 35,000

4 - 5 AED 30,000 - 50,000

6 - 7 AED 40,000 - 65,000

8 - 9 AED 50,000 - 70,000

10 - 11 AED 60,000 - 100,000

12 - 13 AED 60,000 - 110,000

14 + AED 75,000 - 140,000 +

Compliance Officer/Country

Compliance OfficerAED 35,000 - 55,000

MEA Compliance Lead AED 55,000 - 90,000

*Monthly salary includes basic salary, transport and housing allowance. This does not include bonus stocks,

education allowance, flights, medical and other allowances some firms provide depending on the level of the role.

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Middle EastPrivate Practice

Contrary to expectation, 2015 has seen

something of a slowdown in the market

and hiring levels throughout the year

have not been as high as anticipated.

The market optimism and activity of 2014

seems to have given way to an air of

caution, as we have seen clients come to

market with fewer growth roles.

It is hard to define precisely what has

driven the change in mood, although

some have mooted that political tensions

and conflicts in the region that show no

sign of being resolved soon necessitate

caution. On the other hand, there is

speculation that the slowdown in hiring

is simply a reflection of the fact that

firms are allowing time for the ‘dust to

settle’ on the extensive hiring of 2014 and

seeing how teams gel and stabilise. The

latter perspective would certainly make

sense when viewed in light of the fact

that most clients are reporting strong

deal flow and busy practices.

This year has seen a number of law firms close their offices in Abu Dhabi, in favour of consolidating their operations in Dubai.

Although this has more to do with factors

specific to the Abu Dhabi market and is

in no way indicative of dwindling fortunes

in the region for the firms in question,

it does demonstrate effectively how

changeable the Middle East market can

be and how important it is for businesses

to be responsive and adaptable.

Outside the UAE, the last twelve months

in Qatar have marked the beginning of

the combined developmental effects

arising from their hosting of the FIFA

World Cup 2022 and the establishment

of the Qatar National Vision for 2030.

As a result, law firms are seeing strong

workflow and expect this to continue in

2016. Salaries appear to have increased to

keep pace with rising living costs and to

allow firms to compete with their peers in

the fight to attract and retain talent.

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Another interesting development this

year was the lifting of sanctions on

Iran and the subsequent push by some

firms to hire Farsi-speaking lawyers,

particularly those with contacts and/or

experience in Iran.

We expect that this is something that

forward-thinking clients will continue to

invest in in 2016.

2015 has been marked by a slowdown in

recruitment and a tightening on salary

levels among our law firm clients, but

with a prevailing market optimism (albeit

a cautious one) and strong deal flow

across the region there is every reason

to suggest that 2016 will once again see

hiring levels pick up, particularly with

growth roles.

United Arab Emirates and Gulf Cooperation Council

Where we have seen hiring activity in

the region it has been across a variety

of practice areas and levels. Contrary to

2014, where certain candidate profile ‘hot

spots’ were identifiable, this year has seen

demand at both a junior, mid and senior

level, with less partner level moves in the

past 12 months.

We have seen requirements in

disputes, construction (predominantly

contentious), projects, corporate and

finance (largely with an infrastructure and

project focus), as well as real estate.

We have also seen a number of firms

taking senior associates from rival

firms and giving them a step up into

partnership positions where partnership

was unavailable at their previous firm.

Salary levels have plateaued in the

past twelve months and, in some

circumstances, they have even dipped

slightly. With the consolidation of teams

and consequent slowdown in hiring, firms

seem to have taken the opportunity to

recalibrate their compensation levels.

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Middle EastPrivate Practice

The talent pool in the Middle East has

reached a level of technical sophistication

whereby firms no longer feel obligated

to offer extravagant compensation

packages to attract talent from overseas.

Mid-market firms may find that in

order to attract talent from within the

market they are pushed to offer some

enticement in the salary, while US and

Magic Circle firms are able to attract top

talent from competitors on the promise

of excellent work while forcing a shift in

salaries downwards. We have also seen

firms changing their benefits packages.

The days of ‘expat packages’ are firmly behind us as more and more firms no longer offer annual return flights home.

Relocation packages are still offered,

and are a necessary part of assisting

candidates to make a move to the

region, but once here, candidates are

remunerated in much the same way as

they would be in London, New York or

elsewhere with a monthly salary and

annual bonus.

(We are focusing on the UAE at this point

as the data we have is more in-depth.

However, it is submitted that

similar trends will be seen in other GCC

countries such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia,

Bahrain and Kuwait.)

Benefits in the UAE

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Middle East Private Practice

PQE Median Salary Range * (Per Month)

NQ AED 25,000 - 35,000

2 - 3 AED 30,000 - 40,000

4 - 5 AED 35,000 - 60,000

6 - 7 AED 45,000 - 75,000

8 - 9 AED 52,000 – 85,000

10 +/ Salaried Partner / AED 65,000 – 120,000

Senior Partner AED 75,000 – 160,000+

* The wide salary banding reflects the different gross base salaries of a variety of firm types. Generally

speaking, smaller and regional firms tend to pay at the lower end of the scale and large international and

US firms at the higher end. Please note that other benefits such as housing allowance, transportation and

schooling can sometimes be in addition to these figures. However, it is submitted that for the most part

this is normally seen at partner level. Figures for bonuses, profit sharing etc. have not been included in the

table above.

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Middle EastCompliance & Investigations

2015 has seen a steady flow of

compliance roles in the region as

businesses continue to bolster out their

teams. As in 2014 the financial services

sector has seen the most activity but

there has been movement in all other

sectors particularly in life sciences at a

regional level.

Candidates with language skills, and

understandably Arabic, are still the most

sought after though they come at a

premium. That said we are also finding

that businesses are much more flexible

regarding candidates’ backgrounds and

are employing candidates with exposure

to audit / forensics finance, operations

and investigations, as well as legal.

This latter aspect is of course a reflection

of the fact that the candidate pool is

relatively small in the region. However, it

also demonstrates that businesses are

now looking to build more developed

functions with a suite of skills across their

teams to cater for the wide demands and

responsibilities of the roles.

In terms of packages there has been a

slight rise at the senior level but nothing

dramatic.

At the mid-level it has remained steady

but competitive, though at times

candidates have received significant rises,

primarily as a result of the fact that high

calibre candidates looking to step up to

the next level are in high demand.

The investigations arena has continued to

gain prominence and is understandably

a key focal point for many businesses.

Interestingly, Dubai as a location has been

a key strategic hub for roles that not only

look after the Middle East, but at times

for positions with a wider jurisdictional

remit that may encompass an APAC or

a global focus. Partly this trend is part of

the world becoming a more accessible

space but is also down to the fact that

candidates have very transferable skill

sets and are in demand.

Compliance

Investigations

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Similar to the more general compliance

focused roles, in the investigations

space we have seen more mid-level

roles as businesses look to bolster their

teams to cover what are essentially the

jurisdictional hotspots / risk areas for the

business. With this in mind investigators

who are more proactive and commercial

remain understandably most sought

after. This reflects a current business

mantra, particularly in multinationals, that

investigators should, and do, play a more

proactive role in terms of education and

training as opposed to just investigating

cases when issues arise.

Packages for roles at the senior level with

a global or superregional remit can see

very high salaries, especially if the person

is dealing with DOJ matters. That said on

the whole, candidates focusing primarily

on investigations tend to have salaries at

the lower end of the scale in comparison

with roles with a wider compliance remit

and this is the case both at senior and

mid-level.

Salaries (*Investigations equivalent roles tend to be at the lower to middle of the range below)

Role Median Base Salary Range (Per Month)

Compliance Officer AED 30,000 – 40,000

Compliance Manager / Country

Compliance LeadAED 40,000 – 55,000

ME Compliance Lead AED 45,000 – 80,000

Multi-Regional Compliance Lead AED 60,000 – 110,000

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Africa Overview

Africa is still viewed as the continent of

great promise and potential. It’s a huge

mass of land with physical and political

fault lines running from the North to the

South, which makes doing business there

tough. There is no doubt that this, for

many companies, is the last frontier. It’s

a continent rich in natural resources but

not necessarily always rich in talent.

There are many areas rife with

compliance issues, particularly around

corruption and bribery.

There is no one-size-fits-all option here, which has been the mistake many businesses have made in the past.

So the question is, how do you find your

place in the vast market that is Africa?

One is repatriating talent. There has been

a habit in the past, especially in Sub

Saharan Africa and North Africa, of the

very best graduates making a move out

of Africa to practise law in London, New

York, and Paris. Then, they stay.

This has changed in recent years, with

many individuals wanting to come back

to their home countries to add significant

value because of their experience in

the more mature markets. Laurence

Simons have partnered with a number

of candidates and clients on hires like

this, especially at the senior level. It is not

just skillset these individuals offer. They

understand their geography, and have

the greater potential to upskill the more

junior legal workforce currently on the

ground. We expect to see more hires of

this kind in 2016.

Another is simple, physical commitment.

Nothing shows more confidence in the

African market than the proliferation

of Magic Circle and White Shoe firms

currently setting up in South and Sub

Saharan Africa. The setup previously has

been a series of ‘best friend’ relationships

with local law firms and this model has

now been disrupted significantly. What

some of these firms will bring to the

market is exceptional talent, as well as an

ability to attract more talent from outside

the continent.

118118

It’s important to note though that there

are some exceptional people already on

the ground in Africa, so another solution

is to invest in the existing talent pool.

Certainly in some areas there is a greater

need to upskill than others. South Africa

boasts a huge legal population, some of

whom are best-in-class globally. There

are others, however, who have had

exposure that is viewed as too insular by

international companies looking to hire.

Their development should be around

international standards, especially in a

world that is ever more connected. Sub

Saharan Africa requires more work. There

are great lawyers there, but many remain

in Private Practice rather than in-house,

a trend that will likely change as more

enticing roles are made available. North

Africa is mature in many respects, and

boasts similar cultural touchstones to the

Middle East, which is why we often see

big-ticket North African roles driven out

of MNC hubs in Dubai.

Lastly in Africa, for hiring managers

based elsewhere in the world, it’s

about getting the right hire. Laurence

Simons have been fortunate in that

we committed to the African market

quite early, and as a consequence have

an enviable pool of resources at our

disposal to identify the right people.

Context is key when it comes to hiring

anywhere in the world, but this is even

more pronounced in Africa where talent

mapping can be even more problematic.

We are excited about Africa and look

forward to continued and sustained

partnerships with our clients there.

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Africa In-house & Private Practice

Sub-Saharan In-house

South Africa In-house

PQE Median Salary Range (Per Annum)

0 - 1 USD 15,000 - 20,000

2 - 3 USD 17,000 - 22,000

4 - 5 USD 22,000 – 30,000

6 - 7 USD 30,000 – 35,000

8 - 9 USD 35,000 -50,000

10 + USD 55,000 - 100,000

Head of Legal USD 100,000 – 180,000

General Counsel USD 150,000 – 250,000


0 - 1 USD 25,000 - 35,000

2 - 3 USD 35,000 - 40,000

4 - 5 USD 40,000 - 60,000

6 - 7 USD 60,000 - 80,000

8 - 9 USD 80,000 - 110,000

10 + USD 130,000 +


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Private Practice – Northern Africa

PQE Median Net Salary Ranges (Per Annum)

NQ USD 18,000 – 30,000

1 - 4 USD 24,000 – 55,000

5 - 7 USD 36,000 – 60,000

8 - 10 USD 60,000 – 120,000

10 + USD 75,000 – 140,000 +

*These bandings should be used as a broad indication of salaries in the North African region. A wide spread

of figures has been given as there can be wide variations in salaries, which are often dependent on the type of

firm (i.e. international or local), the practice area and the country the candidate practises in. Candidates with

US or European qualifications tend to be at the higher end. All figures quoted reflect annual gross salaries

excluding bonus and other benefits.

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Africa In-house & Private Practice

Sub-Saharan In-house

South Africa In-house


0 - 1 USD 15,000 - 20,000

2 - 3 USD 17,000 - 22,000

4 - 5 USD 22,000 – 30,000

6 - 7 USD 30,000 – 35,000

8 - 9 USD 35,000 - 50,000

10 + USD 55,000 - 100,000


General Counsel USD 150,000 – 250,000


0 - 1 USD 25,000 - 35,000

2 - 3 USD 35,000 - 40,000

4 - 5 USD 40,000 - 60,000

6 - 7 USD 60,000 - 80,000

8 - 9 USD 80,000 - 110,000

10 + USD 130,000 +


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Private Practice – Northern Africa

Private Practice - South Africa & the Sub-Saharan Region

PQE Median Net Salary Ranges (Per Annum)

NQ USD 18,000 – 30,000

1 - 4 USD 24,000 – 55,000

5 - 7 USD 36,000 – 60,000

8 - 10 USD 60,000 – 120,000

10 + USD 75,000 – 140,000 +

PQE Median Gross Salary Range (Per Annum) *

NQ USD 21,000 – 45,000

1 - 5 USD 25,000 – 82,000

5 - 8 USD 39,000 – 100,000

8 - 10 USD 50,000 – 150,000

Salaried Partner USD 70,000 - 200,000 +

Senior / Equity Partner USD 150,000 – 350,000 +

*These bandings should be used as a broad indication of salaries in the North African region. A wide spread

of figures has been given as there can be wide variations in salaries, which are often dependent on the type of

firm (i.e. international or local), the practice area and the country the candidate practises in. Candidates with

US or European qualifications tend to be at the higher end. All figures quoted reflect annual gross salaries


*These bandings should be used as a broad indication of salaries in the South Africa and Sub-Saharan African

market. The mid-to-higher end of the banding tends to reflect the South African market. Please note, however, that

a wide spread of figures has been given as there can be wide variations in salaries, which are often dependent on

the type of firm (i.e. international or local), the practice area and the country the candidate practises in. Candidates

with US or European qualifications tend to be at the higher end. All figures quoted reflect annual gross salaries


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Turkey In-house

2015 was a year marred by political

instability in Turkey. A politically

empowered population, bucking against

the current establishment resulted in

many demonstrations, and investors and

businesses alike waited for the results

of the two elections held this year. This

meant that the hiring landscape, whilst

steady, was not quite as buoyant as

previous years.

That being said, Turkey is still an

attractive place for investment. It’s a

huge country, and in some places quite

underdeveloped. As such, the majority of

direct foreign investment was poured into

the energy and manufacturing sectors.

A knock-on effect of this has been the

uptick in real estate development, both

residential and commercial. Turkey offers

significant promise despite its political

landscape, and it is becoming more and

attractive to investors from the Middle

East, in particular sovereign wealth from

Qatar and KSA.

Traditionally the in-house landscape in

Turkey has been relatively insular. Many

in-house roles have been inward-facing

with Turkish nationals making up the

lions’ share of the workforce. Turkish

is the dominant language. As Turkey’s

promise and position on the global stage

has become more pronounced, some of

our clients now see the value of placing

regional positions (covering Middle East,

Turkey, and sometimes Africa) in Turkey.

The legal workforce is well educated

and highly skilled, and will at times offer

more value in relation to other parts of

the region. This trend has been prevalent

mainly in Pharmaceutical, Healthcare, and

FMCG.

We have seen more mid to senior level

hiring in Energy, Healthcare, Pharma

and TMT sectors in 2015. The population

is highly tech-savvy, and use social

media significantly. We anticipate that

businesses within the ‘New Tech’ space

will likely increase their presence in

Turkey next year, and as a consequence

the need for legal experience will be vital.

Within some sectors we have seen an

increase in sole counsel hires, in and

around the 7-10 year PQE. These tend to

be Country Counsel roles and are most

prevalent in Telco and Manufacturing

sectors. The workload exists within these

positions to feasibly require additional

headcount, but whether or not we will

see team build-outs in 2016 remains to be

seen. As ever, budgets are key.

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By virtue of Turkey’s relative insularity,

Turkish has remained the dominant

business language in the country. As

foreign investment increases, and

lawyers’ reporting lines often sit out of

country, the need for individuals with

exceptional English language skills is

always in demand. We see this demand

specifically when clients are looking at

lawyers with M&A experience.

One of the concerns around the language

piece in Turkey is that we see very little in

the way of foreign hires moving into the

country. What we have seen however is

that lawyers with exceptional language

skills often use their regional roles in

Turkey as a springboard to move with

their businesses internationally. The risk

here is one of talent drain in-country. This

is something that needs to be monitored

by businesses, and it’s important that

lawyers can develop themselves within

Turkey so that we don’t see an exodus

of talent. The aforementioned rise of

regional roles out of Turkey goes some

way to mitigating this risk.

All in all we have seen the in-house

market continue to develop and mature

over the past year. Many of the trends

in Turkey are ones we have also seen

in other emerging markets over the

past five years (such as the UAE and

South Africa), which we feel bodes

well for continued growth and hiring.

Turkey is further complemented by its

geographical position, sheer size, and

inside and outside investor appetite. We

feel confident that Turkey, and our clients

there, will go from strength to strength in

2016.

PQE In-house salary ranges ( net per month)

0 - 1 TL 3000 – 6000

2 - 3 TL 4000 – 10000

4 - 5 TL 5000 – 15000

6 - 7 TL 6000 - 20000

8 - 9 TL 8000 – 25000

10 - 15 TL 13000 – 35000 +

15 + TL 18000 – 45000 +

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Turkey Private Practice

More and more International PP firms

have set up offices in Turkey in the past

five years. As is often the way with these

entrances, people are lured away from

more local firms by promises of higher

salaries and more sophisticated work. As

a consequence these international firms

now contain some of the best lawyers

in the country; but with this comes a

challenge.

There is not always room to grow and

move upwards. Laurence Simons has

noticed a growing number of individuals

now leaving these firms and setting up on

their own. This makes the market more

fragmented than elsewhere in the world,

and the proliferation of smaller one or

two man firms is very similar to what we

have seen in South Africa in the past 10

years. This means that the work is often

split between international and domestic.

The bigger-play international firms tend

to work on the majority of in-bound legal

work – and also farm work out to their

international offices coming out of Turkey

– whilst the more local setups tend to

partner with the local conglomerates

and holding companies in Turkey.

In both cases we have seen a number of

hires at the mid-level for Associates and

Senior Associates.

Lawyers with international experience and qualifications and a client-following are in demand.

Individuals with skillsets in M&A, Private

Equity, and Banking & Finance are also

highly desirable due to the spate of

upcoming projects in Turkey.

We expect to see more mid-level hiring in

2016. Partner moves are more dependent

on the political landscape in Turkey. Firms

will be reluctant to make big-ticket hires

until there is some semblance of visibility

on the political state of the country

in 2016. One thing is for sure though:

Turkey’s stature will continue to grow and

grow, and where there is growth, there

are lawyers.

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Private Practice

PQE

Private Practice Salary Ranges (net per month).

Note this is a mix of local and international law

firms so the spread is wider.

NQ TL 2500 – 5000

2 - 3 TL 4000 – 15000

4 - 5 TL 6000 – 20000

6 - 7 TL 10000 – 28000

8 - 9 TL 12000 – 30000 +

10 +/Salary Partner TL 20000 – 45000 +

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This second highest mountain in India,

surrounded by deep valleys, has an elevation

of 7,816 metres. The mountain was the

highest peak climbed by man until 1950,

when Annapurna took its place. In the mid

to late 1960s the CIA, in conjunction with the

Indian Intelligence Bureau attempted to place

a nuclear-powered telemetry relay listening

device on the summit to monitor

missile launch test signals from China.

The expedition was a failure but

still captures the minds of

conspiracy theorists to this day

who prophesise on the

disappearance of the

equipment.

Nanda DeviMountain

[email protected]

India

mailto:India%40laurencesimons.com?subject=

India In-house

As political and economic changes sweep

the country, the Indian legal market is

poised for a dramatic transformation

which led to a busy 2015. The end of

2014 saw a spike in activity coupled with

economic growth climbing from 5% to

7.5%. Despite economic growth slowing

down towards the end of Q1 2015 legal

recruitment continued to excel.

Whilst sectors such as Banking &

Finance and Capital Markets remained

fairly quiet over the last 12 months, the

continued increase of foreign investment

and multinational corporations (MNCs)

into the Indian economy has led to a

significant increase in cross border

transactions. Industries that have seen

a particular increase in recruitment

activities include: FMCG, Technology

and Pharmaceuticals. Companies within

these industries have been restructuring

from the top which has seen the legal

function become more important

resulting in some MNCs either making

first time hires, replacing existing counsel

with more senior hires or growing their

existing legal teams.

The continued growth opportunities are

coupled with a steady increase in the

number of lawyers keen to change roles;

with 35% of lawyers looking to move into

a managerial role either within a different

industry or with expanded responsibility

into APAC. In addition to this, moving

internationally is now a more feasible

option for a number of lawyers with

76% willing to take that step.

In previous years it was common practice

for lawyers to change positions, on

average, every 18 months to either benefit

from salary increment or to progress their

career. This pattern is now changing with

lawyers understanding the benefits of

being part of an organisation for a long

period time and becoming an integral

part of the business. An increase in career

opportunities within a company and

the idea of being part of a company’s

‘growth story’ could be the reason why

41% of lawyers have been in their current

position for approximately 3-4 years.

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Traditionally sourcing a new role was done through people’s networks. However with MNCs new to the Indian market, many lawyers now find that they require an introduction to an organisation (in particular with regards to a company’s structure and cultural elements).

This could explain why 43% of lawyers

turn to a recruitment agency to secure

their new role.

Another factor contributing to lawyers

looking to make a move is around annual

salary increases. Although 85% of lawyers

were eligible for an increment in the last

12 months only 48% were satisfied with

the amount received.

This highlights the ongoing issue of the

disparity in salaries and increments which

in turn leads to lawyers (when making a

move) demanding over a 35% increase in

salary in order to try and close the gap.

However, on a positive note the number

of lawyers who received a bonus this year

increased from 63% to 74%, with 62%

being satisfied with the amount received.

This is reflective of the increase in activity

and growth by companies boosting

overall company performance in India.

During both 2013 and 2014 compliance

became more important and an area

of growth due to the tightening of

regulations. Towards the end of 2014

there was demand for a new type of

position; corporate and/or government

affairs.

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India In-house

As the government continues to make

changes at both Central and State level,

it is even more essential for MNCs to

have someone on the ground who can

establish good relations with these

agencies, understand the regulations

being put in place and most importantly

drive initiatives essential for businesses

to grow. We have already seen the

requirement for this role in a number of

industries including Technology, FMCG

and Alcohol and Beverages and 2016 will

see this demand continue to increase.

2016 promises to be a year where the

transformation of the legal market in

India will continue. As restructures

continue, foreign investment increases

and the government continue to

implement changes both within Central

and State government the demand for

professionals with these skill sets will

surpass beyond expectation.


0 to 1 N/A

2 to 3 N/A

4 to 5 INR 1.3m - 2.5m

6 to 7 INR 2.7m - 3.2m

8 to 9 INR 3.5m - 4.1m

10 to 11 INR 4.7m - 5.4m

12 to 13 INR 5.9m - 6.7m

14 to 15 INR 7.4m - 8.4m

16 to 20 INR 9.2m - 16.6m

21 + INR 11.6m - 22.6m +

Head of Legal INR 7.2m - 10.3m

General Counsel INR 10.3m - 24.2m

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131

Grays Peak, at 4542 metres (or 14,278 feet)

is included as one of the 53 ‘fourteeners’

in Colorado, which are peaks over 14,000

feet. It is home to a very impressive array

of wildlife including mountain goats, the

elusive cougar, elks and gray jays.

Grays Peak

[email protected]

North America

mailto:newyork%40laurencesimons.com?subject=

North AmericaIn-house

The in-house market has been incredibly

strong in the U.S. and, dare we say,

almost back to normal. We expect

growth to continue well through 2016

across all industry sectors, with 2015

seeing activity in technology, healthcare,

insurance, financial services, life sciences,

logistics, pharmaceuticals, retail, energy &

power, and others. Region-wise, it was an

interesting year as the Midwest has been

the most active hiring area over the last

few years; however, in 2015, the tri-state

area (New York (upstate and Manhattan),

New Jersey, and Connecticut) saw a

resurgence. Likewise, we are definitely

seeing a bump in base compensation,

bonus levels, equity offerings, and other

incentives across the U.S. Among our

salary survey respondents, over 70% had

a pay increase in the last 12 months – 85%

of which were very satisfied with such

increase.

On the bonus side, we also saw a lift and

a corresponding 71% satisfaction read.

Naturally, with employer hiring activity

comes candidate competition. By and

large, this was the second year post

the economic collapse of 2008 where

we saw our candidates having multiple

offers and suitors vying against each

other for the top talent. Candidates are

taking stock of this long-awaited, extra

attention, with 40% considering a job

change in the next year so as not to miss

the surge. Simply put, all of this energy

begets more energy, and we are looking

at a stable year ahead for 2016.

As for the hiring process, it remains at a

careful pace. While candidates strive for

abbreviated and faster hiring, patience

remains the name of the game. The

majority of in-house clients are turning

offers within 3-4 months. A small

minority are taking upwards of 6 months

to move to offer. Approximately 25% of

our respondents found a job in 1 month.

While wonderful to see, this latter-

referenced, fast-moving hunt is a bit of

an anomaly. We don’t expect things

to realistically move in that direction as

corporations remain exceedingly tied to

their budgets, and they can’t afford to

make a hiring mistake – either financially

or relative to investment of time.

Global Legal &

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urvey 2016

133

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Hence, any offer generated has been

very carefully considered and the result

of a thorough interview process taking at

least 60-90 days.

As for volume, most of our clients

remain committed to lean in-house

legal departments, with compliance

typically operating separate from legal.

We don’t expect this to change. On the

other hand, practice expertise, M&A,

venture capital, commercial/corporate

governance, intellectual property, life

sciences, technology, privacy, insurance,

restructuring and healthcare were busy

this year. We did not see a strong level

of activity for litigators, unfortunately,

but such practitioners certainly remain

an important part of the talent pool for

those groups that are looking for senior

level litigators to oversee a domestic

caseload. In addition to the foregoing,

compliance remains exceedingly hot.

We continue to see our U.S. clients

leaning toward J.D.-holding compliance

practitioners rather than non-J.D.-holding

compliance professionals (with the latter

being a common hiring sector in the EU).

In short, we expect a robust 2016 across

the U.S. with salaries rising accordingly.

General base compensation ranges are

below (Note: base compensation ranges

will vary based upon geographic region

and industry).

Post-Bar Admission

ExperienceMedian Base Salary Range

0 - 1 $105,000 - 127,000

2 - 3 $115,000 - 145,000

4 - 5 $140,000 - 160,000

6 - 7 $150,000 - 180,000

8 - 9 $175,000 - 225,000

10 - 11 $200,000 - 325,000

15 + $200,000 - 450,000

134134

North AmericaPrivate Practice

Private Practice (Law Firms)

The year 2015 saw some changes in the

market that have been a long time in

coming. On the East Coast, litigation

and bankruptcy practices got their (long

awaited) second wind. In the Midwest,

transactional practices are still vying for

talent; litigation, however, is also starting

to revive.

The West Coast has a strong need for intellectual property and real estate associates at all levels.

Although the market remains relatively

saturated with job hunters, the market

shift is undeniable, resulting in a

greater diversity of opportunities in the

marketplace.

Throughout 2015, the raw data on

hiring numbers seemed strangely soft.

Miniscule or non-existent gains in the

legal sector became the story through

the end of summer, which wasn’t

reflecting the positive activity we saw

throughout the market. Eventually,

though, the statisticians did catch up to

what we’ve seen anecdotally. The legal

sector is pointed towards growth. With a

fairly robust lateral market, firms were

more likely to have open positions in the

US, generally quicker to fill, and across

more of their firm’s practice areas. While

we would still call this a ‘buyer’s market,’

the landscape is shifting.

Sometimes it is hard to tell if the market

is growing, or if the large firms are

just getting so much larger, usually by

acquisition. Mergers that absorbed

international lawyers from Canada to

China made headlines in 2015, with

the largest of the U.S. firms becoming

larger and more internationally focused

than ever. While these changes in the

demographics of some of the law firms

at the very top are interesting, many

partners are evaluating platform.

Mega-mergers offer reach and resources,

but occasionally create client conflicts

and are seen to sometimes dilute a brand.

Thus, these mergers have produced

change not only in terms of the size and

scale of the players, but also within the

firm’s culture.

No

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Global Legal &

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135

Post-Bar Admission

ExperienceMedian Salary Range

0 - 1 $75,000 - 170,000

2 - 3 $85,000 - 180,000

4 - 5 $90,000 - 210,000

6 - 7 $115,000 - 230,000

8 - 9 $130,000 - 250,000

10 - 11 $135,000 +

12 - 13 $140,000 +

14 + $150,000 +

Salaried Partner $150,000 +

US – Law Firms

136136

Laurence Simons has been working

with clients to improve their

businesses and develop new talent

since 1988.

We specialise in legal and compliance

recruitment, covering permanent and interim

solutions. We have an excellent understanding

of both in-house and private practice markets,

focusing on mid to senior level recruitment.

This includes top level GC, Partner and Legal

Counsel recruitment.

We enjoy trusted relationships with a range of

clients including Magic Circle firms. Our strong

international presence, with a widespread

network of offices, means we have in-depth

knowledge of regional development and have

played a key role in assisting partner transfers

as well as local business development in

over 55 countries. We focus on Europe, the

Americas, Russia and the Middle East and

Africa.

While many of our consultants have legal

backgrounds, we complement this by recruiting

from other areas of business to provide a

more rounded service with comprehensive

market insight. Our team represent our values

in positively engaging clients and helping

businesses succeed by hiring outstanding staff.

About us

LS_SS_2015 USE READOVERS.indd 148-149 01/03/2016 23:39

We would like to extend our

appreciation to all those who

completed this survey and have

made this market report possible.

If you didn’t participate, please do so next year

to ensure that we can continue to develop the

depth and quality of this report and continue

to provide you with a fair and balanced

picture. This market report is only ever

intended to provide a very general overview

on the changing nature and complexity of

the employment market for lawyers and can

serve as a useful guide. However, if you require

a more tailored and confidential discussion

on how this will affect your business, legal

department or indeed your own career, please

do not hesitate to get in touch.

Acknowledgements

LS_SS_2015 USE READOVERS.indd 148-149 01/03/2016 23:39

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