More and more solicitors are making the decision to move from private practice to an in-house role. One in four solicitors now works in-house with the corporate sector employing the largest proportion. There is more demand for in-house lawyers as companies are outsourcing less to firms, this means that an in-house lawyer is expected to know ‘everything about the law’ and are therefore given extra responsibilities. In some cases financial concerns have also contributed to the expansion of in-house legal teams. Faced with rising legal costs, general counsel has gained an important role in controlling external legal spend.
The largest group - 14,255 solicitors - work in the corporate field: financial and business services; manufacturing and utilities; retail and wholesale; construction; transport and communications; or media and publishing. A further 9,673 work in the public sector, for the government legal service, (CPS), local government, charities or the armed forces.
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