Case studies · Legal
Legal roles, filled
Three roles across two law firms — a specialist criminal defence practice and a conveyancing firm that came back for a second hire. 111 candidates worked, 26 presented, and the brief that closed in 29 days ended with two people hired rather than one.
Legal Secretary
A specialist criminal defence firm with offices in Manchester and London · Criminal defence
- Time to fill
- 29 days
- Package
- £28,000–£30,000
- Location
- Manchester city centre, office-based
Criminal defence support is a narrower field than general legal secretarial work. The day runs on court paperwork, police station call-outs and chasing case papers from the CPS, and it uses systems — CJSM, Common Platform, the Legal Aid Portal — that a candidate either knows or has to be taught. The firm was open to strong legal secretaries from other practice areas, which is what made the search workable.
That openness is why nine candidates reached the firm rather than three. Three were interviewed and two were offered and signed. The brief asked for one Legal Secretary; the firm found two people it wanted and took both.
Pipeline — candidates reaching each stage
- Sourced & screened 34
- Internal interview 15
- Presented to client 9
- Client interview 3
- Hired 2
34 candidates worked, nine reached the firm — and the firm hired two of them.
The brief was for one. The shortlist was strong enough that they hired two.
29 days from brief to filled, twice over.
Office Manager
A small, growing conveyancing firm in Greater Manchester · Conveyancing
- Time to fill
- 32 days
- Package
- £35,000 plus profit share
- Location
- Greater Manchester, office-based
The Managing Partner was stepping back from day-to-day operations and needed someone to take full ownership of the office: a team of six across two sites and home working, the firm's systems, and enough commercial judgement to help it scale. Legal experience was useful but not essential — the case management system could be taught.
A brief that trades sector knowledge for operational capability widens the field, and the search stayed deliberately small because it did not need to be large. Eight candidates were worked, three were presented, two were interviewed and the first choice signed.
Pipeline — candidates reaching each stage
- Sourced & screened 8
- Internal interview 6
- Presented to client 3
- Client interview 3
- Hired 1
Eight candidates worked in total — three of them reached the client.
Eight candidates worked, one hired. A small search is not a weak one when the brief is clear.
32 days from brief to filled.
Sales & Client Relationship Coordinator
The same Greater Manchester conveyancing firm, hiring again · Conveyancing
- Time to fill
- 56 days
- Package
- £25,000 plus uncapped commission
- Location
- Greater Manchester, office-based
The same firm returned for a very different hire: someone to convert inbound conveyancing enquiries into instructed clients. It is a sales role inside a law firm, which means the field is neither pure sales nor pure legal — it needs telephone confidence, genuine administrative accuracy, and the patience to follow an enquiry through to instruction.
That combination is common enough to find and uncommon enough to take work: 69 candidates were worked and 37 interviewed internally before 14 went to the client. The firm interviewed three and hired one.
Pipeline — candidates reaching each stage
- Sourced & screened 69
- Internal interview 37
- Presented to client 14
- Client interview 3
- Hired 1
69 candidates worked, 14 presented — the client interviewed three and hired one.
A repeat brief is the clearest verdict a client can give on the first one.
56 days from brief to filled.
How the fee works
Every role on this page was delivered on the same basis: a fixed fee, agreed before we start, with no percentage of salary attached. The straightforward search and the difficult one cost the client the same.
That is the point of the model. A percentage fee charges you more for hiring a better-paid person and rewards us for the easy search. A fixed fee puts the risk of a long search where it belongs — with us. And if we do not fill the role, you get every penny of your fee back.
Every figure here comes from our own placement records. Clients and placed candidates are not named. Full detail on the model is on our Guaranteed Hire page.
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