Is there a recruitment fee?

No. The search, the vetting and the shortlist cost nothing, and there is no lock-in once a lawyer is placed.

What are typical annual rates for a South African lawyer?

Typical figures, excluding VAT: an experienced paralegal or newly qualified attorney around £18,000 to £21,000 per year, around £23,000 at three years of post-qualification experience, around £26,000 at five years, and around £30,000 at seven to eight years. Each lawyer sets their own rate, so the exact figure for a seat is quoted in writing.

What happens in the first month?

On a firm's first placement through Singularity, the first thirty days are at Singularity's risk. If the hire is not a success the firm ends it, pays nothing for the month, and Singularity still pays the lawyer.

Questions firms ask

What does a South African lawyer cost a UK law firm?

Up to 50% below the total cost of a comparable UK hire, for a vetted, High Court admitted attorney working full time and exclusively for your firm. There is no recruitment fee, and your first placement through Singularity begins with thirty days at our risk rather than yours.

The saving comes from exchange rates and cost of living, not from quality. A South African lawyer earning a strong professional salary in Rand costs a UK firm far less than the same seniority hired in the UK market, and we put the like-for-like comparison in writing before you commit.

What you pay, and what you do not

One monthly amount to Singularity covering the lawyer's engagement, payment and administration. One agreement sits behind it, short and in plain English.
No recruitment fee. The search, the vetting and the shortlist cost you nothing, which alone removes the four or five figure placement fee a conventional legal recruiter would charge.
No lock-in. If your needs change you are not trapped in a fixed term, and we replace the lawyer whenever you ask, whatever the reason.

Typical rates

Because each lawyer sets their own asking rate, every figure is individual. But these are the typical annual figures firms see. Each is the total price to your firm, excluding VAT, and the quote you receive for your seat is exact and in writing:

A high-aptitude paralegal with more than five years in your specific practice area: around £18,000 to £21,000 per year.
A newly qualified attorney: around the same as an experienced paralegal.
Around three years of post-qualification experience: around £23,000 per year.
Around five years of post-qualification experience: around £26,000 per year.
Seven to eight years of post-qualification experience: around £30,000 per year.

Beyond that, rates move with aptitude, pedigree and practice area, because every rate starts from what the individual lawyer asked to earn. Put any of these figures next to the total cost of the equivalent seat filled in the UK market and the arithmetic speaks for itself.

Your first placement's first thirty days cost nothing if it fails

On your first placement through Singularity, if you do not consider the hire a success in the first thirty days, for any reason, you end the arrangement, you are not billed for the month, and Singularity still pays the lawyer. Conventional recruiters charge their fee upfront and offer sliding rebates when it goes wrong. We would rather carry the risk ourselves.

Why the discount does not mean a discount lawyer

Every attorney we place is admitted to the High Court of South Africa, which requires an LLB, a period of practical vocational training and board examinations. Before any candidate reaches your shortlist they are scrutinised and interviewed by the lawyers on Singularity's own team. The economics are a function of geography; the quality bar is not.

On a 20-minute call we will show you the maths for the specific seat you are trying to fill.

Bring the seat you are struggling to fill.

Twenty minutes, no deck, no obligation. We will tell you honestly whether we can help.

Book a 20-minute call

Your first placement starts with thirty days at our risk, not yours.