The legal market certainly seems to be improving that much is clear but how does the ibncrease in demand for legal practicioners with fee earning experience help those who are looking for their first step into the Law?

There is no getting away from it finding that first opportunity is hard, very hard and with a number of people on the market who have been looking for over 12 months how can you begin to set yourself apart?

Volunteering with local law firms is one option and you may have more success looking to your local firm that one of the large commercial practices however, the market currently favours the flexible so our advice would be continue looking for the position in you preferred discipline but do at the same time consider what other areas you may wish to practice. While it is stating the aobvious but the wider the net the greater your chance of getting your legal career under way.

Things certainly seem to be picking up, well if commercial activity is anything to go by. All indications are deals are being done - A number of our clients are giving us positive indications and while they might not all be expanding there is, for the first time in a while, a small number of opportunities for those non-contentious lawyers among you.

Expect competition to be fierce but interestingly, not as many trainees appear to have been left without an option last time around meaning it's (slightly) easier for you in the here and now.

So we've all been back for a couple of weeks now and interestingly things have been busy. There have been reports of the profession growing and though many disciplines still are yet to see an increase in recruitment as a whole things the levels of activity we are seeing are very encouraging. Certainly enough to drag us out of the post holiday blues anyway.

The holiday season is nearly here and for most of us it's a well deserved break for others we know we are going to be in the office at some point - just to make sure we have done everything we can.

For recruiters its a difficult time, things slow down or quite often are put on hold until January. Even then you can often find that half of these 'paused' opportunities are then reviewed, with requirements shifting or even being shelved altogether.

It's amazing how much the simple, honest communication of where things are up to is worth.

In 2009, the former Attorney General, Baroness Scotland, proclaimed that the UK would soon be declared the most hostile country in the world to fraudsters. While one cannot fault her somewhat sanguine commentary, there were few within the legal profession who agreed with her.

In a letter to the Financial Times, two leading lawyers suggested that the complete opposite was the case, suggesting that the country has in fact become a “Klondike for fraudsters” – a phrase which is associated with the gold rush immigration frenzy during the late 19th century. Whether you agree with Baroness Scotland that the UK is off-limits to fraudsters or if you err towards the Klondike camp, the reality is that there is currently a mini-boom for financial crime lawyers.

Demand for advocates has increased over the past year with lawyers increasingly being called upon to work on cases involving measures to combat counterfeit websites, deals to end corruption investigations, and legal action to prevent alleged abuses of individuals by the state.

Indeed, during the last couple of years fraud law has proven to be particularly profitable as some organisations become increasingly focused on preventing scams from erupting over certain misdemeanours which had gone relatively unnoticed or ‘overlooked’ when the profits were flowing – as testified by a series of recent high-profile corruption investigations into a number of leading multinationals including BAE Systems and Siemens.

And it would seem that demand for anti-corruption specialists is set to continue for some time. The Bribery Act, which was passed in May and will come into force in April 2011, makes it possible for businesses to be prosecuted for turning a blind eye in any general offences of paying and receiving bribes, the bribery of foreign officials or the failure of commercial organisations to prevent bribery from taking place. All of which has led to a wealth of demand from companies requesting help to ensure they are compliant with this new and comprehensive anti-bribery code.

Counterfeiting is another growth area that is showing no signs of slowing down. As the economies of India and China continue to expand so too does the problem of international counterfeiting which has been simultaneously exacerbated by the rise of the internet in these countries.

While the economic downturn still lingers albeit in a lesser degree than at the start of the year and the predicted spending cuts become more apparent as we move into 2011 and beyond, the increasing attention being paid to corporate fraud will ensure that lawyers will continue to find themselves in high demand – whether this proves to be little more than lip service or the start of a lasting change remains to be seen.

It is universally agreed that the last two years have been the toughest and arguably most competitive jobs marketplace during the post-war era. But despite the proverbial ‘green shoots’ of recovery promising a better, more prosperous future it seems that some job seekers are still prepared to do whatever they can to gain a competitive advantage over the rivals – even if that means committing ‘job application fraud.’

Last week a survey by IT Job Board, an online recruitment advertising site for technology vacancies, found that some 62 per cent of respondents would withhold details of a vacancy from their colleagues to avoid competition for the role. Some even advocated what could best be regarded as ‘questionable tactics’. Indeed, more than a third (35 per cent) admitted they would make persistent calls to a recruiter to ‘persuade’ the consultant to offer them an interview, whilst a further 13 per cent would go so far as to physically visit a recruiter’s offices and refuse to leave unless they were seen.

So what do these findings tell us? Are we living in a society that has become one of desperation whereby some job seekers are forced to resort to desperate and often unethical measures to enhance their chances of job seeking success? Put simply: yes.

In 2008, The Apprentice winner Lee McQueen was caught out for lying about his qualifications on his CV, yet it did him no harm – he won the competition and went on to pocket a £100k salary in the process. Yet some lies are more serious than others.

Other people lie about their age, proficiency in certain high-demand languages such as French or Japanese, or the length of time they spent working for a former employer - as was the case of Rhiannon Mackay earlier this year; Ms Mackay became the first woman in the UK to be jailed for falsifying her references and qualifications on her CV.

However, many employers are becoming increasingly alert to the problem of job application fraud.

PeopleChecking, an organisation which provides background checks and employment screening services to public and private sector organisations, has seen demand for its services increase by over 25 per in 2010 alone as the number of application fraud instances seems to be growing at an alarming rate.

In fact, only 14 per cent of job applications contain discrepancies. In 2009, this figure had risen to 19 per cent and PeopleChecking indicate that by the end of 2010, more than 22 per cent of all job applications will be – in effect – fraudulent.

If an applicant claims they can do X, Y and Z they need to qualify it with- and be prepared to show- evidence of proficiency – particularly when applying for a role with a law firm. Employers are looking for candidates with a genuine knowledge and real understanding of their firm, the firm’s main competitors, the issues and trends affecting the areas of law in which they operate, and come armed with a plethora of questions to ask their interviewer.

While desperation can push some people into adopting an unethical approach to their job search strategy, they are unlikely to get past the interview stage unless they can back up what they say they can do and, more importantly, have a natural curiosity and thirst for knowledge about the company they are applying to.

Businesses must get to grips with changes to discrimination law or face the consequences, warns Gareth McGhee, senior partner at EM Legal following the introduction of the Equality Act 2010 at the start of October.

As well as putting discrimination laws like the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and Race Relations Act 1976 under one roof, the Equality Act modifies and extends the protection given to existing and prospective employees.

Among the changes is the widening of the circumstances recognised by legislation in which employers may be liable for harassment of employees by third parties like customers or suppliers. In line with trends in recent employment case law, the Act will also formally enable individuals who would not directly be entitled to rely on discrimination laws to claim because of their association with someone who does qualify. For example, an employee who cares for a disabled relative or dependent may be able to claim protection under the disability discrimination provisions of the Act where such care impacts on their working life in some way.

Specialist employment lawyer, David Walton of Gorvins Solicitors, commented: “This greater protection is to be welcomed but there’s no doubt that it will catch unwary employers out. Those who believe that the Equality Act is simply a place to house our old discrimination laws are wrong.”

“Employers should make sure that they understand what the Equality Act means for them and amend their policies and procedures to reflect the changes it brings about, including the way in which they should deal with potential employees,” recommends Gareth McGhee, EM Legal.

With particular relevance to recruitment, former practices of issuing job candidates with pre-employment health questionnaires will now have to change - something which disability lobbyists will be hoping will bring about a more level playing field. Indeed, concerns that disabled people were reluctant to apply for roles, believing that their chances of getting the job were lowered by having to complete questionnaires, will perhaps now be alleviated.

Under the Act, questions about an individual’s health before a job offer is made can only be asked in certain prescribed circumstances including where information is necessary to establish the applicant’s ability to carry out a function intrinsic to the role. Employers who ignore these new provisions are expected to face an uphill struggle in defending disability discrimination claims from unsuccessful candidates.

For now, employers are being encouraged to make a concerted effort to correctly interpret and apply this new legislation, something which will only become easier once Tribunals have given their decisions in litigated cases.

“We will inevitably see legal arguments about whether employers’ health questions were appropriate or not,” comments David Walton from Gorvins. “And this will land some in hot water. On the flip side, employers may feel that their hands are tied in being able to assess the suitability of a particular candidate for a job, without fully understanding what they can and can’t do under the Act in a recruitment process. They could therefore find themselves recruiting the wrong people because they simply ask no questions at all.”

Gareth McGhee from EM Legal commented “As recruiters, we know just how important it is that employers take on the best person for the job. They can only do this by understanding exactly what the role requires. While the Equality Act poses a challenge for employers, at least in the short term, we think that it will lead to better recruitment across all sectors and industries. There is now no room whatsoever for assumptions about a candidate’s capabilities and that has to be a good thing for everyone,”

Hiring activity among law firms throughout the North West is at its highest levels since the start of the recession in 2007, with increased demand for associates and legal support staff effectively bringing an end to the recruitment hiatus that has dominated the legal sector for the best part of three years, according to specialist legal recruiters EM Legal.

James Hitti, senior partner at Altrincham-based EM Legal, said: “The market has become noticeably more vibrant over the last few months throughout our region – notably in Manchester and Liverpool.”

“The number of law firms looking to increase their staffing levels is on the up and although the sector has yet to return to pre-recession hiring trends, there are positive signs that the market is once again moving with a number of new opportunities being created across a range of disciplines.”

According to Hitti, the greatest demand for roles is in the areas of restructuring, insolvency practice, and IP litigation – areas of the economy that are set to expand in the coming months. While at the same time Partner recruitment remains a fraction of what it was three years ago.

“This is primarily due to the number of mid-market law firms capitalising on the wave of senior staff and partner departures from a some of the so-called ‘magic circle’, larger firms who didn’t weather the recent economic storm quite as well as a number of the regions smaller and mid-sized firms - as testified by the recent collapse of Manchester-based Halliwell’s,” says Hitti.

Hiring in the legal sector showed signs of slowing down during autumn 2007 and came to an abrupt halt during the latter half of 2008, remaining in a state of relative inactivity throughout 2009. And despite a sluggish start to 2010, recruitment activity has picked up once more and continues to show signs of growth.

But the recession has changed the way that employers look to attract new staff and the focus on quality rather than quality has never been more prominent than now.

Hitti commented: “The recession prompted a knee-jerk reaction among a number of employers who made widespread jobs cuts in a bid to reduce their costs. And although the economy is moving in an upward direction once more, many employers are taking a cautious and more thorough approach to their recruitment to ensure they attract the best talent and avoid any costly mis-hires.”

From their offices in Altrincham, Cheshire, EM Legal’s team work with clients and candidates throughout the North of England and the Midlands. With over twenty years combined experience both in private practice and as specialist Legal recruiters, James Hitti and fellow partner Gareth McGhee place both qualified and non-qualified support staff on a permanent, contract and temporary basis into private practice and in-house positions.

It's here (finally) and now we just need to think of something interesting to say!

Firstly Welcome to EM Legal.

Where to start........some background information may be useful?

Having spent a number of years in Legal recruitment Gareth McGhee and I felt the time was right to establish our own business. The recession had seen a number of 'big brand' recruiters disappear and naturally this left an obvious gap but more than that....

Gareth and I worked together for a number of years and recognised early on that we shared similar values and whilst our approach was a little different (which can only be a good thing) we always aimed to end up in the same place.

The reputations we carved were born from the above and we pride ourselves on being honest with clients and candidates, with giving the advice we would want to receive if we were in your shoes and above all supporting you to make the most of your career or business.

I hope that gives you an insight into EM Legal....

We'll be back soon so - Watch this Space!