As London’s legal sector continues to face rising pressure from talent wars, law firms are employing different tactics to retain and attract lawyers.

This can include changing pay structures to reward top performers, enhancing bonus systems, offering loyalty payments, or ‘golden handcuffs’ as some call it. But another tactic which some say is in increasing use is imposing tighter policies on potential leavers to minimise departures. This can mean longer gardening leave periods, punitive non-competition clauses and a variety of profit claw back mechanisms.