Scotland’s legal year in review
Chambers UK Research Director Alex Marsh recently wrote an article in the Scotsman, discussing the latest research cycle of the legal market.
Upbeat legal market
Alex was struck by how upbeat the legal market was as his team conducted their research in the Chambers UK 2023 Guide. The prevailing feeling was that we were emerging from COVID-19, returning to work, getting on with transactions and spending money.
It will be interesting to see if this optimism will be subverted by ongoing events such as the chaos in Westminster, rising interest rates, rail strikes, the decline of high-street retail and the prospect of recession.
Effects of Brexit and the invasion of Ukraine
Looking at the international picture, the invasion of Ukraine caused disquiet among the legal community. Many large law firms had offices in Moscow which they, by and large, quickly divorced themselves of. Scottish agriculture continues to be impacted by Brexit, given the difficulty of obtaining European workers.
Return to the office post Covid
Since returning to the office, Scottish law firms – like most UK law firms – are permanently moving to hybrid working module. Older partners admit that they prefer in-office working, but accept that the reality is that most recruits will expect to skip their commute a couple of days a week.
The Scotsman is a leading Scottish newspaper.
You can read the article in full here.