2025/26 Briefing / HSBC Law Firm Investment and Strategy Survey
- James Markham
- 3 days ago
- 1 min read
The Briefing Legal / HSBC 2025/26 Law Firm Investment and Strategy Survey paints a picture of overall confidence, with a touch more uncertainty than last year's responses
54% of the 90 surveyed firms are pursuing a strategy of UK only growth and further 45% of international growth (p7), with the US and Middle East preferred destinations in the latter
But it's p11 that stands out
82% of firms are looking to achieve that growth through lateral hires in existing geographies and specialisms
So at a sector wide level - everyone wants growth, and to achieve it they're going to hire from other firms
This is ultimately a zero sum game, robbing Peter to pay Paul - and likely at an overinflated rem package compared to Paul's previous firm
And I think that risk is implicit on p22, when you consider that salary competition and attrition across all roles and seniorities is seen as the second biggest challenge for firms (behind cyber risk)
Bearing in mind the priority is on EXISTING markets, think how much grief and expense you could save - in recruitment fees, long ramp up periods, guaranteed rem periods, missed business cases etc - by delivering that growth with existing partners and senior fee earners
I appreciate that spending time and money on support and upskilling existing fee earners is less glamorous than the press releases you'd get from a lateral hire
But it's likely a better play than piling into the same lateral markets as everyone else
Link to the survey:
