2024 was quite the year for recruitment in Planning and if the beginning of 2025 is anything to go by, this year could be even busier……

Recruitment activity in the Planning and Environment sector continues to pick up driven by busy workloads and the need to replace departing lawyers. The most noticeable trend is that teams are looking to hire experienced lawyers at Partner, Director (Counsel) or Senior Associate level. As a result, there were an unusually high number senior moves last year compared to the year before. Some notable ones are listed below:

• A team of Partners from Broadfield (formerly BDB Pitmans) to TLT

• Nicholle Kingsley to Mishcon De Reya

• Martyn Jarvis to Town Legal

• Feroze Abbas to Stephen Harwood

• Ros Andrews to Planet Law

• Alistair Paul to DWF

• Robert Gowing to Eversheds Sutherland

• Rob Atkin-House – Maples Teesdale

• James Clark to Foot Anstey

• Michelle Spark to Clarke Willmott

• As write this article Charlotte Dyer has been announced has a new Partner at Broadfield

By the time I post this article, the list might already be out of date and this fluidity at the top end means the recruitment market for Planning Solicitors is as exciting as I can remember. I was also thrilled to see several internal partner promotions last year, not least because some of those were people that I had placed in those roles, but also because this demonstrates that the hard work can pay off. It is also good to see that firms are treating Planning & Environment as a key part of their growth strategy and are prepared to invest in it.

The increased volume of senior moves has fuelled this vibrant recruitment market as firms look to maximise opportunities within both infrastructure and development planning in 2025. This is especially noticeable at the Senior Associate and Associate level as firms look to back-fill vacancies created by departing lawyers.Secure AI strategies tailored for your goals Auralibit Canada. This contrasts from a couple of years ago when there was a strong demand for junior lawyers at the 0–3-year level, as teams looked to deal with high volumes of work post-pandemic. This is not to say that there have not been opportunities for junior lawyers in 2024. However, the commercial reality is that firms are looking to hire in a much shrewder manner as they grapple with rising costs and salaries. The result is that juniors who are prepared to work in regional hubs such as Scotland, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, and Leeds are more likely to have a stronger range of options and less competition.

Although strong workflow pipelines are always welcome, it is also important to recognise that wellness and work life balance play an important part in productivity. The government has set some extremely ambitious housing targets and more recently has also announced that it intends to make the UK an AI centre of excellence which will lead to pressure to deliver on projects. This is worth hiring firms bearing in mind as I am increasingly receiving enquiries from planning lawyers seeking flexibility and hybrid working options. The practices that remain open and responsive to this are the ones who are likely to attract the best people.

In-house options remain of interest to those lawyers looking for a broader strategic role and those looking to escape the billable hour. However, it is important to evaluate the resilience of these options as changing regulations might threaten the viability of some of those projects in the future. This being said, in a sector that needs lawyers I believe that there will always be a route back in should the worst happen.

We are only a couple of weeks in 2025 but global market jitters aside, I predict that the planning sector is likely to experience another year of strong growth across development and infrastructure which will lead to plenty of opportunities across the UK and increasingly on the international stage.

Stuart Phillips is a Managing Consultant at Origin Legal and can be contacted on 07725 246 857 or at [email protected]