Reframing legal recruitment in Wales: Why law firms should think differently
Reframing legal recruitment in Wales: Why law firms should think differently
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Wales’ legal market is evolving fast — new entrants, expanding offices and rising client demand are creating opportunity across the country, from Cardiff’s city-centre practices to specialist teams serving rural communities. But beneath the momentum, a familiar and persistent challenge remains: how to find, attract and retain the right legal talent — in the right place, at the right time.
Recently, a roundtable hosted by Legal News Wales, in association with specialist recruiter TSR Legal Recruitment and hosted by cyber-security firm PureCyber Ltd, brought together senior leaders from law firms, in-house talent teams and recruitment specialists to talk frankly about what’s working — what isn’t — and what needs to change.
Here’s what emerged — and what it means for Welsh law firms striving to compete, grow and thrive.
The contributors
Around the table were:
- Arwyn Reed – Managing Partner, Agri Advisor
- Sarah Carter-Barford – Talent Acquisition Manager, HCB Solicitors
- Sian Fox-Loakes – Chief People & Culture Officer, Redkite Solicitors
- Tim Bates – Recruitment Director, Knights PLC
- Tim Edds – Head of Wales Office & Partner, Browne Jacobson
- Ryan Pryce – Associate Director, TSR Legal Recruitment
- Kate Shorney-Morris – Managing Director, Zest Recruitment
- Hannah Riberyo – Chief People Officer, PureCyber Ltd
Chaired by Legal News Wales Editor, Emma Waddingham.
The Mid-Level Gap: A Serious Pressure Point
One of the clearest warnings that emerged from the discussion was that the biggest talent squeeze in Wales is not at the entry level, or among senior hires — but squarely in the middle.
As one participant put it, while many firms are successfully recruiting trainees and graduates (and often retaining them into qualification-linked roles), and others continue to hire senior lateral partners, the “3–8 PQE” band is proving elusive — particularly lawyers with niche skills.
This “mid-level gap” is especially pronounced for smaller branches and rural hubs, where lower headcount and thinner local leadership make continuity harder to deliver. As one roundtable attendee observed: “the work is there, the lifestyle is compelling, but the available talent-pool is smaller and mid-career lawyers often gravitate to larger nearby cities.”
The implications are stark: without sufficient mid-career staff, smaller offices risk stagnation, over-relying on juniors or overstretching busy seniors, while larger firms may struggle to sustain niche practice areas across all their regional locations.
Beyond Salary: Culture, Purpose and Career Pathways Matter More Than Ever
It may be unsurprising that pay — especially at newly qualified level — remains influential. Several roundtable participants acknowledged that significant salary differentials, and counter-offer culture, continue to shape decisions.
However, there was a strong consensus that for many candidates, especially early- and mid-career lawyers, culture, values alignment, transparent progression opportunities, and work-life balance often matter more than cash alone. In the words of one attendee: in firms where “purpose, inclusion strategy and career pathways are tangible,” candidates will sometimes trade a higher salary for the right environment.
That is a deeply important shift. It signals that law firms in Wales cannot succeed by simply dangling higher fees. Instead, they need to show — consistently and credibly — what a career in their firm looks like beyond “billable hours and bonus.”
Rethinking Recruitment: The Agency Relationship as a Strategic Lever
Another insight from the roundtable was the growing importance of how law firms work with recruitment agencies. For firms expanding into Wales — or trying to build new offices or teams — external consultants and recruiters can be invaluable. But only when used properly.
According to participants, successful recruitment depends on mutual trust, upfront honesty and long-term thinking. Firms that treated agencies as brand ambassadors rather than mere suppliers were more likely to build strong teams; agencies that understood the local market — from caseloads to work types to six- to twelve-month growth plans — delivered better matches. One attendee captured this:
“If recruiters can help give confidence to candidates that they can be honest about what they want from the start, we can all grow faster and more sustainably.”
Conversely, the practice of “spray-and-pray” CV submissions — flooding recruiters or partners with résumés regardless of suitability — repeatedly surfaced as a serious problem. It undermines trust, damages employer brand, and often ends up with firms banning those agencies altogether.
Inclusion & Fairness Matter — But Need Action, Not Tokenism
The roundtable also highlighted how important it is to build equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) into recruitment — from the ground up. Participants argued strongly that EDI should not be an afterthought and that recruitment should be designed to support all access routes: apprenticeships, career-changers, returners, and more.
Practical measures were discussed: blind CV screening, balanced shortlists, structured interviews, and meaningful agreements between agencies and firms to guard against bias.
In short: EDI must be baked into job design, candidate outreach, shortlisting, interview process and onboarding — and continuously measured and iterated.
A Need for a United Talent Narrative: “Choose Wales”
Perhaps the most powerful call from the roundtable was for a louder, more coordinated narrative about the opportunity that Wales offers the legal profession. As discussed:
- Welsh firms across sectors — from infrastructure and energy to tech, media and financial services — are already doing top-tier work.
- Wales offers a quality of life, community, and sense of place that many lawyers increasingly value — but that’s rarely promoted credibly as part of a career narrative.
- Returners, relocators and legal professionals who have moved to Wales and flourished provide compelling case studies, but their stories are not being shared widely.
- Crucially, these messages need to go beyond Cardiff and Swansea: the “outside the M4 corridor” regions deserve career-pathway visibility too.
The roundtable agreed that firms, recruiters and representative bodies ought to collaborate on a Wales-wide “talent story”: sharing case studies, progression stories, real-life voices on LinkedIn or at sector events — to show new entrants and experienced lawyers alike that a fulfilling, sustainable and progressive legal career in Wales is tangible.
What Good Recruitment Looks Like — A Simple “Playbook”
The group distilled their discussions into a straightforward, actionable recruitment playbook for Welsh law firms.
- Partnership over procurement: Work with fewer agencies, build deeper relationships, treat them as part of your brand rather than a transactional tool.
- Process discipline: Use blind CVs, balanced shortlists, structured interviews; commit to prompt, respectful decisions.
- Talent pipelines, not vacancies: Forecast six- to twelve-month needs; build relationships with universities; support returner paths; develop leadership in smaller branches.
- Tell the real story: Share case studies, team-member journeys, career progression and lifestyle benefits — use real voices in social media and at events.
- Embed EDI into process from the start: From job design through onboarding — and monitor and iterate.
- Be radically transparent: On pay, flexibility, expectations, progression — no surprises, no ghosting, no over-selling.
As one contributor, Ryan Pryce of TSR Legal Recruitment, put it: “It was great to take some time to reflect … I found the discussions to be extremely open and honest, which was refreshing … it really highlighted the value of creating a space where people can speak frankly about their experiences within the sector.”
A Final Word: Wales Can and Should Compete — and Win
The overwhelming sense across the room was optimistic — but pragmatic. The final message was clear: Wales has what it takes to compete — and win — when it comes to legal talent. The quality of work, breadth of sectors, sense of community, and lifestyle opportunities combine to offer a compelling proposition for legal professionals willing to build their careers here. But talent-hungry firms and recruiters must evolve.
If the Welsh legal sector is to capitalise on its opportunity, now is the time for firms to stop acting like counterparties in a transactional recruiting market — and start thinking, investing and partnering for the long term; for sustainable talent pipelines, genuine inclusion, transparent career pathways and a united ‘Wales story’ that attracts, retains and nurtures the right people.
That’s how Welsh law firms will not just survive, but flourish.
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