The founders of a new online legal job board are promising to shake up the recruitment market when their site launches later this month.
Tim Bates and Charles Magill, the brains behind comparelegaljobs.com, say that their business offers law firms, in-house and public sector employers and candidates something distinctly different from its competitors.
The new site launches on 11 January and will allow candidates and employers to be in control of their application, which can be processed either via the employer’s dedicated microsite or by utilising the services of an in-house recruitment team.
Bates and Magill have vowed to respond to the changing needs of the market and mirror the demands of employers by combining the benefits of a traditional agency and a job board at a fraction of the price.
The duo aims to bring their combined experience of the professional service market and particularly the legal sector to bear on the market. They have also sprung a major coup by appointing John Crabtree, a former senior partner at Wragge & Co, as the company’s chairman, and his experience is expected to help add a unique perspective to their recruitment activity.
A key foundation of the new business is the Law Society’s drive for greater diversity and inclusiveness and comparelegaljobs.com will work with its clients to help collect diversity data and statistics throughout the selection process.
Comparelegaljobs.com will initially focus on fee earner recruitment across the UK, from paralegal up to junior partner level, before moving into business management positions such as HR and Finance.
Tim Bates, joint managing director of comparelegaljobs.com, said: “The legal recruitment sector is long overdue a shake up and that’s what we’re aiming to deliver.
“Charles and I have travelled the length and breadth of the country meeting with employers and debating our ideas in lawyer forums. Without doubt, there is an appetite for change and the kind of service we’re offering the market among employers and candidates alike.
“Law firms have traditionally had a limited number of recruitment options and therefore have had little alternative but to pay significant levels of fee and conduct their selection procedures to fit with their recruitment consultant, rather than their own diversity priorities.
“Our clients have been attracted by the prospect of a transparent recruitment process, allied with low fees and access to an in-house advisor at their fingertips, while a dedicated microsite and a more flexible approach to paying for job adverts offer firms a real alternative.”
