Interview on Legal Recruitment with Yvonne Kelly, Keane McDonald

Yvonne Kelly • April 27, 2018

'The shortage of top-calibre legal talent is a growing problem'


Article originally featured at: https://bizplus.ie/interview-yvonne-kelly-keane-mcdonald/


YVONNE KELLY (PICTURED) IS MANAGING DIRECTOR OF DUBLIN-BASED KEANE MCDONALD, AN EXECUTIVE SEARCH AND SELECTION FIRM FOCUSING ON LEGAL APPOINTMENTS. SHE RUNS THE RULE OVER THE LEGAL RECRUITMENT SECTOR FOR BIZPLUS.


How was demand in legal recruitment over the last year and what trends have you noticed?

2017 welcomed a significant increase in legal recruitment, mainly due to the healthy economic growth, but also partly due to some prominent international law firms establishing a presence here.


Demand for specialist experience in the fields of commercial property, construction, employment and IP law continued to grow steadily, while the number of requests for experienced investment funds lawyers and financial services regulatory lawyers surged quite dramatically.

Although the demand for in-house legal staff continued to grow steadily, the need for private practice solicitors was remarkably higher in comparison.


Has the upcoming GDPR legislation influenced recruitment trends in the legal sector?

The upcoming GDPR legislation has not yet shown significant change in recruitment trends. However, as recruitment firms rely so heavily on data, the new legislation will clearly hit the sector quite hard.



In order to ensure compliance, most recruitment companies are putting very stringent policies in place, in time for the GDPR launch in May. For example, having a centralised system that handles all candidate and client data will be imperative under GDPR.


What about the availability of legal talent – what trends are you seeing there?

The shortage of top-calibre legal talent is clearly a growing problem as the economy continues to grow. The candidate pool in Ireland is not nearly sufficient for the surge in demand for these professionals. There is increasingly a shift in how and where we find legal talent. The need for legal professionals to return from overseas is enormous.


Have there been any significant movements in legal sector salary ranges?

Salaries in the legal sector continued to show a steady increase in 2017, in particular for recently qualified solicitors up to mid-level associates in the law firms. While the top-tier law firms are managing, for the most part, to keep basic salaries within their set salary bands, many are offering significant bonuses in order to retain and attract strong talent.


Is Brexit having the anticipated impact on legal recruitment thus far?

At the time of the Brexit result, we certainly experienced an upsurge in Irish lawyers looking to return, and indeed many UK lawyers exploring Ireland as a jurisdiction. However, with time and with the uncertainty of who will be most affected, there seems to be less urgency attached to moving.


What about the gender balance in the legal sector. Has this changed much in recent years?

For a number of years now, the gender balance for law graduates has been heavily weighted towards females, at a ratio of roughly 70/30. This trend is continuing without notable change.


What are the in-demand skills-sets expected from new legal graduates?

Some law firms may have their own specific competencies when hiring law graduates. For example, the top law firms require a minimum grade of 2.1 honours in an applicant’s primary degree.


However, some key skills are generally considered essential by all commercial law firms, such as solid analytical and evaluative skills, excellent written and verbal communication skills, a global and commercial mind set, and, above all, passion and resilience. A legal graduate will need to be a team player and to succeed in the demanding world of law must be motivated, determined and driven.

Senior Associate, Debt Finance - Sydney

By Yvonne Kelly • September 30, 2026
Are you a finance lawyer looking to act for top-tier lenders and sponsors on complex, cross-border deals? Why this role? Act for top-tier lenders and sponsors on leveraged and other complex cross-border finance transactions. Play a hands-on role keeping deals moving, as the key point of contact for clients and other parties. What you'll bring You're admitted in Australia with 4–7 years' PQE. You have broad banking and finance experience across acquisition and leveraged financing, and syndicated and bilateral financings (secured and unsecured). You bring a strong academic record and an analytical, intellectually curious approach to your work. Is this you? You have outstanding written and verbal communication skills and strong judgment. You stay calm under pressure, managing multiple deals with strong time management and organisation. You're a team player with a client service focus and commercial awareness, keen to contribute to the growth of the practice and, where needed, coordinate more junior team members. This role reports to Partner. For more information, please contact Yvonne Kelly in strict confidence 📞: +61 405216810 ✉️: ykelly@keanemcdonald.com A b solute discretion is assured. I'm here to help you through every step of your next career move, drawing on over 20 years in recruitment. Whether you'd like to talk through this role, hear about other opportunities we're working on, or just get a sense of what's happening in the market, get in touch today to arrange a confidential chat.

Senior Associate, Commercial Litigation - Sydney

By Yvonne Kelly • September 29, 2026
Are you a commercial litigator looking to work on high-stakes, multi-party disputes for major clients across the region? Why this role? Shape claims and disputes strategy for clients on major projects and commercial matters, working closely with counsel and experts. Draft motions, trial briefs and examination outlines across domestic and international matters, and guide clients through regulatory investigations. Get exposure to multi-party construction disputes alongside partners and senior lawyers shaping case strategy. What you'll bring You're Australian qualified with 7–8 years' PQE in commercial litigation. You have exposure to and interest in construction litigation, and a good understanding of the risks in multi-party construction disputes. Experience in regulatory matters (particularly ACCC, ASIC and AER), private or public international law, and corporate or commercial issues is highly regarded. Is this you? You bring good judgment, strong analytical skills and intellectual curiosity, backed by a strong academic record. You're a self-starter who takes ownership of your work, and stays resilient and solutions-focused under pressure. You're a team player with a strong professional presence and client focus, comfortable coordinating discovery and guiding more junior team members. This role reports to Partner. For more information, please contact Yvonne Kelly in strict confidence 📞: +61 405216810 ✉️: ykelly@keanemcdonald.com A b solute discretion is assured. I'm here to help you through every step of your next career move, drawing on over 20 years in recruitment. Whether you'd like to talk through this role, hear about other opportunities we're working on, or just get a sense of what's happening in the market, get in touch today to arrange a confidential chat.

Senior Associate/Associate, Project Finance Sydney

By Yvonne Kelly • September 28, 2026
This is a fantastic opportunity for a banking and finance lawyer with an interest in project and infrastructure finance to work on landmark, cross-border deals across the energy, infrastructure and resources sectors. You'll advise sponsors and lenders on complex project, corporate and acquisition financing mandates, working on landmark, multi-source deals from initial structuring right through to financial close. You'll also coordinate with international teams and manage external counsel, helping bring sophisticated cross-border transactions to a successful close. What you'll bring Admission to practice in Australia or another Common Law jurisdiction. 2–7 years' PQE, with broad banking and finance experience across project, corporate and acquisition finance, and syndicated/bilateral facilities. Strong knowledge of international finance law and the analytical skill to navigate complex, cross-border transactions Is this you? You're highly organised and deadline-driven, even under pressure. You manage multiple workstreams comfortably and deliver polished work to tight timeframes. You're a collaborative team player who builds strong relationships with colleagues and clients. You're self-motivated and proactive, and — at Senior Associate level — confident managing small teams. For more information, please contact Yvonne Kelly in strict confidence 📞: +61 405216810 ✉️: ykelly@keanemcdonald.com Ab s olute discretion is assured. I'm here to help you through every step of your next career move, drawing on over 20 years in recruitment. Whether you'd like to talk through this role, hear about other opportunities we're working on, or just get a sense of what's happening in the market, get in touch today to arrange a confidential chat.

Associate – Finance, Sydney

By Yvonne Kelly • September 25, 2026
Our client is looking for someone with 2+ years PQE that has experience in deals for the financing of energy infrastructure and resource projects. Ideally you will have some experience in procurement and corporate financing deals and across borders cross-border transactions, international finance law the managing the complexities this generates in terms of creating proper cross-border contracts The ideal candidate, Is an ambitious go-getter that shows initiative, has high commercial awareness and collaboration skills Has the ability to juggle multiple deals simultaneously and remains level-headed in stressful situations For inquiries, reach out to Yvonne Kelly: 📞: +61 405216810 ✉️: ykelly@keanemcdonald.com Absolute discretion is assured.

New Opportunity - Litigation Associate - Dublin

By Mia Barry • September 23, 2026
The firm is gaining a reputation for succeeding in high stakes litigation cases and you could be part of their exciting journey. You will get an opportunity to work with market leading legal experts in commercial litigation, regulation, investigations and arbitration.

Restructuring & Insolvency Lawyer, Sydney

By Yvonne Kelly • September 21, 2026
Our client is looking for a lawyer with PQE 4+ years and extensive experience in negotiation, restructuring and insolvency advising both creditors and debtors. The ideal candidate Has experience with multinationals, insolvency practitioner accounts, investors, private credit funds and alternate lenders Has in-depth knowledge of best in-market practice relating to the sale of shares and assets, drafting deeds of arrangement and sales processes. This role is suited to a lawyer that Enjoys working in a client facing role Is keen to continue learning, conducting research and considering alternative solutions. For inquiries, reach out to Yvonne Kelly: 📞: +61 405216810 ✉️: ykelly@keanemcdonald.com Ab s olute discretion is assured.

Senior Associate, Construction and Infrastructure, Sydney

By Yvonne Kelly • September 21, 2026
Our client is looking for a construction lawyer looking for an opportunity to progress to associate or senior associate level. You will be working on a broad range of major project work from PPP and large energy and infrastructure contracts through to project delivery, including disputes and arbitration. This is a role for someone looking to grow their profile in a Legal500 ranked team. The role will suit a lawyer with: 4-6 years’ of experience (including in construction contracts or litigation – some front end experience is preferred but not essential) strong academic results excellent communication and analytical skills high energy and a team focus. The ideal candidate is seeking an opportunity to progress within an environment that will provide a high level of visibility and exposure to some of the largest projects in the country. Interested applicants should contact Yvonne Kelly in strict confidence on +61 405 216 810 or send your CV to ykelly@keanemcdonald.com . Absolute discretion is assured.

Senior Real Estate Lawyer, Sydney

By Yvonne Kelly • September 21, 2026
This is the opportunity to advise Australian and international clients on all legal issues involved in their real estate transactions, with a particular focus in the acquisition, development and sale of commercial, industrial, residential and retail properties.

Associate – Real Estate, Melbourne

By Yvonne Kelly • September 21, 2026
Our client is looking for a junior real estate lawyer to join their Melbourne practice. The ideal candidate: You have 1+ PQE in at least one jurisdiction You are familiar with registration and settlement using PEXA This opportunity will give you a chance to fast-track your career by working on landmark cases and getting experience across different branches of law affecting real estate legal matters: M&A, project finance, insolvency, infrastructure projects on a national and international level. Interested applicants should contact Yvonne Kelly in strict confidence on +61 405 216 810 or send your CV to ykelly@keanemcdonald.com . Absolute discretion is assured.

Employment Associate / Senior Associate - Melbourne

By Yvonne Kelly • September 18, 2026
Our client is looking for an Associate or Senior Associate to join their Employment team. You will work with an established team on matters ranging from strategic planning, pivotal litigation cases and regulation projects across a wide variety of industries for key clients while mentoring and supporting team more junior team members. The ideal candidate: You have 4 – 6 years’ experience in the workplace relations, employment and safety area and have a thorough working knowledge of drafting, reviewing, and advising clients on employment policies and procedures.  You have a good knowledge and experience of interpreting legislation and the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) to advise clients and engage in negotiations. You are a proactive, solutions-focused mindset individual with an ability to manage conflicting priorities. For more information, please contact Yvonne Kelly in strict confidence 📞: +61 405 216 810 ✉️: ykelly@keanemcdonald.com Ab s olute discretion is assured.