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Planning Law update 2015. Is the demand for talent set to

continue?

In my last update in December I wrote about the elevated rise in demand for talent at all

levels across the planning sphere and predicted that we may begin to see a “war for talent”

as practices look to service an increased avidity from the clients across all planning sectors.

This has proven to be the case in 2015 with practices continuing to expand and in some

cases firms are recruiting multiple lawyers to boost their planning offering. The NQ market

in planning has moved for September NQs earlier than I can ever recall, with some firms

hiring September NQs as early as February. The sweet spot for key hires remains at the 2 –

5 year level, although a number of firms have also been looking at more senior levels due to

the need for experienced candidates to lead on increasingly complex projects.

As it stands, things remain very optimistic for planning lawyers in this current climate.

Following the election result, it looks highly likely that a number of major infrastructure

projects are set to continue with others, such as the announcement of the next runway in

the south-east anticipated. This has led and continues to lead to opportunities for

candidates to break into private practice from the public sector and overseas. However

memories of more lean times still stick in the mind and the question that a lot of people are

asking is how long can this upward trend in work and recruiting continue for?

It certainly looks as though things will remain stable for some time to come. Investors are

still keen to invest in major projects and developments, the UK is continuing to strive to

become more self-sufficient in its energy needs and the commitment to emissions targets

also means that the need to meet renewable energy goals continues. On top of this, the

need for affordable housing across the country remains.

I have spoken to some of Origin Legal’s clients who have commented about the current

market and confidence for the future.

Clare Fielding, Partner at Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co commented:

“We have noticed an upsurge in work from this time last year, especially since the general

election and I feel confident about the next 12-18 months”

Chad Sutton of Maples Teesdale goes on to say:

“Planning is a political system which is reformed every year and the greatest level of planning

reform comes with a UK General Election (which we only see every 5 years). With the recent

General Election and the election of the Conservatives as the sole party in Government we

should see further planning reform, as the Conservatives manifesto discusses further

planning reforms they propose to implement and they will now be free to fully implement

these reforms unhindered given that the Liberal Democrats are no longer in Government with

them. This should flow through to increased levels of planning legal work, particularly advice

work, which means it is the perfect time to hire additional planning lawyers. We won’t see

another time like this for 5 more years! The property market also continues to remain strong

ORIGIN LEGAL IS A DIVISION OF ORIGIN LEGAL LIMITED. REGISTERED OFFICE: THE STUDIO, LODGE PARK, LODGE LANE, LANGHAM, COLCHESTER, ESSEX CO4 5NE TEL 01206 233500 REGISTERED COMPANY NO. 4976835

and with the high level of infrastructure proposed in London and the wider UK, including

Crossrail 1 and 2 and High Speed 2 and 3, the indicators are good for increased development

and planning application levels to remain strong, which will have a positive impact on the

level of planning legal work.”

Richard Ford, Partner with Pinsent Masons stated:

“The Planning market remains very strong across all parts of the UK. All sectors are busy,

particularly residential and office; energy and infrastructure; retail and leisure; and logistics

and public sector work. The UK General election outcome has reinforced confidence.

Government changes and initiatives are also creating more work. Our global business also

generates a lot of opportunity. It means we can capitalise on global markets as well as the

strong UK market. We are thus continuing to recruit top talent and invest strongly in our

planning team.”

A further Partner and head of Planning and Environment at a city firm said:

“The pipeline is looking really strong and the book of business is reasonably good for the next

18-24 months, which is as good as you can realistically hope for. Much of this work will be

undertaking infrastructure planning work, but the buoyant real estate sector means that our

clients will be buying, selling and developing assets for the foreseeable future which is good

news for planning lawyers - we certainly expect to be hiring come September.”

The views above are very encouraging for the short to medium term and therefore I think

planning lawyers who have decided to consider their options can do so with a decent degree

of confidence in 2015 and 2016.

Stuart Phillips is a Senior Consultant at Origin Legal with a focus on planning sector. If you

are considering a career move or would like an overview of the market he can be contacted

on 01206 233504 or stuart.phillips@originlegal.co.uk

A list of active positions can be found here: http://www.originlegal.co.uk/jobs

ORIGIN LEGAL IS A DIVISION OF ORIGIN LEGAL LIMITED. REGISTERED OFFICE: THE STUDIO, LODGE PARK, LODGE LANE, LANGHAM, COLCHESTER, ESSEX CO4 5NE TEL 01206 233500 REGISTERED COMPANY NO. 4976835