With the successful rollout of the various Coronavirus vaccines across the UK in recent months, it feels like a return to (almost) business as usual for the legal profession.

We are busy with job briefs across almost every practice area, with real demand for lawyers with M&A, Funds, Banking & Finance, TMT and Employment law skillsets. The Litigation sector is rumbling along, but arguably hasn’t seen the boom in work that many in the industry predicted – as a result, there are proportionately less roles available than we might perhaps expect at this time of year. Commercial Real Estate & Infrastructure has understandably taken a bit of a hit in the last 12 months, but we are also seeing signs of resurgence as staff return to the office and sector participants look at ways to repurpose asset classes.

The UK have taken a fairly liberal approach to border control throughout the pandemic, which is great news for overseas qualified lawyers keen to relocate to London. The majority of our client firms are open to sponsorship for the right candidate, valuing skillset and experience over location – an encouraging sign.

In other news, Montgomery’s UK office has formally partnered with Ashurst on a new Diversity & Inclusion initiative, designed to level the playing field for candidates from all backgrounds, and ensure accountability on both law firms and recruiters to encourage a diverse and representative workforce. It is our firm belief that every candidate should have the opportunity to reach the very top of their profession, and as such, it was a no-brainer to partner with a firm of Ashurst’s standing on such an important issue. You can read more about the initiative here.

Finally, for lawyers contemplating a move within/to the UK, my best advice would be to read up on what is fast becoming the UK’s IP “case of the century” – the heavyweight battle between M&S and Aldi over a UK national treasure – the noble Colin the Caterpillar cake. Having tucked almost 90% of said Colin away on my son’s recent 2nd birthday, the case is certainly one close to this author’s heart, and judging by the amount of media coverage, will be discussed in interviews and on Zoom calls for weeks to come!