Industry report · October 2026
State of legal recruitment in Leeds
Leeds employers and agencies advertised 99 legal jobs across the roles we track in the 30 days to 6 October 2026. Paralegal leads with 48 live adverts, and 65% came direct from the employer.
Updated 6 October 2026 · Live adverts, last 30 days · Next update 1 November 2026 · Baseline edition: month-on-month changes start next month
The 10 most in-demand legal roles in Leeds
Ranked by live adverts in the 30 days to 6 October 2026. Direct adverts were posted by the employer itself rather than an agency.
| # | Role | Live adverts | Direct | Last 7 days | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paralegal | 48 | 41 | 8 | Get leads |
| 2 | Employment Solicitor | 13 | 6 | 2 | Get leads |
| 3 | Residential Conveyancer | 12 | 7 | 1 | Get leads |
| 4 | Litigation Solicitor | 9 | 2 | 2 | Get leads |
| 5 | Commercial Property Solicitor | 5 | 3 | 5 | Get leads |
| 6 | Legal Secretary | 5 | 3 | 1 | Get leads |
| 7 | Corporate Solicitor | 3 | 1 | 0 | Get leads |
| 8 | Private Client Solicitor | 3 | 0 | 0 | Get leads |
| 9 | Commercial Solicitor | 1 | 0 | 1 | Get leads |
| 10 | Family Solicitor | 1 | 1 | 0 | Get leads |
Titles counted for each role
- Paralegal
- Legal Assistant · 8Junior Paralegal · 0Law Clerk · 0Legal Analyst · 0Legal Researcher · 0Senior Paralegal · 0
- Employment Solicitor
- Employment Lawyer · 2Employment Law Associate · 0Employment Law Counsel · 0Employment Law Partner · 0Legal Counsel (Employment) · 0Senior Employment Lawyer · 0Senior Employment Solicitor · 0
- Residential Conveyancer
- Conveyancer · 7Conveyancing Assistant · 5Conveyancing Executive · 0Conveyancing Solicitor · 0Property Conveyancer · 0Residential Property Solicitor · 0Senior Conveyancer · 0
- Litigation Solicitor
- Commercial Litigation Solicitor · 3Dispute Resolution Solicitor · 1Dispute Resolution Lawyer · 0Litigation Counsel · 0Litigation Lawyer · 0Senior Litigation Solicitor · 0
- Commercial Property Solicitor
- Real Estate Associate · 3Real Estate Lawyer · 1Associate Commercial Property Solicitor · 0Commercial Property Lawyer · 0Real Estate Solicitor · 0Senior Commercial Property Solicitor · 0
- Legal Secretary
- Legal Administrator · 2Legal Secretary Assistant · 0Litigation Assistant · 0
- Corporate Solicitor
- Corporate Lawyer · 1Corporate Counsel · 0Senior Corporate Lawyer · 0
- Private Client Solicitor
- Private Client Lawyer · 1Estate Planning Solicitor · 0Probate Solicitor · 0Senior Private Client Solicitor · 0Trust and Estate Solicitor · 0Wills and Administration Solicitor · 0Wills and Probate Solicitor · 0
- Commercial Solicitor
- Business Lawyer · 0Commercial Lawyer · 0Senior Commercial Solicitor · 0
- Family Solicitor
- Child Law Solicitor · 0Divorce Lawyer · 0Family Law Associate · 0Family Law Specialist · 0Family Lawyer · 0Head of Family Law · 0Senior Family Solicitor · 0
Each role counts its own title and the related titles employers use for it, and an advert matching several of them counts once. Per-title counts overlap ("Senior Data Engineer" adverts also match "Data Engineer"), so they add up to more than the role total.
64 Leeds legal adverts came straight from the employer.
Behind each one is a hiring manager. OutputX turns adverts like these into named decision makers you can contact, with outreach written in your voice, in about ten minutes.
What the numbers say
- Paralegal is nearly half of the Leeds legal market: 48 of 99 adverts.
- Employment Solicitor (13) and Residential Conveyancer (12) are the next busiest roles.
- 20% of the month's adverts appeared in the last 7 days, a little slower than an even month.
What it means for recruiters
Leeds has the second-smallest advertised legal market of the cities we cover, at 99 adverts, and 65% are direct. Solicitor demand barely shows in adverts here, so the work is in direct approaches to firms rather than answering postings.
Questions recruiters ask
How many legal jobs are advertised in Leeds?
99 live legal job adverts were posted in Leeds and nearby towns in the 30 days to 6 October 2026, across the roles in this report and counted once each. 65% came direct from employers.
Which legal role is most in demand in Leeds?
Paralegal, with 48 live adverts. Next came Employment Solicitor (13) and Residential Conveyancer (12).
How does Leeds compare with other UK cities for legal jobs?
Leeds ranks fourth of the 5 cities we cover for legal adverts; London has 7.5× its volume. London: 742, Manchester: 181, Birmingham: 114, Leeds: 99, Bristol: 84.
How many legal adverts in Leeds come direct from employers?
64 of the 99 (65%) were posted by the employer itself; the rest came through recruitment agencies and other intermediaries.
Is legal hiring in Leeds speeding up or slowing down?
20% of the month's adverts were posted in the last 7 days, against about 23% in an even month, so legal hiring in Leeds looks steady.
Legal across the cities we cover
| # | City | Live adverts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | London | 742 |
| 2 | Manchester | 181 |
| 3 | Birmingham | 114 |
| 4 | Leeds | 99 |
| 5 | Bristol | 84 |
More reports for Leeds
- Tech recruitment in Leeds · 358 adverts
- Finance recruitment in Leeds · 221 adverts
How we measure
Live job adverts posted in the 30 days to 6 October 2026 in Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield, Wakefield, Halifax, Dewsbury, Batley, Castleford, from licensed job-advert data, each counted once per role. These are adverts, not vacancies: one vacancy can be advertised by several agencies. Full method →
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