Will Open International Borders Solve the Legal Talent Shortage?

In this article we discuss whether opening international borders to Australia is likely to solve the legal talent shortage. Growing demand from clients for lawyers and legal support staff and less applicants for available roles are creating a perfect storm in the Australian market. We consider the approach firms can take to help them fill their vacancies.

It was thought by many that once international borders to Australia were opened, there would be a tidal wave of expat Australians take the opportunity to return home. Our actual experience has been that whilst some Australian trained lawyers have taken the opportunity to return home to be closer to friends and family, there certainly hasn’t been an influx.

For non-Australian lawyers, visa processing and Australian requalification requirements can take a significant amount of time. At Legal People we generally advise foreign lawyers to touch base with us in relation to available roles once they have moved to Australia and requalified.

Open international borders have not made a great deal of difference to the Australian legal sector talent shortage. What’s more we are aware of head-hunters from London and the USA going after Australian legal talent and draining more talent offshore.

It is a challenging time to be a legal industry employer, and many are looking desperately for a light at the end of the tunnel. At Legal People, we can’t see the current situation changing in the short term and expect it to remain a candidate’s market at least until the end of 2022.

What can firms do to win talent?

We advise our legal industry clients to be quick with offers, not to wait for comparable candidates and to put time and effort into their employee value proposition. Many talented candidates’ field multiple offers and compare culture, values, HR policies and remuneration packages looking for the best fit.

In any difficult market opportunities are created and now is an excellent time to be thinking outside of the box! The nature of legal work has changed during the pandemic, and it is no longer completely office based. Legal Firms can think creatively in terms of the geographic location of candidates and can widen their available talent pool by offering flexibility. Many of our lawyer candidates are citing work life balance and flexibility as two of their major drivers when looking for a new role.

Some of our client firms are offering 9-day fortnights, others are offering working arrangements that involve 2-3 days working from home. Each working arrangement has the potential to be uniquely suitable to an individual.  

Firms should also consider being inclusive in their job descriptions to entice candidates of all walks and stages of life. Investments into employee attraction over the long term could be encouraged by nurturing alumni communities and graduate programs.

Of course, working with a specialist recruiter will always help companies maximise their legal talent search success. In the current market, this is because practically every role involves an element of head hunting and the number of applicants for advertised roles has significantly declined giving you less to choose from. Even after 45 years of legal recruitment our team still gets a thrill out of matching the perfect candidate with the perfect client based on values, experience, and cultural fit. Even now when it’s tougher than usual!

Should you need help recruiting talented legal professionals for your business, or a confidential career discussion get in touch at [email protected]. We are specialists in the Legal Industry. We recruit Lawyers, Support staff and HR professionals in Melbourne, Australia.