Advice, insights and information about risk and compliance hiring, careers and job hunting

Don’t wait for a compliance crisis. Learn when to appoint a Deputy COLP, what the role should entail, and how it can strengthen your firm’s long-term regulatory health.

This guide provides a comprehensive framework for navigating the talent landscape, offering deep insights into market scarcity, technical benchmarking, and the authoritative structures required to attract and retain the guardians of your firm’s license to practice.

Hiring for specialised law firm roles like Conflicts Analysts, General Counsel, and COLPs is increasingly difficult in 2026. This guide breaks down the skill sets, market scarcity, and strategic salary benchmarking required to attract and retain high-calibre risk and compliance professionals in a competitive legal landscape.

Hiring a Compliance Officer for Legal Practice (COLP) is a high-stakes appointment. Unlike other management roles, the COLP carries personal regulatory accountability to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). To attract a credible candidate in 2026, firms must move beyond a simple "vacancy filler" mindset and define a role built on authority, protection, and professional standing.

Combining the roles of General Counsel (GC) and Compliance Officer for Legal Practice (COLP) is a common strategic move in law firms, but it fundamentally shifts the nature of the position from an advisory one to one of personal regulatory accountability.

Law firm General Counsel (GC) compensation is uniquely complex because it sits at the intersection of a fee-earner's technical expertise and a C-suite executive's strategic authority. This guide outlines how to benchmark the role effectively by focusing on the specific "risk weight" and organizational influence the position carries.