International firm moves (October 2019)

“Which is the busiest hiring month of the year?” or “When is the best time to start applying?” are questions we get often. Statistically, October was the month that saw the most number of international firm moves in 2019 but bear in mind that (i) our table reflects the start dates (whereas the real hiring would have started months ago, taking into account the notice period and interview timeline) and (ii) truthfully, there is really no right/best time of the year and it pays to consistently keep an eye/ear out of suitable opportunities.  

While the legal industry is a big part of Singapore’s service economy, the international firms here (compared to local firms) do not have as big a market share as they do in markets such as Hong Kong, U.S. or U.K., which also means that hiring opportunities are not as abundant and evergreen as in these other markets. We have also observed that more often than not, hiring is a replacement-driven 1-for-1 event (i.e. can happen anytime) rather than expansion-driven (which typically aligns more with a firm’s financial year as expansion plans get approved in the new annual budget along with new headcount).  

Thus, we often advise lawyers to get in touch with us as early as possible. Even if there are circumstances making a move less desirable in the upcoming months (e.g. a personal event such as a wedding; involvement in a major deal/case; or an upcoming bonus pay-out), it never hurts to stay informed about opportunities as you never know when a too-good-to-miss opportunity will appear (which once closed, may not be available again for the next 1-2 years). As always, feel free to ping us at hello@lexmatch.co.