Sheffield legal firm SSB Law takes on 64 new staff during the pandemic

The positive news from SSB Law comes at a difficult time for the region, with reports revealing the number of people using Sheffield Council's employability service has doubled in the same period, with almost three in 10 jobs furloughed in the city, according to HM Revenue and Customs.The 69 new starters make up part of the 101 new hires which the legal firm has made in the past 12 months, the majority of which have been recruited to accounts, HR and the firm’s cavity wall claims department which has seen an influx of inquiries.Jeremy Brooke, co-founder and CEO of SSB Law, said: “During the lockdown, we identified substantial business needs across our team and the sheer amount of hires we have made is testament to our current and planned growth needs.“We have a vested commitment to ongoing local recruitment, especially in this incredibly tough climate where the job market is in freefall, and as one of the biggest employers in the region, we are very proud to be able to play our part.”SSB Law, part of the SSB Group, has recorded a 100 per cent growth in the past six months, against a legal sector backdrop which is facing crippling redundancies.

According to the Law Society, more than 60 per cent of high street solicitors said they could be out of business by the autumn due to cashflow pressures as a result of the pandemic lockdown and lack of cases.Mr Brooke said: “We have employed at a period when many other organisations in our sector are unable to provide reassurance to those on furlough, or any form of clarity to prospective candidates.

Brothers set up in business

"Many have even withdrawn offers of employment altogether, which is understandable given the extent of the current climate.“Some of those we have hired in the past few months were placed on the Job Retention Scheme by their employers with no certainty of a role to go back to.

"We’re pleased to have been able to help get them back into ongoing work as soon and as safely as possible.”The firm has worked alongside Sheffield University’s RISE employment scheme, offering employment to 15 graduates this month.It is also working to implement a Schools Partnership Programme to encourage students to consider a legal career, and dispel the myth that law degrees are a mandatory requirement.“We feel strongly that there needs to be a greater understanding among students of how to enter the legal sector. Many are under the misconception that a Law Degree is needed to get a foot in the door, but at SSB, we have extensive training programmes to demonstrate this doesn’t need to be the case,” said Mr Brooke.

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