A cause for celebration in the legal sector with Law Awards
International practice is growing, with data showing that cross-border work has increased by 22% year-on-year, particularly in renewable energy and financial services, and the £1.5 billion that the sector contributes annually to the Scottish economy is predicted to rise as the result of continued expansion in these and other key areas.
The result of this upturn is that, last year, the number of practicing solicitors rose by more than three percent and Bahanda says that this expansion is set to continue as firms seek to strengthen their positions.
'At the moment we are seeing a spike in activity throughout the profession, with many firms eager to hire talent across a range of niche areas in order to expedite their growth and capabilities.'
What Bahanda finds encouraging is the sector's forward-thinking approach to innovation and technology, with some firms proactively reshaping their business operations around new AI solutions.
'Figures from a recent LexisNexis survey show that around 82% of UK lawyers have either adopted generative AI or have plans to do so. Many are actively using AI for work and the numbers who have no plans to adopt it have plummeted from 61% to just 15%.'
Scaling up technology is an essential step for firms who want to attract the best candidates, she says, along with a transparent approach to what they can offer in terms of culture, training and career development.
''In order to attract the top young, ambitious talent, employers have to be able to demonstrate the quality and reach of their work along with an innovative approach to all the ways in which the legal profession is changing.'
This will be Bahanda's fifth year as a judge for The Herald Law Awards for Scotland and she says success here can help firms showcase their successes and help them to stand out in a highly-competitive employment market.
'The awards aren't just about multi-million pound practices with an international reach, they are also about those High Street firms whose business involves delivering an exceptional level of service at a face-to-face level and for whom innovation and technology may mean different things than it does to the big players.
'The Awards celebrate the excellence and integrity that defines the whole of the legal profession in Scotland and, as a trusted partner to legal firms and professionals, we believe in recognising outstanding achievement.
'The Scottish legal profession does a remarkable job of contributing to local economies and in assisting individuals and organisations from a number of industry sectors.'
Meena Bahanda, Head of Legal Recruitment: Scotland Division, Idex Consulting presents 2023 winners (Image: Gordon Terris)
This year IDEX is sponsoring the Law Firm of the Year (up to 150 practicing certificates) and the Law Firm of the Year (over 150 practicing certificates) categories and the winners will be those who best demonstrate quality work and a collegiate culture that ensures that all employees are heard and valued.
These are the same attributes that assist firms in the recruitment of outstanding employees, says Bahanda, who has been with IDEX Consulting for five years and who believes that the competition to snap up the best talent has never been greater.
'This market has always been candidate-led, which is why, at IDEX, we are driven by results and not by activity,' she says.
'We partner closely with clients in order to build strong relationships and to fully understand their business objectives, vision, culture and values so that we can communicate those clearly to candidates.
'We aim to be disruptive and to target a wide client pool, creating a list of the best possible options and not just relying on what appears to be available.'
This can involve global searches and also making placements not just across the UK but also in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia.
'The fact that 98% of placements are still in position after five years has helped us to achieve an incredibly high client satisfaction score.'
This year The Herald Law Awards for Scotland in association with 123 Medical Services will recognise outstanding individuals and organisations in 19 categories including a Junior Counsel of the Year award, and a Digital and Intellectual Property Team of the Year Award, which will recognise IT and IP legal teams based in Scotland that have shown excellence in managing complex intellectual property matters, advising on cutting-edge technology law, and adding significant value to clients in sectors such as software, data protection, digital services, and IP law.
The deadline for entries in all categories is Thursday, 4 September and the awards ceremony will take place on Friday, 7 November at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow.
A full list of categories and online application forms are available from https://newsquestscotlandevents.com/events/lawawards/
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