Spinnaker’s recruitment business was built on legal and insurance hires 25 years ago, and it remains one of our busiest desks to this day, even with the challenges the coronavirus pandemic has brought over the past year.  

The team comprises Tom Brooks, Hayley Menere, and Jay Farr, who has recently returned from maternity leave.  

“Coming back to work after a year and a half was always going to be daunting,” says Farr, “but I actually feel as though I have picked up exactly where I left off.  I left on maternity leave after having a beautiful little girl. She has a neuromuscular condition that only affects 1000 people in the UK, so for me, that’s my drive – everyone has one!  I can see how the world has changed so much in just a short amount of time. Take working at home for example – before, you could have the best candidate in the world in front of your client, but as soon as flexible working was mentioned, it would almost scare the client. Now it has become the norm! I type this whilst sitting in my home office…  

“Something that I think is just wonderful is the fact that when I am scrolling through my social media platforms, I can see so many people have now finished their training contracts and made those moves that I know they were looking for. That makes me excited and happy.  Catching up with old contacts, I’ve had so many messages already so it’s good to see those relationships last.  

“My new role here at Spinnaker is something I am really passionate about, and that’s building relationships with potential candidates, but not only that – it’s about really understanding the market and what makes people tick – what’s attractive to someone at the best law firm, where do these people want to be in the next year or so.. . My aim is to be the go-to person on our desk for those looking to make a move and then I’m there to see how the team can best fit the pieces together. “ 

Tom Brooks, who heads up the legal and insurance recruitment team here at Spinnaker, also feels hopeful about the market and the future. “Our sector is very optimistic. It was certainly a challenging time whilst the market had to adapt in the early part of the pandemic, but it seemed to ride the wave well. 

“I actually think it has come out the other side in a much stronger position than it was before in recruitment terms. By that I mean companies are now more open minded both in terms of locations, contract types and general work/life balance.” 

Hayley Menere, Consultant for the insurance and legal team, has found similar from clients.  “I agree with Tom in that most employers are open to remote working going forward, which is great for a work: life balance and enables employees to give more time to work as they would spend their commuting time as working hours.  

“Offices are starting to open up & the consensus is that they are open if people would like to return but it seems most people are happy working remotely. I’ve heard that some firms are planning a 50:50 return from September, albeit if the situation allows and people are vaccinated and happy to travel. Remote working has been successful for the last 18 months and Zoom has been a best friend to keep connected with clients. People are keen to travel abroad to network as soon as possible though! Covid has given people a chance to assess what they want from their careers which has caused a bit of movement in the market.” 

For the team’s latest vacancies, click here.