Three in 10 legal professionals reject roles over law firm reputation

Law firms are losing talent at every stage of the hiring process, with 30% of legal professionals choosing not to apply for roles due to concerns about a firm’s reputation.

New research from B2B PR agency Midnight shows that employer reputation has become a decisive factor in legal sector hiring, with nine in 10 (90%) employees saying it is important that a firm reflects their personal values - higher than the national average of 82%.

The data reveals that reputation is actively influencing career decisions through the hiring process:

• 30% have decided not to apply for a role due to a firm’s reputation
• 19% have turned down a job offer
• 21% have left a role altogether

However, firms with strong reputations are seeing clear advantages in attracting and retaining talent:

• 25% have accepted a job offer based on a firm’s reputation
• 30% have recommended an employer to others
• 19% have applied for a role as a result of reputation

Flo Powell, Joint Managing Director at Midnight, said: “These results confirm that reputation is business critical in the legal sector - it is directly shaping who applies, who accepts and who walks away.

“Firms are losing talent before they even reach interview stage. If candidates cannot clearly see what a firm stands for, they will simply move on to one that communicates it better.”

The trend is accelerating within the sector. More than three quarters (78%) of legal professionals say employer reputation will play an even greater role in their career decisions in future, significantly above the UK average.

The research also highlights a disconnect between how firms present themselves and how they are perceived. In discussions, University of Sussex students reported that it is often difficult to understand what an employer does, let alone assess its culture or reputation, based on its website and social channels.

Flo added: “Many firms believe their reputation is well understood, but for candidates it is often unclear or invisible.

“In a highly competitive talent market, that lack of clarity is a commercial risk. Firms that fail to communicate their culture and values effectively will be overlooked.”

For more information, or to read the full research paper, visit www.midnight.co.uk/research-report

Ends

Editors notes

Methodology

The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 1000 UK employees (600 UK employees – general, 400 UK employees - equal spread across four primary sectors of insurance, accountancy, legal and tech), aged 18+. The data was collected between 28/01/26 - 04/02/26.

Censuswide is a member of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the British Polling Council (BPC), and a signatory of the Global Data Quality Pledge. We adhere to the MRS Code of Conduct and ESOMAR principles

For more information, please contact:

Alex Hankinson or Flo Powell on 01273 666 200 or hello@midnight.co.uk and visit www.midnight.co.uk or connect with us on LinkedIn.

About Midnight

Midnight stands as one of the leading independent PR consultancies in the South East, based in one of the UK’s most dynamic and pioneering cities: Brighton & Hove.

Specialising in business-to-business PR, Midnight has consistently earned recognition for its successful PR and social media campaigns, with more than 60 peer-judged industry awards won to date.

Midnight excels across key sectors including law, insurance and workplace services.

Midnight is also proud to be B Corp Certified, reflecting the company’s commitment to deliver benefit to all its stakeholders. For more information, view Midnight’s public B Corp profile here.