Accept a counter-offer only if it fixes the reason you started looking, in writing, with a date. A counter-offer is flattering, and for one afternoon everyone is nice to you. This article is about thinking clearly through that afternoon.
This is general information, not legal advice. We checked it on 22 October 2026. Much of the research is old or covers every kind of job, and we say so each time. Where we give a view, it is ours, not a rule. We are recruiters, so weigh that view accordingly.
Why do law firms make counter-offers?#
Because replacing you costs time and money, and keeping you is cheaper. That is not cynical. It is a sensible move by a firm that does not want to lose you.
Think about what leaving does to a firm. Your live files need a new owner. Clients wait. A partner spends hours interviewing and then supervising a new starter. We cannot put a figure on that for your firm.
The nearest number is old. Research by the insurer Unum, reported by the Law Gazette in March 2014, put the average cost of replacing a legal sector employee at £39,887. The article does not say what the figure includes or how it was worked out. It is more than twelve years old, so treat it as a sign of direction, not a price.
The recent figures come from employers in general. The CIPD surveyed 1,016 UK HR and people professionals in April 2024.
£39,887
the average cost of replacing a legal sector employee, from Unum research reported in March 2014. Twelve years old, and the article gives no method.
64%
of UK organisations that had tried to recruit in the past year found it hard to attract candidates (CIPD survey, April 2024, all sectors).
27%
of the same organisations reported challenges with counteroffers or dropouts after offer acceptance (CIPD, April 2024, all sectors).
Hiring is hard, and a firm knows it. A counter-offer says the firm wants you. It does not say why you were looking.
What is the test for a counter-offer?#
Write down, in one line, why you started looking. Date it. Do it before you resign. Then ask whether the counter-offer fixes that line.
If you cannot write the line, you are not ready to resign. That is the moment to talk it through.
| Reason you looked | What a rise does | What to ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Pay | It can, if it is built into your base salary and not a one-off. | The new figure in your contract, from a date. Check it against the salary guide. |
| Supervision | A rise does not provide a supervisor. | A named supervisor and a meeting rhythm, in writing. See how to check supervision. |
| Caseload or hours | Nothing, unless the work changes. | What changes, who is hired and by when. |
| Progression | Nothing, unless a role is named. | The next role, the criteria and a date. |
| How the firm treats people | Rarely anything. | Honesty with yourself. |
A counter-offer can be built as a rise on what you earn now. The same logic as in should you tell a recruiter your current salary applies. The number that matters is what the role pays in the market, not what you were paid before.
What does the research say about staying versus moving?#
Less than you would like. The data is old, covers every kind of job, and says nothing certain about you. Two sources are worth knowing, with their limits.
The first is pay. The ONS found that in 2018 the median hourly earnings growth for job changers was 7.3%, against 3.0% for job stayers. The figures are provisional and come from an employer survey. ONS notes that people under 35 change jobs more often and see faster pay growth whether or not they move, so the gap partly reflects who moves. ONS could not tell whether moves were voluntary.
- Job changers7.3%
all occupations, provisional.
- Job stayers3%
all occupations, provisional.
The second is what happens to people who stay. In a December 2021 survey of 2,000 UK employees by Opinium for the recruiter Robert Half, 53% of those counter-offered the last time they had a new role elsewhere accepted it. Of those who accepted, 34% had left within six months and 74% within a year.
- Within six months34%
all who accepted.
- Within a year74%
all who accepted.
- Aged under 35, within six months47%
under-35s who accepted.
Source: Robert Half, survey of 2,000 UK employees by Opinium, December 2021
Robert Half sells recruitment, so it has an interest in that finding. The survey covers all jobs, is nearly five years old, and measures leaving, not whether people were glad they stayed. It also means about two in three were still there at six months.
Online, the view is harsher. In forums such as Reddit, people who took counter-offers often call them a manipulation. They say the same problems came back, and that bridges burned. Those threads are self-selected and attract people with a story to tell. That is a view, not a statistic.
None of this tells you what will happen to you. People stay and are happy. People move and regret it. The research only says that a counter-offer does not remove the question.
What should you ask, and get in writing?#
Ask what exactly changes, from what date, and get it in writing before you reply. Do this even if you are tempted to say yes in the room.
- What exactly has changed? Name the pay, the role, the caseload or the title.
- Is it a rise, a bonus or a promise to review? A promise to review is not an offer.
- Is it in my contract? Acas says changes to a contract must be agreed by both sides. GOV.UK says an employer must tell you of changes to your written statement within one month. Do not wait a month. Ask for a letter before you reply.
- Why was it not offered before I resigned? The answer tells you how the firm sees the link between pay and effort.
- What does the partner who is offering it think of my standing now? Ask it plainly.
- What will my next review look like in twelve months? Ask who decides, and when.
If an answer begins "we will see", that is an answer.
Hear it, do not answer
Say thank you. Ask for it in writing and for until the next morning to reply.
Hold it up to your one line
Does it fix the reason you wrote down? If not, stop here.
Ask the questions above
Get the answers in writing, with dates.
Tell your new firm
If you will consider it, say so early. Read how long a solicitor's notice period is so you can give a real date.
Answer in writing
Say yes, with the terms repeated back, or say no, with thanks.
When is staying right, and when is it not?#
Staying is right when the counter-offer fixes the reason you looked, and the new role is not clearly better. It is not right when it fixes the money but not the reason.
Sometimes staying is a good result. We would rather you stayed and were happy than moved and were not. Use the cards below to decide.
Was money the only reason you looked?
YesThe figure may fix it. Check it is in base salary, in writing, from a date.
NoMoney will not fix it. Go back to the line you wrote down.
Does the offer change that reason, in writing, with a date?
YesStaying can be a good result.
NoExpect to look again within the year. The conversation about leaving does not go away.
Is the new role clearly better on supervision, caseload and progression, not only pay?
YesWeigh it honestly. Moving may be right.
NoIf the new role is only a little better, the counter-offer may decide it.
Did the firm only offer after you resigned?
YesAsk why. Ask whether it will still value you in a year.
NoGood. A firm that already listened is a firm worth staying with.
How do you decline a counter-offer well?#
Quickly, kindly and in writing, without reopening the argument. Reply by the time you agreed. Thank them. Say you have decided.
Do not use the new firm's pay as a lever, and do not list what was wrong. Offer a handover instead. Our guide to resigning from a law firm sets out the letter and the handover.
Here is sample wording. It is an example, not legal advice.
Thank you for the offer, and for the time you have taken over it. I have thought about it carefully and I am going ahead with my decision. I would like to agree a handover plan with you this week.
If you decide to stay, tell your new firm straight away and say thank you. A new firm plans around your start date. Law is a small world, and the person who hired you may be on the other side of a deal one day.
Never resign to start a negotiation. Acas says an employer cannot reject a resignation, and does not have to accept a withdrawal. Acas also tells employers that a conversation after a resignation might help them find problems they can resolve. Expect that conversation. Decide your answer first.
How does a counter-offer sit with the six-month rule from 2027?#
It is a small factor, and the date should not decide your move. Business.gov.uk says that from 1 January 2027, ordinary unfair dismissal protection starts after six months in a job instead of two years. It covers England, Scotland and Wales, not Northern Ireland.
That is a reason to read your terms, not a reason to stay or go. Our guide to moving jobs when unfair dismissal protection starts after six months explains what changes and what does not. It also lists what to ask a new firm about probation.
If a counter-offer changes your role or terms, ask for the new terms in writing. Then check them against the same questions.
What should you do before you answer?#
Settle your one line, your written questions and your answer before the afternoon you are offered more. Then use the list below.
If you would rather talk it through before you resign, you can. See the live roles with the pay or earnings basis on each. If you work in conveyancing, check what the market pays before you set a figure. A named person looks after you. A confidential call costs lawyers nothing, and no CV goes to a firm without your say so.
On this siteTalk it through before you resignA confidential 20-minute screening call on Microsoft Teams. We can talk through what you would need from a counter-offer. No CV leaves us without your say so.Book a screening callSources
- Law Gazette: Churn hits bottom line (Unum research, 3 March 2014)
- CIPD: Resourcing and talent planning report 2024 (survey of 1,016 UK HR and people professionals, 4 to 22 April 2024, fieldwork by YouGov)
- ONS: Analysis of job changers and stayers (29 April 2019)
- Robert Half: Half of counteroffers successful as hiring crisis continues (survey of 2,000 UK employees by Opinium, 17 to 24 December 2021)
- Acas: How to resign (updated 30 June 2026)
- Acas: Responding to an employee's resignation (updated 30 June 2026)
- Acas: Changing an employment contract
- GOV.UK: Written statement of employment particulars
- Business.gov.uk: Unfair dismissal rights (updated 30 July 2026)
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.