eNL Online - Legal Recruitment

The summer is fast approaching and whilst for some of us thoughts are turning towards suntan lotions and which exotic holiday destination we are jetting off to for others its a crucial time in their career.  Over the next couple of months firms will be announcing which trainees will be appointed into Newly Qualified roles and the NQ market will once again pick up in a frenzy of busy activity.

 To not be appointed into a seat which you are keen to pursue your career in can often by dis-heartening and as an Newly Qualified your thoughts will turn to the job market.  The first step will be to look at the job boards and to see which recruiters are advertising which roles.  When you apply to a recruiter make sure you send a full CV and a covering letter.  Your CV should cover your most recent career history to date and should fully detail all seats undertaken in your training contract.  Tailor your CV for the role you are applying for and make sure you include relevant transactions and experiences.  Think about what will make you different from other Newly Qualified and include that information.  It is important to remember that future employers may be receiving as many as 40 CV’s for one role so you need to make sure your application stands out.  Most firms are more than happy to help their Newly Qualified solicitors if they are not being kept on so ask if it is possible to be given a reference prior to you leaving your existing firm.  This can be a really powerful tool to use at the initial stages of your application as it provides the future employer with an additional testimonial of your ability.

 Work closely with your recruitment consultant we are here to help you at every stage in the process and to help you get a role.  If you have already been put forward for a role please make sure you tell us, duplications of CV sends do not go down well with clients and can sometimes be viewed in a negative fashion. Let us know the best way we can contact you, if its tricky to talk in the office but texting you is easier then we will contact you by your preferred method of communication in order to arrange interviews and give you feedback.

 Preparing for the interview is absolutely crucial; we will help you as much as possible providing you with information on the firm, the people whom you will be meeting and the structure of the interview.  We will also need you to undertake your own preparation and research and to also prepare questions to ask at interview.  All sounds simple but getting the basics right is crucial.  On the day of the interview make sure you have a clean smart suit, well polished shoes and appropriate footwear the old adage “you only have one chance to make a good first impression” ism a cliché but very true.  Allow plenty of time to arrive at the interview and make sure you have copies of your CV and any references you may wish to leave with the client.  Make sure these are on good quality paper and in a folder.

 At the interview ask articulate well thought out questions and find out as much as you can about the firm.  This is your potential future employer and clients will be looking for a keen level of interest from you.  Have well thought out answers to questions which are highly likely to be asked such as why would you want to join this firm, why are you interested in this area of law.  If you feel the interview has gone well ask the interviewer if they propose to take you to the next stage, a slightly tricky moment but if the interviewer has any reservations this is often a great opportunity to negate them at the final hurdle.

 If all goes well a successful job offer will hopefully be made and you will have secured your position for the future.  If you are in the enviable position where you have more than one offer on the table please keep your recruiter in the loop.  We need to keep our clients informed, even if it is to tell them that you won’t be accepting their role.  Importantly you may be stopping another Newly Qualified from being appointed.

 Above all communication is key, talk to us we are here to help you every stage of your career and hopefully this will be the start of a long working relationship.

On the 17th April this year it was revealed that the College of Law has been sold to the private equity company Montagu.  The sale follows the strategic review announced by the College in September 2011, although at the time chief executive Nigel Savage denied a sale was imminent.   

The £200 million paid for the College will be used to fund bursaries, scholarships and grants for future students as well as being assigned to various charities.  Pledging to invest around £7 million per year, Montagu appear to have considered the future of the college and students in their investment plan.  

Chief executive Nigel Savage has said of the sale: “The market for legal services is embracing new business models and a change in our ownership structure will enable us to access investment and expertise to take full advantage of the huge opportunities in the domestic and global legal education market.”

News of the sale has been welcomed by universities and science minister David Willetts MP who said “This deal will ensure there is a well-funded charity and a successful international higher education business. The Legal Education Foundation will help to achieve fair access to the profession which is a key government goal.”

As reported by Legal Week:
http://www.legalweek.com/legal-week/news/2168268/college-law-agrees-gbp200m-sale-montagu-charity-arm-spin

There’s been a fair bit of bad news around since the start of the year for law firms. We were sorry to read about another firm closing – Manchester based Personal Injury specialists Donns went into administration on Friday 23rd March, making around 50 staff redundant and leaving clients with the choice of their files moving to Irwin Mitchell, or need to make alternative arrangements. This follows the news at the start of 2012 of another Manchester firm, Rowlands Field Cunningham, being rescued from administration through acquisition by Linder Myers and the recent report by RBS saying that at least 5% of fee earners may have to be culled in order for law firms to restore profits to pre-2008 levels.

Despite this doom and gloom from some parts of the sector, specialist consultants at eNL Legal Recruitment are reporting a continued increase in demand for a wide range of legal skills within private practice, across all areas of England and Wales. Recent instructions have come from new PI start-ups looking for paralegals and solicitors, national firms opening offices in new locations and law firms of all sizes looking to strengthen their Corporate, Real Estate and Wills & Probate offering. Hopefully, as 2012 moves on we will be reading more positive reports on the health of the Legal sector.

A recent survey of the legal service market conducted by Deloitte has reported that the top 100 law firms have reported an income rise of 7.2% in the third quarter of 2011/12, compared with the same period last year.

 Interestingly, the strongest growth was reported amongst those firms ranked 26-50, who reported fee income growth of approaching 10%. The most impressive increases were reported within contentious fields, with corporate revenues remaining sluggish.

This growth has unfortunately not been a universal trend, with wide variations between firms being reported. It was found that one-third of firms’ revenue growth was either above 18.5%, or had declined by 4.1% or more

Jeremy Black, partner in Deloitte’s professional services group, said: ‘The overall sector has performed well in what have been very challenging markets. On average it is anticipated that the top 100 firms will grow by 6-7% for the year ended 30 April 2012.

‘However, the overall averages hide a wide disparity between firms, with performance increasingly dependent on firms’ practice areas and geographic footprints.

‘Litigation continues to perform well, whilst corporate revenues remain lacklustre. Furthermore, those with a presence overseas, particularly in Asia, are able to bolster their performance in light of a more stagnant domestic market.’

As reported by Deloitte: http://www.deloitte.com/view/en_GB/uk/4a762911707f5310VgnVCM1000001a56f00aRCRD.htm

Wednesday 25 April 2012, St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, London NW1.   Reserve your place today legalweekconference@incisivemedia.com

Draft conference programme

Legal Week Private Equity Forum 2012
Venue: St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, London NW1

This programme is subject to change

08.30 Registration

09.00 Opening remarks from the conference chairperson
Peter Cornell, partner, Metric Capital Partners (former managing partner, Clifford Chance and former managing director, stakeholder relationships, Terra Firma)

09.10 Panel discussion: fundraising 2012
Despite the best of intentions many houses are finding fundraising to be an especially tricky venture at present. Investors continue to gain confidence in arguing on fees, governance and transparency issues and regulatory reform continues to impact on capital raising. Hear from our panel in this interactive session focusing on how best to push forward and raise funds during continually tough market conditions.
Joe Blum, general counsel, Global Infrastructure Partners
Gavin Farrell, partner, Mourant Ozannes
Jason Glover, partner, Simpson Thatcher & Bartlett
Penny Walker, general counsel, Campbell Lutyens

10.15 Plenary address: facing the ‘maturity wall’
With reports showing that £507bn of maturing debt will need to be refinanced by private equity houses over the next five years there are obvious challenges to overcome in ensuring the sustainability of previous investments. What pitfalls should private equity lawyers be aware of in facing this wall and which tools have best proven their worth in the past?

10.45 Morning coffee

11.15 ‘Break out’ workshops: corporate counsel considerations

A: Operating as a ‘bridge’
Operating as an in-house lawyer in today’s business climate necessitates a heightened level of commerciality and business acumen. Where external legal advice is sought, such direction can potentially take an overly technical, non-commercial form. Join this ‘break-out’ session to discuss how best to operate as a ‘bridge’ between external counsel and your business through the proper translation and alignment of advice to best suit the unique structure and functionality of your organisation.
Christine Chen, legal director, Cinven
Judith O’Shea, general counsel, Novusmodus
Ian Stoodley, deputy general counsel, Intel Capital

B: Head of compliance by default?
Now forced to operate in an increasingly regulation-heavy market, do you feel you have become more of a compliance function than cutting edge legal adviser? If so, join this discussion to share best practice tips with your fellow corporate counsel as to how best to operate under increasing time and workload pressures whilst not necessarily being able to recruit fresh manpower.
Dan Kjerulf, head of legal, Danske Private Equity
Annie Rainsford, general counsel and compliance officer, Cognetas

C: Making the jump: from lawyer to ‘principal’
Led by moderators on both sides of the ‘jump’, this session delves into how best to make the transition from legal advisor to deal maker. What skills from the former role have best complimented functioning in the latter? Is there even that much of a distinction between a legal counsel and ‘principal’ in today’s modern PE house?

12.35 Plenary interview: the debt dilemma
Banks are no longer providing debt at anywhere near the levels used to power the ‘mega buy-outs’ of the mid-noughties. So where are houses finding the right debt to finance leveraged deals and what should firms be aware of when sourcing new, and potentially more risky, ways of sustaining deal-flow?
John Sinik, managing partner, Metric Capital

13.00 Lunch

14.00 Regulation roundtables

A: Europe – AIFMD, Basel III
James Bermingham, director and group general counsel, Aztec Group
Ben Robins, partner, Mourant Ozannes
Sue Woodman, general counsel, Equistone Partners Europe

B: US – SEC: post registration teething problems, Dodd-Frank, FATCA
Edina Cavalli, director, Barclays Capital
John Heard, general counsel, Abingworth

C: Global anti-corruption – FCPA, Bribery Act
Rachel Denoon, compliance director – private equity and principle investments, Barclays Capital
Alison Hampton, general counsel and compliance officer, HgCapital
Chris Martin, EMEA counsel, Intel Capital

15.10 Plenary address: investing responsibly
Against the backdrop of increasing LP demands for more ethical investment, the growth of bodies such as ‘Principles for Responsible Investment’ (PRI) and regulatory focus, socially responsible investment is back on the agenda. So where do you fit in as a private equity lawyer in guiding your firm with regard to such investments and do market trends identify these as worthwhile and financially rewarding?
Claire Wilkinson, general counsel, Mvision

15.35 Afternoon coffee

16.00 Plenary address: Private Equity in Asia

Both the realised and potential growth for PE investments in Asia have been well publicised. Although not yet reaching the lofty heights of 2007, deal flow and exits are on the increase throughout China and India. Even IPOs appear to still be viable and popular in some circumstances. This session delivers an overview of the state of PE in Asia today as well as discussion around emerging opportunities such as Greentech in China and the Microfinance resurgence in India. Further, this session will focus on the legal specifics of operating under Asian regulatory regimes and how various domestic fund vehicles offered across Asia can best be deployed to seek a more tax-friendly situation.

16.30 Panel discussion: investment review 2012
Bringing together a collection of private equity leaders we hear what they think will be the winning investments for 2012. Will the secondaries market continue to remain stable? Are distressed investments going to increase? Will heavily leveraged buy-outs become a realistic prospect again anytime soon? In the context of continuing market uncertainty, our expert panel seeks to answer such questions.
Mark Florman, chief executive, BVCA
Jon Moulton, founder and managing director, Better Capital

17.30 Closing remarks

17.40 Conference close

HOW TO BOOK
To reserve your place at the Legal Week Private Equity Forum 2012, click here to book online. Alternatively call Steve Hands on +44 (0)20 7004 7460 or email legalweekconference@incisivemedia.com

eNL has recently recruited two new members of Staff. In December, Kate Smith joined as a Team Co-ordinator and Katie Ward as a Legal Resourcer in January. Both individuals, have joined to support eNL’s successful team of Permanent, Locum and In-house Recruitment Consultants.

To find out more about our new team members, check-out the Blog below:

Meet  Kate

Kate joined eNL in December 2011 as Team Co-ordinator – a position which she was thrilled to take on due her long-standing enthusiasm to work in the recruitment industry. She has a strong interest in people; their achievements and aspirations and enjoys being a part of the process of recruitment and selection. Prior to joining eNL, Kate worked in administration for a number of different companies including the West Midlands Police, the Heritage Lottery Fund and Wesleyan General. Kate wished to apply her administrative skills and experience gained over a 10 year period to a fast-paced and challenging environment. Her role is to support the Consultants with their administrative needs including formatting CV’s, processing vacancies and offering secretarial support.

Get to know the real Kate……

What do you enjoy most about working at eNL?

I mostly enjoy the fast-paced environment and new challenges faced having not previously worked in recruitment. It is also a great team!

What is your perfect Saturday?

Lets see….well being realistic it would start with a nice long lie-in, then out for a nice walk (weather permitting!) and maybe fitting in some lunch (Italian) and shopping,  finishing with a movie and bottle of champagne for the evening with my partner.

How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

Sensitive, outgoing and hungry (and not just for pasta!)

What do you feel is your best achievement?

Landing the job at eNL of course! Other than that – winning a trip to New York when I was 18!

Meet  Katie

Katie is undertaking her first professional role, having graduated in Psychology in 2010.  After leaving University she moved to the West Midlands to begin a new career.  Katie has joined eNL as Legal Resourcer for consultants working in the Locum, In-House and Paralegal markets.  Her responsibilities include writing adverts and candidate profiles, assisting in maintaining the database, updating with candidates/clients by telephone and supporting Consultants with ad-hoc project work.

Get to know the real Katie…….

What was your favourite aspect of studying Psychology?

I loved most of what we studied, my favourite subject was Clinical Psychology.  Learning about how the brain functions and what happens when it goes wrong fascinates me, although in many ways it was the most challenging as there was some complicated neurological biology involved. 

 Where did you grow up?

I was born in Guildford in Surrey and lived around that area until I was 11.  After this my family moved to the countryside of Essex, where I lived until I went to University, and my family still live.  I enjoy going back to visit them and seeing my friends there. 

What/Where was your best holiday?

The best holiday I’ve been on was to the Rocky Mountains in Canada, where I have been lucky enough to visit twice.  The time I spent time on a ranch in the mountains, riding through the forests and waking up to a view of the lake in the valley, the fresh, warm air and incredible views will stay with me forever.

How would your friends/partner describe you?

I’m not sure what they would say, I would like to think they would say I’m loyal and enjoy having fun.

Nominations officially opened at the new Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar & Grill last night. Now in its twelfth year the awards recognise and celebrate the city’s most talented young professionals in the business and financial sectors.

This year BYPY also launches a brand new award, Aspiring Talent which recognises exceptional individuals aged between 16 and 23 currently in full time Higher or Further Education.  The aim of the award is to motivate and inspire the winner to build their professional career inBirmingham and ultimately go on to become strong ambassadors for the city.

The Aspiring Talent award sits alongside BYPY’s current six categories: communications; entrepreneurial; financial services; legal; property and construction and HR, recruitment and training. These categories are open to anyone 35 and under who is working inBirminghamand demonstrates not only professional achievements but also a real commitment to the city.

Rebecca Mawdsley Operations Director at eNL Legal and chairman of the BYPY committee said:

“We’re looking forward to not only beginning the search for the 2012 winner but also discovering some exciting up and coming talent for our new award. Over the last eleven years BYPY has crowned some exceptional winners and we felt the time was right to open up the awards to a new peer group to recogniseBirmingham’s inspirational younger offering.”

“I feel incredibly passionate about finding and developing young talent and encouraging the retention of this talent within the city. The aim of this new award is to both recognise their achievements so far but also provide them with opportunities to go on to even greater success within the city.”

“All of our category finalists benefit from great opportunities and recognition and I would strongly recommend that anyone who feels they not only possess the business acumen but also a passion and connection to the city applies.”

The new 2012 winner will join an impressive group of outstanding professionals including James Villarreal Co-Founder of Glide Utilities, Suzie Branch Director of Branch Martin Spicer Marketing and Ruth Pipkin Managing Director of Rewired PR. Last year saw Hilary Allen, a chartered quantity surveyor and associate at Davis Langdon beat off stiff competition to be crowned overall winner of Birmingham Young Professional of the Year 2011.

The 2012 winners will be announced at a spectacular awards ceremony at the ICC on Thursday 17^th May.

E-nomination forms are now available from the BYPY website, www.birminghamyoungprofessional.co.uk and entries must be received no later than 23^rd February.

Gareth-Morgan-Birmingham-Future-Hilary-Allen-Winner-of-BYPY-2011-Rebecca-Mawdsley-BYPY-and-Vij-Randeniya-WMFS	Anna Martin (WM Chambers), Amit Sharma INCO Software Solutions and Reena Kenth (WM Chambers)
Tim and June Watts (Pertemps) and Paul Cliff (Gateley LLP)	Tim Rudman (Urban Communications), Gareth Morgan (Birmingham Future) and Kevin Johnson (RJF Public Affairs)
Ron Hully (St Mowden), Jackie Hendley (KPMG), Peter Rees-Steer (Birmingham Forward) and Parminder Matharu (Brown Jacobson)	Lucie Holden (Holdens Brewery), Michele Wilby, Gary Cardin and Tahreen Kutub (Colmore Business District)

As the countdown to the changes continues, employers must ensure they are ready to meet their obligations. The Pensions Act 2008, which is due to come into effect in 2012, will, for the first time place a legal duty on employers to enrol most employees into a pension scheme and contribute towards their retirement. The move is aimed at getting an estimated seven million extra workers saving for retirement. All UK companies will have to offer their staff a pension, with the roll-out beginning in 2012.

The new rules, which will lead to up to eight million people saving into a pension for the first time, will apply to every firm, regardless of how many workers it employs. But companies will be able to wait for three months before staff are enrolled into a pension scheme, to reduce costs for firms that employ large numbers of temporary workers.

The amount people have to be earning before they are automatically enrolled has also been increased from £5,035 under the previous government’s proposals to £7,475, in line with the level at which income tax is paid. Other measures to help companies manage the changes include simplifying the process for firms to show that their pension schemes meet the minimum standards required and further measures to reduce the red tape surrounding pension schemes.

The previous government set out plans for all workers to be automatically enrolled into a company pension scheme from October 2012, although they will retain the right to opt out. Individuals will have to contribute 4% of their pay to the schemes, with companies paying in 3% and the Government topping this up with 1%.

• The Pensions Act will take effect from 2012
• It will be gradually introduced depending on employers’ size
• At least 8% of an employee’s qualifying earnings must be paid into a pension, which is made up of 3% employer contributions, 4% employee contributions, and 1% tax relief
• There will be opt out of schemes for staff, in which case, employers will no longer be liable for paying employee contributions
• All employers must offer a qualifying workplace pension scheme and automatically enrol eligible employees. Those who do not must enrol staff into the system of personal accounts, which will be launched to provide access to a lost-cost  pensions vehicle
• Employers will be able to self certify that their existing workplace pension schemes meet the minimum requirements set out by the act

When the act comes into effect, the changes will be phased in over three stages depending on the size of an organisation based on PAYE payroll data. Selected larger employers will be required to comply first, followed by small- and medium-sized organisations and, lastly, by the smallest employers. The need to phase in the changes reflects the enormity of the task.

For more detailed information and guidance please visit thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/pensions-reform

London’s great garden party – the great and the good attend. Buckingham Palace garden party hosted by the Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh.

Jonathon Smith COO of Network Group Holdings plc and Rebecca Banks Managing Director of Executive Network Legal Ltd are invited to attend the Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in May 2012.

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, accompanied by other members of the Royal Family, enter the garden party at 4.00 pm, when the national anthem is played by one of two military bands playing selections of music during the afternoon.

It’s about pomp and ceremony and tradition. Cups of tea, crustless sandwiches and cake is served in the palace’s marquees to those who work hard for their local communities, or successful in their professions and  deserve recognition.

Established in 1863, the garden parties have been part of “the season” for many years.

After playing the national anthem, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, together with other members of the Royal Family, circulate amongst the guests. Each take a different route and random presentations are made so everyone has an equal opportunity of speaking to Her Majesty and members of her family. With tea, cakes and a beautiful garden to stroll in, the garden parties are among the most relaxed and informal Royal events.

At about 6.00pm, The Queen and other members of the Royal Family leave the garden, when the national anthem is played again to mark the end of the party.

The Yeoman of the Guard, Gentleman at Arms and Gentleman Ushers are on duty at the Palace.

The garden occupies 42 acres and has two and half miles of gravel paths. Notable features include a large 19th century lake which is graced by a flock of flamingos and the Waterloo Vase. In the garden there is a summerhouse, a helicopter pad and a tennis court.

The dress code for ladies is a formal day dress with a hat or a substantial fascinator. Off the shoulder, halter neck, spaghetti straps and dresses with straps less than one inch wide and mini skirts are considered unsuitable. Midriffs must be covered and trouser suits must be full length and of matching material and colour. For gentleman, either black or grey morning dress, including a waistcoat and top hat service dress is also acceptable.

Ms Banks commented ” I am delighted to receive the invitation and look forward to an enjoyable afternoon, full of English tradition.”

Its that time of year again, the dark mornings and nights have drawn in and the shopping centres have opened their doors for late night shopping.  Along with this is the arrival of the Christmas German Market and Craft Fair in Birmingham City Centre. With it this year it has brought the beautiful delights of mulled wine, handmade toys, grilled sausages, crepes, marzipan sweets and many more treats. Known as one of the largest outdoor Christmas Markets in the country they are based throughout Birmingham City Centre from 17th November to 23rd December form 10am until 9pm. The German Market has been around for 10 years and offers 180 stalls to browse through. Christmas markets were very popular in the UK until Oliver Cromwell banned the celebration of Christmas, Lincolnshire was the first to revive Christmas Markets 26 years ago.  The German Market is a very popular destination for the local workforce to enjoy an after work get together and for local residents to visit.  As well as providing a great opportunity to pick up a few Christmas gifts you can have a fantastic time celebrating the festive season with colleagues, friends and family.

References – www.christmasmarkets.com    www.birmingham.gov.uk/frankfurtmarket