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A New Look For Totum
We are Totum. And we’re looking a little…. Different. Why? Because the professional services industry is looking a little different too. Everyone can see where

Looking for work? Tips for temporary, contract and interim roles
Job-seeking during the pandemic may feel daunting but there are opportunities. We are here to provide support, so thought it would be helpful to take

We’ve made some changes
We are Totum. And we’re looking a little…. Different.Why? Because the professional services industry is looking a little different too. Everyone can see where it’s

What has been happening in professional services recruitment?
Founding Directors Tim Skipper & Deborah Gray, reflect on the last 11 weeks of Covid-19 and what has been happening in the world of professional

BD & Marketing in a time of Covid-19: Latest insights
Totum recently hosted another virtual networking session for marketing & business development leaders. The objective, to continue to share some of the challenges presented by

Lockdown Videos
During lockdown, we have seen and heard of some fantastic initiatives. Totum’s Gary Jones initiative was to put a smile on people’s faces. We think

Totum Talks: Working in the pandemic
LATEST NEWS & EVENTS Webinar: Furloughed or fearful? Join our Careers Clinic webinar for discussion and advice on managing your career in these uncertain times.

HR in a time of coronavirus – Part 4
Our highlights from our latest Zoom meeting with Heads of HR/HRDs. What does the future look like? Future focus It has been two weeks since

Finance leadership in law: A coronavirus perspective
In a piece first published in Financial Director magazine, Consultant Martyn Draper, who heads up Totum’s specialist finance and accounts division, looks at the role

5 minutes with Catherine Young
For our ‘5 minutes with …’ interview this month, we speak to Catherine Young. She has been with Totum since it started and is integral

Top tips for video interviewing
What makes for a successful video interview? We share our insights and experiences. As recruitment specialists and interviewers we know these can be difficult, so

BD & Marketing in a time of COVID-19
How is your team dealing with the coronavirus pandemic? We share highlights and ideas from our Zoom gathering of Directors and Heads of BD &

#RecruitmentLife during COVID-19
We hope you like our short films – our ways of keeping up the smiles and keeping together. Enjoy! March 2020 April 2020 Rocky :

Dealing with uncertainty: Temporary, contract and interim roles
In the weeks and months to come, we expect a rise in the number of temporary, interim and contract roles. We explore the trends and

Webinar: Furloughed or Fearful?
Join our ‘Careers Clinic’ webinar for discussion and advice on managing your career in these uncertain times. Managing uncertainty Your career is important to you

HR in a time of Coronavirus
In our latest quarterly meeting of Heads of HR / HRDs, we discussed the issues facing HR teams as they support their firms through the

5 tips for starting a new job during the pandemic
Restrictions due to Coronavirus give a whole new meaning to starting a new job. Our Totum Consultant Joanna Milne provides guidance for employers and employees

5 minutes with Brooke McClure
Brooke is one of Totum’s BD & marketing consultants dedicated to recruiting entry level marketing and business development roles. Here she shares her experiences of

HR in a time of Coronavirus – Part 2
Time flies during COVID-19 and, before we knew it, we were meeting up for a second Zoom meeting with Heads of HR / HRDs. Had

Future-proof your career
In a piece first published in PM Forum magazine, Consultant and Author Kim Tasso talks to Totum Consultants Rebecca Ellis and Julius Reeve about how

5 minutes with Tim Skipper
Recruitment rocks Tim Skipper, Managing Director at Totum, has partnered with law firms at a strategic leadership level to place both individuals and teams, including

My favourite clients and the secret of recruitment success
Leading the way We recruiters have the privilege of working with many different people and businesses. We go out of our way to give everyone

The role of the Head of Operations/Business Manager/Practice Manager: Impacting change
In a growing trend, we have been delighted to help more and more firms recruit Heads of Operations, Business Managers and Practice Managers into their

Working from home during Covid-19: Finding focus
In today’s workplace, most of us are familiar with working from home to some degree. But Covid-19 presents us with a whole different set of

Totum Talks: Still recruiting
Open for business Dear friends, Exactly a week ago today we temporarily closed the doors of our wonderful new office in Basinghall Street. Having only

What to do if you’re uncertain about your job during COVID-19
How you respond in times of change and uncertainty can define you. This is when your true colours are revealed – in both personal and

Leadership roles in law: Trends in Totum’s retained projects 2018
Business services professionals have taken on increasingly senior roles in law, as firms have recognised their huge contribution and their functions have grown in both

Latest research: 50:50 gender balance in Totum leadership recruitment
For some time, Totum has seen more women making headway at leadership levels in business services functions in law. But we are delighted to now

Totum Talks: Trends in leadership roles
LATEST NEWS & EVENTS Leadership roles in law: Trends in Totum’s retained projects 2018 Research into our business services leadership placements shows the rising influence

International focus part 1: Opportunities for business services professionals overseas
In a more globalised world, there are compelling reasons to consider spending at least part of your career overseas. And for business services professionals –

International focus part 2: Relocation relocation
In part 1 of this international focus we looked at some of the opportunities for business services professionals overseas – and why spending some of your

5 minutes with Elliot Nash
What is your background? I started working in resourcing with The John Lewis Partnership helping to bring in temporary and seasonal staff before moving to

Totum Talks: International career moves
LATEST NEWS & EVENTS International focus part 1: Opportunities for business services professionals overseas If you’d like to know what it would be like to

Interview success: How to secure your dream job offer
The post-holiday September period often comes with renewed enthusiasm to begin, or step up, a new job search. It may even be that you have

5 minutes with Martyn Draper
What is your background? I have been working in recruitment since 2002. Initially I recruited technical staff into building engineering consultancies and architectural practices and

Tales from the city: How I found my job in law
What was your initial approach to finding a job in the UK after moving from the US? My initial approach was to apply directly to

Adaptive mindset: How business services professionals are changing law
New capabilities in law The Legal Business 100 always provides useful insights into the legal marketplace. Together with the publication’s Global 100, released earlier in

Totum Talks: Recruiting trends in law firm business services
LATEST NEWS & EVENTS 5 minutes with Roisin Ashmore Our HR consultant Roisin Ashmore shares her thoughts on recruitment trends in HR, as well as

Broad horizons: Looking further afield for great talent in law
In a fast-changing legal environment, law firms are more interested than ever in exploring new sources of talent from other sectors. Likewise, talented candidates are

The price is right: The growth of the legal pricing function
The growing size, influence and demand on business service professionals in corporate law firms over the past decade has resulted in a significant evolution in

Presenting Totum’s ‘How to guides’: Recruiting key roles into your leadership team
Totum Partners has created comprehensive ‘How to guides’ to assist law firms in their search for critical leadership roles across business services functions. They have

Totum report: Recruiting trends in law firm business services
As specialists in business services in the legal sector, we know roles across management functions in law are on the rise. We have also seen

5 minutes with Roisin Ashmore
What is your background? Well, I was into all sorts of things when I was younger and I went to drama school. I knew that

The innovation conundrum: Interviews with Alex Smith, Reed Smith and Justin North, Janders Dean
Innovation in law may be the talk of the legal profession of late but what it really means in terms of legal service delivery is

Raconteur’s Legal Innovation report: The future of law
Predicting futures Raconteur’s special Legal Innovation report, featuring Totum, has been published today (Tuesday 27 November 2018) in The Times newspaper and The Times tablet/iPad edition. It is full

Pricing for enhanced profitability: Interview with Stuart Dodds
Pricing is a huge focus in today’s legal industry – and not surprisingly. As legal pricing expert Stuart Dodds explains in this interview with Totum

Career transitions roundtable: How L&D teams can support partner retirement
Totum Consultants Laura McNair and Roisin Ashmore, who recruit across all levels of HR roles, as well as broader positions in general management, recently hosted a breakfast

Raconteur report: A day in the life of the future lawyer
‘Being connected through the internet of things means stepping from home to car to office is a seamless data process of arranging the day’s agenda,

Project managing legal business: Interview with Kevin O’Sullivan, Baker McKenzie
Legal project management (LPM) has come a long way in a short time. Already, law firms are seeing a wide variance in the types of

Totum Talks: Pricing and the innovation conundrum
LATEST NEWS & EVENTS The innovation conundrum: Interviews with Reed Smith and Janders Dean How law firms can get to the heart of real innovation.

How to find the best business leaders in law
Talent at top Leadership roles are always tricky to recruit because organisations all need different qualities from their most senior staff. But it is arguably

The future workplace
Seminar highlights Business services roles in law have been growing in status for some time. Today’s most senior roles are truly leadership positions, with Director-level

Root and branch: Getting to the crux of real change in law
Law firms want to be their clients’ trusted advisors. But will clients spending millions in annual legal fees ever really trust a law firm whose

Totum Talks: Interviews, client relationships and the future workplace
LATEST NEWS & EVENTS Getting ready for interview If your new year resolution was to find a new job, then you might now be looking

Totum named in 2019 Timewise Power 50 awards
The Timewise Power 50 We are delighted to announce that one of our Founding Directors Deborah Gray has been recognised in the latest Timewise Power

5 minutes with Dee Deol
Tell us something people might not know about you? Too many to record here! Apart from wearing bear costumes when walking the recent 15-mile Marsden

Totum talks: Supporting business services leaders in law
LATEST NEWS & EVENTS Supporting business services leaders in law Recruiting a business services leadership team has never been more challenging or vital. Our report

International relocation: An insider’s view
In the past few years, business services in law have gone international, with Totum increasingly working on either placements overseas or helping international candidates to relocate

5 minutes with Tiffany Sims
Tell us something people might not know about you? I would be pretty surprised if there was anything, I am a bit of an open

Totum Talks: BD and Marketing Update Spring 2019
Welcome to the spring issue of Totum’s BD and marketing newsletter. The first quarter of 2019 has been incredibly busy with BD and marketing roles

Opportunity knocks: Recruiting trends in business services in law
As specialists in business services in the legal sector, we know roles across management functions in law have evolved massively. Since we started recruiting into

Law firms compete to attract talented business leaders from other sectors
Business services professionals from across BD and marketing, HR, finance and IT have taken on increasingly senior roles in law, as firms have recognised their

Totum Talks: The future of BD and marketing
LATEST NEWS & EVENTS Forthcoming events: Secret Horizons and Law Rocks! Details of two events involving Totum – one on the future of BD and

The whole you: Personal branding for career success
Last week we had a training session with Shona Rowan (Performance and Mindset Coach, International Speaker, NLP Practitioner and former International Ballroom Dancing Champion) on

How to negotiate your salary
Valuing your worth It’s fantastic to receive a job offer – likely the culmination of an interview process that has taken time, hard work and

Proof of value? Business leaders in law must demonstrate worth
Business services professionals from across BD and marketing, HR, finance and IT have taken on increasingly senior roles in law, as firms have recognised their

BD and marketing in law: New roles, new horizons
BD and marketing: Changing times Business development (BD) and marketing is a sophisticated business services function in law, offering a huge breadth and depth of

Totum’s Commitment to Diversity
Our 2019 diversity report Totum’s latest diversity report (click here to view the full PDF) shows our sustained commitment to building recruitment practices that promote

Podcast: Trends in business services offerings in law
Business in law: The podcast We were delighted to recently record a podcast with Infinite Global on the changing face of business services in the

Totum talks: Diversity and new business roles in law
LATEST NEWS & EVENTS Podcast: Trends in business services offerings in law Tim Skipper chats to Jamie Obertelli at Infinite Global about the changing landscape

Janders Dean – #JDHorizons – innovation, cocktails and a feline guest speaker
What more could you want at 10am on a Friday than a DIY Mojito? As it was my first Janders Dean event I had been

Podcast highlights: The changing business services landscape
The changing business services landscape We recently published our first podcast featuring Totum’s Tim Skipper and Jamie Obertelli of Infinite Global, chatting about the evolution

5 minutes with Rebecca Ellis
Tell us something people might not know about you? This is always a difficult question. I have two children or a tattoo?! Or, perhaps, I

Totum Talks: Salary and Benchmarking Survey
LATEST NEWS & EVENTS Introducing Totum’s Salary and Benefits Survey 2019 Join our workshop showcasing our new Salary and Benefits Survey, a product successfully piloted with six

Head of HR breakfast seminar: Salaries, engagement and wellbeing
Our HR team at Totum was delighted to host the first of our Head of HR breakfast seminars on 2 July at Canto Corvino in

Podcast: The nuances between UK and US marketing and BD landscapes
US/UK market insights Totum’s Rebecca Ellis and Calibrate Legal’s Jennifer Johnson Scalzi discuss the nuances between the US and UK law firm marketing & BD

What is respect?
#Respect 1[uncountable, singular] respect (for somebody/something) a feeling of admiration for someone or something because of their good qualities or achievements. We asked you to think of

Legal Innovators: Making change a reality
Innovation centre-stage We are pleased to announce that Totum Consultant Julius Reeves will be speaking at a panel session at the inaugural Legal Innovators, a

Myth busting! The truth about bid management roles
A career in bids Bid roles are so important, not just for the business you work for but for an individual’s career development too. Deborah

Breakfast seminar: The role of the practice manager
Our HR & Operations team at Totum (Laura McNair and Roisin Ashmore) recently held a breakfast seminar, our second event of this kind for law

Totum Talks: The truth about bid management
LATEST NEWS & EVENTS Myth busting: The truth about bid management roles Deborah Fleming at Walker Morris tells us why bid roles are so important

Breakfast seminar: The role of L&D in improving client service
Totum Consultants Laura McNair and Roisin Ashmore, who recruit across all levels of HR roles, as well as broader positions in general management, recently hosted their second

5 minutes with Joanna Milne
Trial by fire What is your background? I joined recruitment in 2007, just after the collapse of Northern Rock. Looking back, starting off in recruitment

Podcast highlights: The CFO role and its impact on law
In recent years, many of the top-50 UK law firms have recruited new Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) or Finance Directors (FDs), with the increasing use of

Totum Talks: The seven deadly sins of recruitment
LATEST NEWS & EVENTS Top tips for law firms: How to NOT recruit the person you really want We share our insights on the most

Podcast: The future of HR in law
HR in law: Coming of age In this podcast, Totum Director Deborah Gray talks to Laura McNair, who heads up Totum’s HR & Operations team,

Podcast highlights: The future of HR in law
This is a particularly exciting time for HR professionals working in the legal sector, as their roles become evermore strategic, commercial and embedded in the

Podcast: Careers in law management
Trends in operations Listen to “Careers in law management: Now and in the future” on Spreaker. In a podcast published by the Law Management Section,

Podcast: The role of the Chief Operating Officer
COOs: Tried, tested and ready for more There are a number of reasons why more law firms are recruiting COOs: to support the increasingly broad

Totum Talks: What makes for a good COO in law?
LATEST NEWS & EVENTS Podcast: The role of the COO What makes for a good COO? Directors Gary Jones and Deborah Gray discuss the increasing

Roundtable highlights: HR in smaller firms
Roundtable discussion Totum Consultants Laura McNair and Elliot Nash, who recruit across all levels of HR roles, as well as broader positions in general management, were recently

Unlocking lock-up: Working capital roles go strategic
Mission critical: Unlocking cashflow Managing a firm’s revenue / working capital lifecycle is a significant responsibility in a legal profession that has a huge amount

Totum Talks: Trends in law 2020
LATEST NEWS & EVENTS Unlocking lock-up: Working capital roles go strategic Firms need senior professionals in revenue management. We explore the latest trends and capabilities

IWD 2020: Women in law
Enabling equality In tweets in honour of International Women’s Day (IWD) 2020, Janders Dean has been name dropping inspiring women in law, including our Consultant

The life of a Managing Partner & the importance of business operations
Leadership in a changing landscape It’s not often the whole recruitment team gets to meet the Managing Partner of a successful law firm – one