Guest post by Florence Brocklesby, the founder of Bellevue Law
Brocklesby: Visible and viable alternatives for lawyers
In recent months, there seem to have been as many news stories about the salary wars between City firms as there have been about burnout and mental health concerns across the legal profession.
The sector is increasingly recognising both the challenges law firms face in recruitment and retention and the fact that, for many, traditional ways of working are not sustainable.
Both the rewards of working at the largest firms, and the demands placed on their lawyers in return, have become increasingly clear. The package is still very attractive overall to many – at least at certain stages of their careers – but for those who want or need something different, alternative options are increasingly viable.
In this context, the ascendancy of both specialist boutiques and consultancy-based law firms is perhaps unsurprising.
The truth is that most lawyers have the enormous privilege of choice: they are highly qualified with skills which are in demand, and able to command competitive packages even outside the global and magic circle firms.
And with the growth of specialist boutique firms and consultancy firms offering entrepreneurial lawyers a cut of their billings, this choice has only increased in recent years. Those boutique firms that know who they are and what they stand for, and communicate this with clarity, have a significant advantage in the war for talent.
While big-firm prestige and generous remuneration are often still important for many, for others these are less overriding priorities.
In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and changing working habits and priorities, many talented lawyers are instead choosing to work for firms that allow them to achieve a better balance between their professional and personal lives, and whose values more closely align with their own.
This shift can be partly attributed to the pandemic. Remote working is now a standard feature of working life for many, while the cultural changes that we experienced during this period have emboldened many lawyers to seek out opportunities to work in a way that better accommodates their commitments and interests outside of work and supports their broader wellbeing and aspirations.
Beyond that, however, many talented lawyers are looking to work at firms which share their ethical priorities, whether that is in their approach to serving clients in controversial industries such as fossil fuel, tobacco and gambling, their willingness to tackle toxic working practices or their commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion.
We may see this shift magnified in the wake of US firms’ differing responses to the Trump administration’s executive orders targeting them.
All of this has created fertile ground for boutique and consultancy-based models to thrive. These firms are typically smaller, more flexible and often more purpose driven. They often offer lawyers the opportunity to practise at a high level without the constraints and compromises of traditional firms.
For many senior lawyers, these models represent an attractive opportunity to redefine success on their own terms.
In my experience, offering consultants completely agile and flexible working has been the single biggest factor in attracting and retaining talented lawyers.
For others, it lies in a firm’s willingness to walk the talk when it comes to values like diversity, wellbeing or pro bono work. These are not vague aspirations, but very real and important choices. And those choices can determine not just who applies to your firm, but who stays, who thrives, and who becomes an advocate for your culture.
Firms that genuinely embody their principles tend to hire and keep like-minded colleagues and clients. That may mean making difficult decisions – as we did at Bellevue Law in becoming a B-Corp, knowing that there are some businesses we can no longer work with. But alignment brings strength: when your people understand and share your firm’s values, you are all pulling in the same direction.
As a result, the consultancy-based law firms currently succeeding in this space are not necessarily the biggest or the loudest, but the ones with a highly distilled and tangible sense of self.
In a crowded market where the battle for talent is fierce, such clarity cuts through the noise. Authenticity and purpose are therefore not just nice-to-haves, but can serve as a clear and often-decisive strategic advantage.
You do not need to appeal to the entire market. You just need to know what you stand for and then stay true to it. That clarity builds trust. And trust, in turn, builds commitment. Of course, you cannot build trust on messaging alone. People see through ‘values on the wall’ that don’t match up to reality.
None of this is to suggest that the traditional law firm model no longer has appeal. On the contrary, for many lawyers – particularly those at earlier stages of their careers – the structure, pace and rewards of large firms continue to offer a good fit.
But there is now a visible and viable alternative for those who want something different, and a growing number of lawyers are taking advantage of that choice.
What matters, ultimately, is clarity. The boutique firms that succeed in attracting and retaining great people tend to be those that know who they are, and are willing to communicate and live by their values.
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