Fees in legal recruitment are not secret, but they are not standard either. A partner asking "what will this cost?" gets a percentage, a rebate and a page of terms. The percentage is the smallest part of the answer.
This guide gives the published ranges with their dates, shows how the fee is worked out and compares two quotes on one salary. It is neutral. It is not a quote from any agency, ours included.
How much do legal recruitment agencies charge?#
No agency sets the market price. Published rates run from the high teens to the mid thirties, as a percentage of first-year salary. Every figure below is dated, and the sources are different kinds, so read each label.
17% to 35%
the range of percentage rates across ten legal recruitment agencies, as a share of first-year salary. Rates accurate as of June 2020, about six years old.
22%, 25% or 27%
Reed's permanent fee by service level. Reed's general terms across its divisions, effective 1 April 2025.
Reed, Employment Agency Terms of Business (2025 version, PDF no longer online)
22% to 35%
what one legal recruitment agency says legal and specialist permanent roles are commonly quoted at. A marketing page of 10 August 2026, with no sample stated.
The 2020 directory is run by the Ten Percent Group, whose own agency is listed with featured placement. Its rates will have moved. It still shows the shape of the market. Seven of the ten agencies used salary bands, and the rate rose with salary. Three charged one flat rate. Where a minimum fee was stated, it ran from £1,000 to £3,500.
At a £50,000 salary, the ten agencies in that directory charged between 18% and 30%.
- 18%1 agencies
- 20%2 agencies
- 25%4 agencies
the most common rate in this list
- 26%1 agencies
- 30%2 agencies
Source: Directory of legal recruitment agency fees, June 2020
Some of those agencies charge on "remuneration" and some on "salary". That difference is the next question.
How is the fee calculated, and what counts as salary?#
The fee is a percentage multiplied by the salary base, with VAT often on top. The base is where firms get caught. Agencies define salary in different ways, so read the definition before the rate.
Reed's terms, in the version effective 1 April 2025, show how wide a definition can be. Salary means total first-year gross remuneration with all commission, bonuses and benefits. A car or car allowance counts as £5,000, or the actual allowance if it is higher. The fee uses the salary advised at booking or the actual salary, whichever is greater. It is not reduced if the hire leaves. For part-time roles, the rate applies to the full-time equivalent. The 2020 directory notes that part-time fees may be on a full-time or pro rata basis.
Ten Percent Legal publishes its fee as 18% "based on the first year salary or package". Another agency may say salary only. Ask for the definition by name.
VAT is the other line. Reed's terms say VAT is payable at the prevailing rate. GOV.UK gives the standard rate as 20% on most goods and services. Some of the published pages do not mention VAT at all. Ask whether a quote includes it, and ask your accountant whether you can reclaim it.
Here is a worked example. The numbers are invented to show the arithmetic. They are an illustration, not a price list.
| Basis | Fee base | Fee at 20% | VAT at 20% | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salary only | £50,000 | £10,000 | £2,000 | £12,000 |
| Salary plus a £5,000 bonus | £55,000 | £11,000 | £2,200 | £13,200 |
The same agency, the same rate and the same hire cost £1,200 more because of one definition.
What is the difference between contingent, retained and headhunting?#
On a contingent basis you pay when you hire. On a retained basis you pay in stages, with part before a hire. Headhunting means the agency approaches people directly, and it often takes a fee in advance. Ask which you are being offered.
| Arrangement | When you pay | A published example |
|---|---|---|
| Contingent | When you hire someone the agency introduced. | Most agencies in the 2020 directory. Nobody hired, nothing to pay. |
| Retained | In stages, starting before any hire. | RecQuest says a retainer is payable on instruction and deducted from the final fee. It says retained work is typically quoted at 25% to 33% nationally. |
| Headhunting or search | Often part in advance, part on a placement. | Ten Percent Legal publishes a headhunting fee from £2,000 plus VAT per vacancy, in advance, then 18% on a placement. |
| Deposit | A first payment, with the balance on the start date. | Reed's terms allow a deposit that is non-refundable. |
For most roles in a law firm, contingent is the default. Retained suits a role an advert alone will not fill, such as a senior conveyancing or commercial property hire. Whether you pay in advance is a negotiating point, and so is what you get back.
What moves the fee up or down?#
Seniority, difficulty, confidentiality and how many agencies are on the brief move it up. Exclusivity, a retained instruction, several roles at once and a realistic pay band move it down. That is one agency's view, and it matches the directory in part.
Tends to push it up
- A single, hard-to-fill role.
- Seniority.
- Confidentiality.
- Several agencies on one brief.
- An unrealistic salary band.
Tends to bring it down
- Exclusivity, or a retained instruction.
- More than one role at once.
- An ongoing relationship.
- A realistic salary band.
- Flexibility on the brief.
Those lines come from RecQuest's August 2026 guide, which is an agency's marketing. We have not tested them. A realistic band helps you either way. Why legal job adverts should show the salary explains why, and an advert that is clear saves the agency time.
On this sitePut the fee beside a hire that failsThe calculator shows each part of the bill, so you can see what a fee and a rebate are worth to you. Nothing you type is sent or stored.Run the numbersWhat does the fee include, and what does it leave out?#
It includes what the terms say and nothing more. Published terms differ on search, checks and suitability. Ask for the service in a list. The REC guide tells permanent recruiters to make clear which checks they will and will not carry out.
Reed's terms show one end of the range. The client is responsible for satisfying itself that a candidate is suitable. Reed accepts no liability for loss unless it directly results from its own negligence. That is a clause to read, not a rule of the market.
Items that sit outside the headline percentage in published terms include:
- A minimum fee. Reed's terms set £2,000. The 2020 directory lists £1,000 to £3,500 where stated.
- A deposit that is not refundable. Reed's terms allow one.
- A cancellation fee. Reed's terms charge 50% of the fee if the client withdraws an accepted offer.
- A fee for a hire made outside the agency's route. Reed's terms claim a fee if the client engages the candidate in any capacity within one year of introduction.
Also check what you cannot be charged for. GOV.UK says agencies are prohibited from charging workers for finding them jobs. The lawyer pays nothing. The firm pays the agency, so the terms are yours to read. For the clause-by-clause view, read exclusivity and rebates.
How do rebates work?#
A rebate is money back, or a replacement, if the hire leaves early. The REC says agencies are not legally required to offer one. Where one exists, schedules differ in length, in how fast the refund falls and in what you must do to claim.
| Agency and date | Window | How the refund falls |
|---|---|---|
| JMC Legal, June 2020 directory | 7 weeks | 100% to week 2, then 62.5%, 50%, 37.5%, 25% and 12.5% by week 7. None after. |
| Bygott Biggs, June 2020 directory | 3 months | 75% in weeks 1 to 4, 50% to week 8, 25% to week 13. |
| Law Staff, June 2020 directory | 100 days | 75% before day 14, 50% to day 49, 25% to day 74, 10% to day 99. |
| RecQuest, August 2026 | 12 weeks | 100% in week 1, falling to 15% in weeks 11 and 12. Refund or replacement. Notice within five working days. |
Reed's published scale is in the exclusivity and rebates guide. Read the conditions as closely as the window. Reed's terms exclude redundancy and a material change to the role. They also exclude an unpaid invoice, and a failure to tell Reed in writing within seven days. The 2020 directory warns that late payment may void a rebate, and that some agencies try a replacement first.
Rebates matter because early leavers are common. In the CIPD's April 2024 survey of 1,016 UK HR and resourcing decision-makers, 41% of employers that had selected candidates said new recruits always, mostly or sometimes resigned within 12 weeks. That covers every sector, not law.
How do you compare two quotes?#
Put both on one real salary and run three scenarios: the hire stays, leaves early and leaves late. The cheaper percentage often wins only in the first. The figures below are invented for illustration.
Fix the role and the salary
Use one real salary for both agencies. Add any bonus on the same terms.
Read the definitions
Check what counts as salary, an introduction and an introduction period. Ask whether VAT is in the quote.
List the extra payments
Minimum fee, deposit, cancellation fee and instalments. Put them in the same table.
Run three scenarios
The hire stays, leaves in week three and leaves in week ten. Work out what you pay in each.
Decide on the total
Pick on the cost across all three, plus how well the agency knows your area.
| Quote A | Quote B | |
|---|---|---|
| Fee rate | 18% | 22% |
| Fee | £9,000 | £11,000 |
| Rebate | 50% if the hire leaves within 8 weeks. Nothing after. | 100% in the first 4 weeks, 50% to week 12. |
| Hire stays | You pay £9,000 | You pay £11,000 |
| Hire leaves in week 3 | You pay £4,500 | You pay £0 |
| Hire leaves in week 10 | You pay £9,000 | You pay £5,500 |
Quote A is cheaper if the hire stays. Quote B is cheaper in both leaver cases. Neither is better in the abstract. The question is how much protection you want. The checklist for law firms adds the non-fee points: practice-area knowledge, a named contact and how candidates are screened.
Is the cheapest fee the cheapest hire?#
No. A fee is one line in the cost of a hire, and a bad hire costs far more than the fee. The REC, with Indeed, estimated in 2017 that a poor hire at mid-manager level on £42,000 could cost a business more than £132,000. The page does not give the method.
£132,000
the REC and Indeed's 2017 estimate of what a poor mid-manager hire on a £42,000 salary can cost. Nine years old, method not stated, indicative only.
47%
of UK organisations did all recruitment in-house with direct hiring in 2024. CIPD survey of 1,016 HR and people professionals, all sectors. A further 20% used in-house recruiting with agencies and 31% a mix of in-house and outsourced.
Do the sum on your own figures. A 20% fee on £42,000 is £8,400, about 6% of the REC's £132,000. That does not make any fee worth paying. It shows why the shortlist and the rebate matter more than a point of percentage. The CIPD figure says something else. Not every role needs an agency.
The expensive mistake is a hire who fits the advert and not the work. How to keep conveyancers from leaving covers the cost of a leaver.
What do the rules say about agency fees, and what should you do next?#
Very little about the amount. GOV.UK says fee levels are a commercial business-to-business agreement and that the Conduct Regulations do not regulate fees charged to hirers. The REC guide tells members to agree permanent terms in writing before providing services. This is a guide, not legal advice.
At Wilson Mannion, terms are agreed in writing before any CV is sent, and a written market read comes before a firm pays anything. A named person looks after your role. This article is not a quote and does not describe our terms. The right terms depend on the role and the firm. The employers page shows how a search runs, and the case studies show past searches. Bring any terms you have been sent. A 30-minute discovery meeting on Microsoft Teams is a fair place to compare them. Register a vacancy if you would rather start there. The salary guide gives bands to test your own against.
On this siteCompare your quotes in a 30-minute meetingBring the terms you have. You get a written market read before you pay anything.Book a callSources
- Directory of legal recruitment agency fees, rates accurate as of June 2020 (run by the Ten Percent Group, whose own agency is listed with featured placement)
- Ten Percent Legal Recruitment: its own published fees (page shows copyright 2024, no update date)
- Reed: Employment Agency Terms of Business, permanent staff section (version effective 1 April 2025; original PDF no longer online, link removed)
- RecQuest: What legal recruitment agencies charge (10 August 2026, a legal recruitment agency's own marketing guide)
- GOV.UK: Overview of the Conduct Regulations 2003 (page updated 22 June 2026)
- REC: Complaints FAQs (no date on the page)
- REC: Code of Professional Practice, guide to compliance (PDF; its file properties show October 2020)
- GOV.UK: VAT rates (no date on the page)
- CIPD with Omni RMS: Resourcing and talent planning report 2024 (survey by YouGov, April 2024)
- REC with Indeed: Hiring mistakes are costing UK businesses billions each year (press release, 21 June 2017)
This is general information, not legal advice. Where a figure comes from another organisation, the source is above, and we say when it is dated.