Last week, I swapped the world of legal recruitment for something a little more…armoured.

I was in Dorset, one of England’s most naturally beautiful counties and the gateway to the Jurassic Coast. Think rolling countryside, dramatic cliffs, and the kind of villages that look like they’ve been borrowed from a film set. But this wasn’t just a holiday. With a number of my clients quietly expanding into the region (details strictly on a need-to-know basis), it felt like the right time for a bit of reconnaissance. A field trip, if you will.

And what better place for a field trip than the Tank Museum in Bovington?

Now, I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting to be quite so taken in by it all. But the museum is genuinely fascinating, full of history, engineering, and stories of human resilience. It’s also home to a rather famous tank: the Sherman used in the film Fury, driven by Brad Pitt. Not only did I get to see it, I had the surreal experience of taking part in one of the museum’s live displays. Standing next to that beast of a machine, helmet on and rifle in hand, watching it roar to life, it’s not something I’ll forget in a hurry.

What struck me most, though, was just how many parallels there are between what happens in a tank crew and what happens in legal recruitment.

Every tank has a team: commander, driver, gunner, loader, radio operator. Each one has a specific role. The machine only works if they operate in perfect coordination. Everyone knows their job, trusts each other, and adapts quickly to whatever’s happening outside.

Sound familiar?

In recruitment, especially in the legal world, we’re not working with tanks, but the need for precision, teamwork and trust is just as important. Getting the right solicitor into the right role isn’t just about matching a CV to a job spec. It’s about understanding the person, the team they’ll join, the culture they’ll become part of. It’s about timing, chemistry, and knowing when to move.

And like any successful operation, it only works when everyone’s pulling in the same direction, candidates, clients, and recruiters all focused on the same outcome.

Watching the tank in action reminded me that high performance, whether in law or in warfare, isn’t down to chance. It’s the product of preparation, experience, and having the right people in the right roles. When that all comes together, the results can be extraordinary.

A big thank you to the team at the Tank Museum for such a brilliant day. If you’re ever down in Dorset, I can’t recommend it enough. You don’t need to be a military history buff to enjoy it, it’s genuinely one of the most engaging museums I’ve visited.

And if you’re curious about the growing legal market in Dorset, or want to know more about who’s expanding and where opportunities might be emerging, feel free to get in touch. Strategic legal movements are happening, and this time, I can talk about them.

At Origin Legal, we’ve been guiding lawyers through career moves for over 20 years. If you’d like an honest, informal conversations about your own career direction, we’d be delighted to help.