The 3–7 PQE Squeeze: Where Have All the Mid-Level Lawyers Gone?
If there is one part of the Western Australia legal market where demand consistently outweighs supply, it is the 3–7 PQE Lawyer.
It is not a new challenge, but it has become increasingly noticeable. Whether we are speaking with General Counsel looking to strengthen an in-house team or Partners seeking their next Senior Associate, the same issue arises: experienced mid-level Lawyers are increasingly difficult to find.
So, where have they gone?
The mid-level sweet spot
There is a reason this group is in such demand.
By around 3–7 PQE, a good Lawyer can generally operate with a high degree of autonomy. They have developed technical capability, commercial judgement and confidence with stakeholders, while remaining close to the day-to-day work.
For an in-house legal team in particular, that combination is incredibly valuable. These Lawyers can step in, pick up work quickly and provide genuine capacity without requiring significant supervision.
The problem is that almost everyone is looking for them.
A smaller pool meeting strong Western Australia demand
There is no single reason for the shortage.
The disruption of the COVID years is one contributing factor. Graduate and junior cohorts entering the profession around that period experienced changes to recruitment, development, supervision and mobility. Several years later, that disruption is now being felt at the mid-level.
At the same time, Western Australia continues to generate significant demand for legal talent across resources, energy, infrastructure, construction and major projects.
Commercial, corporate, projects, construction and resources Lawyers are being sought by both law firms and in-house teams – often from the same relatively small talent pool.
And because Western Australian is a distinct legal market, simply relying on interstate or international talent to fill the gap is not always the answer.
Employers may need to rethink the brief
In a tight market, an overly narrow brief can make a difficult search even harder.
If the requirement is exactly five years’ PQE, direct sector experience, a particular law firm background and a very specific technical skill set, the potential pool can become very small, very quickly.
Sometimes the better question is: what does this person actually need to be able to do?
A strong commercial Lawyer from an adjacent sector may bring highly transferable skills. A Lawyer at 8 PQE may be a better fit than someone at 6. Someone returning from overseas or private practice may offer a different perspective that adds real value to an in-house team.
PQE is a useful guide. It should not always be a hard boundary.
Speed matters too
Good mid-level Lawyers rarely stay on the market for long.
Where there is genuine interest, employers need to be prepared to move. Multiple interview rounds, lengthy internal approvals and delays in making an offer can mean the candidate you wanted is no longer available.
That does not mean rushing the decision. It means having a clear process and being ready to act when you meet the right person.
Permanent is not always the immediate answer
There is also a tendency to assume every gap requires an immediate permanent hire.
Sometimes it does not.
A secondment can give a legal team experienced support quickly, particularly where there is a pressing workload issue, parental leave, a major transaction or project, or simply a permanent search that is taking longer than anticipated.
It can relieve the immediate pressure and give the business the breathing room to make the right permanent appointment rather than the fastest one.
What we are seeing in Western Australia
We do not see demand for quality mid-level Lawyers easing significantly in the short term.
For employers, that makes market knowledge, flexibility and strong networks increasingly important.
The organisations having the most success are often those willing to look beyond an exact job specification -considering capability and transferable skills, moving decisively when they find the right person, and being open to flexible resourcing models where appropriate.
In a market where the obvious candidates are receiving plenty of attention, knowing the broader Western Australia legal talent market – including the Lawyers who are not actively looking – can make all the difference.
