Middle East legal professionals are at a “higher risk of redundancy than most”, according to a Dubai-based legal recruiter.
“The reality of being in legal in the Middle East is that you are at a higher risk of redundancy than most,” said Luke Collins, founder of Middle East legal and compliance recruitment firm Collins Search, in a post on LinkedIn. “This is particularly true if you are in a multinational.”
He went on to share five reasons why there is a higher risk of redundancy among legal professionals in the region. These include a common view that legal departments are cost centres rather than value creators. “I met a GC last week who said he had given up trying to convince people otherwise,” said Collins, whose recruitment firm places in-house lawyers. “We know legal saves money, and can often help create extra income for a business, but that is not the perception.”
Other reasons he shared include the region’s status as a “smaller hub”, which can be serviced from other global centres such as Europe or the Asia Pacific region. “So it is often hit early on,” said Collins.
This is further compounded by the high cost of mid-level lawyers, according to Collins. “In this region, heads of legal and general counsel are some of the youngest globally, so a lawyer with ten years of experience who is running a function is easier to cut than a junior locally or a senior in London or Singapore who brings double the years of experience,” he commented.
He also observed that businesses are now rebalancing their teams after a period of rapid expansion, adjusting staffing levels to match current needs.
He also pointed to geopolitical volatility as a factor. On this, Collins, who is based in Dubai, said: “The region is viewed differently internationally from how we see it living here… some businesses are nervous and make cuts because of this.”
“The region continues to grow dramatically, but it is still not a global player and there is volatility in many ways, so cuts from multinationals in particular will continue to be prevalent,” added Collins. “The best way to counter this is continue to add value, and show that internally.”
Speaking further on this point and to avoid being impacted by redundancies, Collins told Law Middle East: “Lawyers need to shift perception from cost to value—highlight commercial wins, support revenue growth, and integrate into the business rather than just sitting on the side-lines. Also, if you are able to diversify your skills, showing your expertise beyond purely legal, then you will become less dispensable.”
