Is €600 the new €800? Freelance rates under pressure in legal and HR

Juridisch

The freelance market in legal and HR has not come to a standstill, but it has changed. Where clients used to look mainly for quick reinforcement, they are now asking more critical questions: is the budget available? Can this be handled internally? And is this profile still worth the requested daily rate?
Many freelancers are feeling that shift first-hand.
Processes are taking longer, external support is being questioned more often and budgets are being scrutinised more closely. Companies still need expertise, but they are becoming more selective. Where speed and availability used to be key, today the focus is much more on added value.

The quiet pressure of exam season: what law students rarely say out loud

Juridisch

Exam season is rarely just about studying. I know that not only because I speak to law students regularly today, but also because I have been through it myself. I studied law too, and I still remember how conflicting that period could feel. You are trying to keep up with coursework, exams and deadlines, while at the same time carrying so much more in your head: the pressure to stay productive, the feeling that everyone else is further ahead, the guilt when a day does not go the way you had planned.

For law students especially, the bar is often set very high. Not only because of the sheer volume of material, but also because many students expect a great deal from themselves. You want to do well. You want to keep pushing. And ideally, you do not want people to notice just how heavy it can feel at times.

That is exactly why I wanted to write this blog. Because exam season is not only about studying, but also about everything you are quietly trying to carry alongside it.

Final months of law school: what to focus on now

Juridisch

The final months of law school can feel like a strange in-between phase. You are wrapping up one chapter, while at the same time starting to wonder what comes next.

What kind of legal career do I want?
Where would I fit best?
And am I supposed to have it all figured out already?

I speak to final-year law students and junior legal professionals all the time, and one thing comes up again and again: many put a lot of pressure on themselves. As if graduating means they should already have a perfectly mapped-out career plan.
It does not.

What does help is using this time to prepare for your first step in a thoughtful way.

genZ

How to keep Gen Z on board: a practical checklist for HR and legal

Juridisch

In our previous blog “From surviving to living: how generations view work differently”, we explored how fundamentally Gen Z approaches work in a different way. Less focused on security, more on quality of life, growth and purpose.

But insight alone is not enough. The key question for HR and legal is:
How do we translate this into concrete action in the workplace?

At Legal Staffing Experts, we support organisations every day that struggle with both attracting and retaining young professionals. What works is often surprisingly clear, as long as you are willing to slightly adjust your approach.

Below, we share a practical checklist: how to keep Gen Z on board.