Law Society research published in 2026 found that 35% of mid-sized law firms said hiring had become more difficult, while more than a third reported staff turnover of between 6% and 10%. Among firms experiencing retention challenges, 67% identified better pay elsewhere as the leading reason people leave.

But salary is only part of the picture.

Hybrid working, career progression, workload, management, workplace culture and the changing appeal of partnership are all influencing where solicitors choose to work — and whether they stay.

For law firms competing for experienced legal talent in 2026, recruitment and retention therefore need to be treated as one strategy rather than two separate problems.

What do solicitors look for in a law firm in 2026?

Solicitors considering a move are likely to evaluate the complete employment proposition rather than salary alone.

That can include:

• salary and bonus;

• hybrid and flexible working;

• realistic workload and billable-hour expectations;

• quality and complexity of work;

• progression opportunities;

• route to partnership or alternative senior roles;

• learning and professional development;

• management and supervision;

• benefits;

• workplace culture; and

• the firm's reputation and values.

The balance between these factors will vary considerably according to seniority, practice area, location and individual circumstances.

The important point for employers is that the job being offered is more than its salary.

1. Benchmark salary against the market — before you recruit

Compensation remains one of the strongest factors affecting legal recruitment and retention.

Law Society research found that, where firms experienced retention problems, 67% identified better pay elsewhere as the principal reason employees left.

For law firms, this creates two risks.

The first is trying to recruit at a salary that no longer reflects the market. This can produce a small candidate pool, rejected offers and extended vacancies.

The second is paying market rates to new recruits while existing lawyers doing comparable work remain materially behind them.

That can turn a recruitment problem into a retention problem.

Before advertising a position, firms should therefore understand the current market rate for the practice area, PQE level, location and type of firm they are recruiting into.

Salary should also be considered as part of total reward: bonus arrangements, pension contributions, annual leave and other benefits can materially affect the attractiveness of an offer.

2. Treat hybrid working as an expectation, not a novelty

Hybrid working has become established across much of the legal profession.

The Law Society reported in 2026 that flexible working is now a core expectation for many solicitors, affecting how lawyers choose employers as well as how they balance their professional and personal responsibilities.

That doesn't mean every law firm needs the same hybrid-working policy.

It does mean firms should be clear about what flexibility actually means.

Candidates increasingly want to know:

How many days am I expected in the office?

Is that policy or simply current practice?

Does it apply equally to partners and associates?

Can working patterns vary according to circumstances?

Will working flexibly affect progression?

A vague promise of "flexible working" is less useful than a clear explanation of how the firm's model operates in practice.

3. Make career progression visible

One of the most significant changes facing law firms is the changing perception of partnership.

The Law Society's 2026 research found 43% of respondents reported partnership becoming less desirable among senior staff, while only 14% reported increasing interest.

That doesn't mean solicitors have stopped being ambitious.

It means firms may need to rethink what progression looks like.

The traditional route of:

Associate → Senior Associate → Partner

is no longer the only career model lawyers may consider.

Depending on the firm, alternative pathways might include Legal Director, Counsel, Professional Support Lawyer, specialist technical positions, leadership roles and careers involving legal operations or technology.

Whatever the structure, lawyers need to understand:

What is my next step?

What do I need to achieve to get there?

How long might that realistically take?

Who makes the decision?

What happens if partnership isn't my objective?

Career progression becomes much more credible when expectations and criteria are transparent.

4. Don't sell a culture candidates won't actually experience

Employer branding can help attract candidates, but only when the proposition matches reality.

A careers page might describe a firm as collaborative, progressive and flexible.

Candidates will judge those claims against their experience of the recruitment process and, ultimately, against what employees experience after joining.

Law firms should therefore provide evidence for their employer proposition.

Rather than simply saying:

"We invest in our people."

Explain the training, mentoring and development available.

Instead of:

"We offer excellent career progression."

Explain the progression structure and provide examples.

Instead of:

"We support flexible working."

State the firm's actual working arrangements.

Specificity makes an employer proposition more credible.

5. Look at workload as a retention issue

Retention isn't purely about recruitment packages.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority highlights work/life balance as relevant to staff retention and warns that excessive working patterns and billable-hour pressures can contribute to burnout.

For firms, this means looking beyond utilisation figures to understand how work is distributed.

Questions worth asking include:

• Are high performers routinely carrying excessive workloads?

• Are particular teams understaffed?

• Are junior lawyers receiving appropriate supervision?

• Are lawyers regularly working significantly beyond expected hours?

• Are partners modelling the behaviours the firm claims to encourage?

• Do employees feel able to raise workload concerns?

Losing an experienced solicitor can create additional recruitment expense, onboarding requirements and lost productivity while simultaneously increasing pressure on the remaining team.

Retention therefore has a commercial dimension as well as a people-management one.

6. Give lawyers meaningful development

Professional development remains important even for experienced solicitors.

That can include technical legal training, mentoring and leadership development, but the changing legal environment is also creating demand for new skills.

Law Society research indicates that 65% of mid-sized firms are using AI to drive productivity and growth, while 94% of leaders surveyed believed AI would increase productivity.

Lawyers increasingly need opportunities to develop skills around technology, AI, commercial awareness, client development, leadership and management alongside their legal expertise.

Development should therefore answer two questions:

What does the firm need its lawyers to become better at?

and:

What will help this lawyer progress their career?

The strongest development programmes address both.

7. Improve the recruitment experience itself

Your recruitment process is part of your employer brand.

Strong candidates may be speaking with several firms simultaneously. An unnecessarily slow or unclear recruitment process creates opportunities for another employer to move first.

Law firms should examine:

• how quickly applications are reviewed;

• the number of interview stages;

• who candidates meet;

• how quickly interview feedback is provided;

• whether salary expectations are established early;

• whether hybrid arrangements are clear;

• how quickly offers can be approved; and

• how candidates are kept engaged between accepting an offer and joining.

The objective isn't simply to make recruitment faster.

It's to remove unnecessary friction while still giving both sides enough information to make a good decision.

8. Understand why your solicitors actually leave

Exit interviews can be useful, but firms shouldn't wait for resignations before asking employees what could be better.

Regular conversations with associates and senior lawyers can identify issues around:

• compensation;

• workload;

• supervision;

• progression;

• flexibility;

• management;

• team structure; and

• quality of work.

Patterns matter more than individual complaints.

If several strong associates leave the same team, at a similar PQE level or after reaching the same career stage, the underlying issue may not be recruitment.

Understanding attrition data can therefore help firms identify where intervention is required.

What are the biggest legal recruitment challenges in 2026?

For many law firms, the challenge is no longer simply finding qualified solicitors.

It is finding lawyers with the right combination of practice-area expertise, PQE, commercial skills and cultural fit — and offering them a sufficiently compelling reason to move.

The Law Society's 2026 research suggests several important pressures are occurring simultaneously: recruitment has become harder for a significant proportion of mid-sized firms, better pay elsewhere remains an important driver of departures, expectations around hybrid working have changed and the traditional partnership proposition has become less attractive to some senior lawyers.

That makes a clearly defined employee proposition increasingly important.

How can a law firm improve solicitor retention?

Start by understanding why people currently join, stay and leave your firm.

Then examine the fundamentals:

• Pay competitively.

• Make flexible working clear and consistent.

• Create transparent progression routes.

• Manage workloads sustainably.

• Invest in meaningful professional development.

• Train managers to manage people effectively.

• Give lawyers interesting work and appropriate responsibility.

• Listen before someone resigns.

Retention is unlikely to be solved by a single new employee benefit.

It is usually the cumulative result of what lawyers experience working at the firm every day.

Frequently Asked Questions

What attracts solicitors to a law firm?

Salary remains important, but solicitors may also consider flexible working, career progression, quality of work, firm culture, workload, benefits, professional development and the firm's reputation when considering a new position.

Why do solicitors leave law firms?

Reasons vary, but Law Society research into mid-sized firms found that better pay elsewhere was the most frequently identified reason among firms experiencing retention challenges. Previous research has also identified progression, workload, relocation and benefits available elsewhere as factors.

Is hybrid working important when recruiting solicitors?

Yes. Law Society research published in 2026 describes flexible working as a core expectation for many solicitors. Firms should clearly explain their office and flexible-working expectations during recruitment rather than treating flexibility as an undefined benefit.

Is partnership still attractive to solicitors?

Partnership remains an ambition for many lawyers, but attitudes are changing. In the Law Society's 2026 research into mid-sized firms, 43% of respondents reported partnership becoming less desirable among senior staff, compared with 14% reporting greater interest.

How can law firms retain their best solicitors?

Competitive remuneration, realistic workloads, transparent progression, meaningful development, effective management and genuinely supported flexible working can all contribute. Firms should also monitor why employees leave and identify patterns in attrition rather than treating every resignation as an isolated event.

Recruiting Solicitors for Your Law Firm?

Successful legal recruitment starts with understanding what the right candidate is looking for — not simply filling a vacancy.

Austen Lloyd specialises in legal recruitment across England and Wales, connecting law firms with solicitors across a range of practice areas and levels of seniority.

If your firm is recruiting, speak to Austen Lloyd about your requirements and the current candidate market.

We can help you understand candidate expectations, position your opportunity effectively and identify lawyers whose experience and career objectives align with your firm.

Last reviewed: September 2026

Sources: The Law Society of England and Wales; Solicitors Regulation Authority; Law Society Strategic Sector Insights 2026; Law Society flexible-working research.

Market conditions, salaries and candidate expectations vary according to practice area, seniority, firm type and location. The information above provides general legal recruitment guidance rather than individual employment or legal advice.