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Legal Recruitment Trends in the Consumer Goods Industry

Posted on December 2020 By Allison DeLorenzo

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Throughout this unprecedented year of 2020, we have seen movements in all industries when it comes to the ever-changing legal recruitment market, especially within the Consumer Goods space which has been highly impacted by COVID-19. Our team has a division dedicated exclusively to supporting firms in this industry with identifying the right Legal talent and like many others have had to adapt to a new way of working, whilst ensuring we continue to support the legal advancements that are effective in the market. We are pleased to report that it has been another record year for the team, growing 221% over the last 3 years. Efficient and fast delivery into essential open positions and the continued growth of our candidate and client network has been our priority.

We wanted to share a short general update of some of the trends we are seeing in the Consumer Goods space due to the impacts of COVID-19 from a candidate and client perspective, and also what we are expecting to see as we head into 2021.

COVID-19 in the Workforce

The biggest adjustment in 2020 has been that virtual interviewing and hiring have become the “new norm”. As companies are changing and adapting to the remote work setting, hiring managers are realizing that they still need the same help and headcount that they did before the pandemic, and that they can’t just hit the pause button on hiring now. Because of this, we have also seen a massive upward movement of companies not only hiring remotely, but also allowing current employees to work remotely indefinitely. The impacts of COVID-19 will certainly have companies questioning whether they are able to be profitable in a remote setting, and if they are able to cut real estate costs on paying for multiple offices.

Consumer Goods | Retail | Manufacturing

General trends we expect to see in the industry moving into 2021

  • E-Commerce is steadily on the rise as more companies are expanding/emerging in the space. Department and brick & mortar stores have suffered a downward trajectory due to COVID-19 impacts

  • Packaging/Shipment/Manufacturing space has seen growth in 2020, and is expected to continue 

  • While restaurants suffered a bit this year, the food and beverage industry did not take a huge hit due to increase of consumers ordering products from different channels online, and still being able to go to grocery stores to purchase their items. The alcohol and tobacco industry also did not decline and we anticipate growth there as well in the new year.

  • Significant upward movement with remote hires and indefinite remote options for employees at the corporate level

Top skill sets and noteworthy practice areas in demand

  • Corporate/M&A/Commercial

  • Regulatory & Compliance

  • Technology Transactions & IP

  • Data Privacy

What can candidates do to differentiate themselves in this competitive market?

  • Choose to take on mentoring responsibilities before having direct reports

  • Cultivate quality relationships with people in your network  

  • Take extra courses and obtain certificates to enhance their knowledge about the space

  • Have general knowledge of multiple areas to be able to take on other responsibilities when necessary

  • Highlight and sell “soft” skills

What can clients do to make their teams or businesses stand out vs their competitors?

  • Improving and making a conscious effort to improve diversity and inclusion in the workplace

  • Creating more of an online presence on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media outlets

  • Offering remote options if possible and flexible working hours

  • Explaining and showing a clear growth trajectory for current and future hires

  • Establishing a memorable culture and creating a more collaborative and positive work environment

In-House Compensation Trends

Something positive we observed this year from a hiring perspective is that salary ranges were not largely affected by the global pandemic. There is still a steady increase in compensation for legal opportunities as most companies continue to compete for top talent in a candidate driven market. We continue to see top-quality attorneys we work with juggle multiple offers and negotiate competitive salaries.

We put together a chart that breaks down the average base salary ranges for attorneys based on location and years of experience so you are aware of the latest compensation trends we are seeing in the market moving in to 2021.

In-House Compensation Trends Table

We continue to have specialized senior recruitment consultants that persist to adapt and succeed in their concentrated niches, delivering the most efficient and effective Consumer Goods Legal talent on the market to our clients. If you would like to discuss the legal market further or have any hiring plans for 2021 that we can help with, please get in touch with our team today.

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