Local authorities are struggling to attract solicitors, research revealed last week.


More than 84% of authorities said they had had trouble filling professional posts in their legal department last year, while 73% said it was difficult to hire lawyers at the managerial level.



Of the 186 authorities questioned, 57% said retention of professional staff was a problem, while 44% said it was hard to keep hold of legal managers.



Mean salaries for managerial staff in council legal departments ranged from £39,752 to £58,838, according to the survey. At the professional level, they ranged from £23,180 to £37,861. Flexible working hours were offered to 86% of professional staff and 72% of managerial staff.



Dennis Hall, solicitor and monitoring officer at Sedgefield Borough Council and former chairman of Solicitors in Local Government (SLG), said: 'Starting salaries are well behind what is available in the private sector - there are recruitment problems both at the top and the bottom in local government legal departments. It is an increasingly pressured environment in which to develop a career, and it is harder to move into management now, as other professionals such as accountants and planners are enjoying new opportunities at the expense of lawyers.'



He added: 'There is more flexibility in the public sector, pensions are likely to be better, and there is more opportunity to do a broader range of work. But the first thing people look at is the top-line figure, and that is dropping behind private practice.'

The research was conducted by research body Local Government Analysis and Research. The full findings can be found in the latest issue of SLG's magazine, Noter Up.



Rachel Rothwell