Banking – UK Legal Labour Market Trends, September 2025
Leeds Reforms Trigger Wave of Recruitment in Legal Banking Roles
Key findings include:
- Banking lawyer vacancies in London rose 12.5% YoY, Midlands up 21.9% YoY
- In-house roles grew 46.7% YoY, with London’s share climbing to 76%
- General banking lawyer hiring rebounded 94.1% YoY after a 19% fall last year
- Barclays law vacancies surged 93.5% YoY, while Visa recruitment rose 187.5% YoY
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Legal hiring accelerates as reforms reshape banking landscape
Britain’s legal market is experiencing a surge in banking vacancies, propelled by sweeping changes to financial services regulation. The government’s Leeds Reforms, aimed at unlocking capital and revising the ring-fencing framework, are reshaping banks’ structures and creating fresh demand for legal expertise. Law firms and in-house teams alike are expanding, with overall banking lawyer vacancies up sharply in 2025.
Private practice roles are projected to rise 15.2% YoY, while in-house demand has grown 46.7% YoY as banks embed counsel directly into operational teams. Firms are forming reform-focused task forces and scaling regulatory groups, while banks increasingly seek secondees to guide implementation.
Private practice stable, with regions driving growth
Law firms continue to post steady growth in banking recruitment, with London vacancies up 12.5% YoY, though the capital’s share has slipped as regional offices expand. The Midlands is leading growth, rising 21.9% YoY, while the South is also recovering, up 13.3% YoY after years of stagnation.
Among specialisms, general banking has surged 86.4% YoY, and real estate finance is up 60.7% YoY, extending gains after extraordinary growth last year. Corporate commercial is another steady contributor, up 20% YoY, while corporate banking and financial services remain broadly flat. The picture is one of broad-based demand, anchored by regulation and structural reform.
In-house counsel strengthens across banks
Banks are rapidly expanding their internal legal teams. London’s in-house share is set to climb from 74.3% to 76%, a 50% YoY rise, with similar growth in the South and Midlands. The North has also rebounded, up 23.9% YoY after a difficult 2024.
Specialist functions are expanding rapidly. Corporate banking legal roles are projected to grow 153.1% YoY, while financial services posts are set to climb 70.7% YoY. General banking has also rebounded strongly, up 94.1% YoY after last year’s contraction. These shifts highlight how in-house teams are aligning with AI integration, compliance, and governance.
Firms and banks ramp up recruitment
Top law firms and banks are driving much of the expansion. Simmons & Simmons is set to grow banking vacancies 32.9% YoY, while Birketts leads with a 143.8% YoY increase. Axiom and Mayer Brown are also nearly doubling their totals.
On the banking side, Barclays has reversed last year’s decline, with law vacancies up 93.5% YoY. Visa and Mastercard are recording extraordinary gains, at 187.5% YoY and nearly tripling, respectively. NatWest and Santander are also back in growth, while HSBC and Lloyds remain cautious.
The combined effect is clear: Britain’s banking sector is fuelling one of the most active legal hiring markets in years, with reforms, regulation, and technology setting the agenda for 2025.
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