Inept management - Recruitment Specialist Flex Legal Employee Review

3.0
Jan 9, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Relaxed hybrid working policy – genuinely flexible, with a good balance between office and remote days that supports work-life balance. Company socials and days out – regular events and team outings that feel fun and inclusive, helping build real connections. Lots of genuinely nice people – especially in support roles (ops, admin, marketing etc.), where colleagues are approachable, collaborative, and supportive day-to-day. The founder, Mary – incredibly lovely, sincere, and down-to-earth. She has real vision for the business and comes across as authentic and caring.

Cons

The culture can sometimes feel like an echo chamber—staff input is often ignored, and decisions rarely seem to reflect broader team feedback. Promotions appear to depend more on who shouts the loudest or has the closest ties to management than on actual skill, talent, or work ethic. I've heard of one team member receiving four promotions in a single year through this dynamic and their personal friendship with leaders, which significantly damaged morale across the business and contributed to noticeable staff churn.It's not the most progressive environment for driven, merit-focused people—if you're content to keep a low profile and go with the flow, you might fit in better. The founder and senior vision are strong, but management below that level often comes across as quite limited, with most leaders having a pure lawyer background and little real recruitment or people-management expertise. This shows in many decisions—for instance, significant budget (over £100,000) was spent trying to implement an EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) module that didn't really suit the business, when that money could have gone toward essential infrastructure or team priorities.Overall, while the acquisition by Mishcon de Reya brought potential, the day-to-day reality in recruitment feels hampered by these issues.

Explore other reviews about Flex Legal

5.0
Oct 20, 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Lovely staff. Great legal opportunities. Short-term and long-term opportunities.

Cons

There are no cons in my opinion.

3.0
Dec 18, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I am grateful to Flex Legal for giving me the opportunity to train as a solicitor. The best part about being a Flex Trainee is my mentor(s). I feel as though I can confide in them. I enjoy having a community of other trainees.

Cons

There are definitely some members of the Trainee Success team that present unconcious racial biases which have at times made myself and other trainees feel extremely uncomfortable and brought us to tears. This rather ironic given the ethos of the trainee scheme. During the readiness programme and the compulsory training sessions, we are made to feel as though we are back at school. I have to keep reminding myself that I am a working adult in a professional environment and not a 14 year old child in detention. The pay is also not great, another irony given the social mobility mantra and helping unrepresented groups get their foot in the door of the legal world, only to be massively underpaid in comparison to other trainees elsewhere (£25k+ difference). This is a further slap in the face when we realised how much Flex Legal charge the companies at which we are seconded to for our labour. We see less than half.

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