Headcount Over Time
Total Employee Count i
Apr 2024 – Apr 2026
Median tenure: 4.8 years
Headcount Milestones i
Point-in-time employee counts
Apr 2024
7,896
Oct 2024 +1.9% 6m
8,047
Apr 2025 +1.7% 6m
8,187
Oct 2025 +1.6% 6m
8,319
▶ Apr 2026 (current)
8,359
Growth rates
Workforce Composition
Employee Distribution by Function i
Share of total headcount (8,359 employees)
Legal2,630 (31%)
Entrepreneurship626 (7%)
Administrative480 (6%)
Information Technology390 (5%)
Business Development370 (4%)
Finance319 (4%)
Human Resources267 (3%)
Operations250 (3%)
Accounting214 (3%)
Education151 (2%)
Other2,662 (32%)
Headcount Growth by Function i
6-month and 1-year growth rates by department
| Function | 6m | 1y |
|---|---|---|
| Legal | ▲+4% | ▲+8% |
| Entrepreneurship | ▼−1% | ▲+2% |
| Administrative | ▲+1% | ▲+2% |
| Information Technology | ▼−1% | ●0% |
| Accounting | ●0% | ▼−4% |
| Business Development | ●0% | ▼−1% |
| Education | ▼−15% | ▼−5% |
| Finance | ▼−4% | ▼−1% |
| Human Resources | ▼−1% | ▼−4% |
| Operations | ▼−2% | ▼−2% |
Headcount growth — 6 months (by function)
Hiring Activity
New Hires per Month i
Oct 2025 – Mar 2026 · 1,113 total new hires
Clifford Chance recorded 1,113 new hires between Oct 2025 and Mar 2026. February 2026 was the peak month at 277, while December saw a sharp dip to 82. The 6-month company-wide hiring growth rate was -57%.
Job Openings (Q1 2026)
Open Positions by Function i
Q1 2026 · 107 total openings
Legal41 (38%)
Finance11 (10%)
Business Development8 (7%)
Administrative7 (7%)
Information Technology7 (7%)
Human Resources6 (6%)
Program/Project Mgmt6 (6%)
Education5 (5%)
Engineering4 (4%)
Sales3 (3%)
Real Estate2 (2%)
Research2 (2%)
Other5 (5%)
Job Openings Growth i
3m & 6m growth by department
| Function | 3m | 6m |
|---|---|---|
| Legal | ▼ -7% | ▲ +17% |
| Finance | ▼ -15% | ● 0% |
| Business Development | ▲ +100% | ▼ -20% |
| Administrative | ▲ +75% | ▲ +17% |
| Education | ▼ -50% | ▼ -55% |
| Engineering | ▲ +300% | ▲ +400% |
| Human Resources | ▼ -25% | ▼ -33% |
| Information Technology | ▲ +17% | ▲ +75% |
| Program & Project Mgmt | ▲ +500% | ▲ +50% |
| Real Estate | ▼ -33% | ▲ +100% |
| Research | ▲ +100% | ● 0% |
| Sales | ▲ +300% | ▲ +200% |
| Total | ▲ +5% | ▼ -5% |
Notable 3-month job openings changes
Company Focus Areas
Strategic Priorities i
Strategic priorities · Source: LinkedIn
Brand Refresh and Strategic Positioning
Clifford Chance has undertaken a brand refresh to position its brand as a strategic asset, emphasizing its commitment to creating advantage for clients as their trusted legal and strategic partner.
Global Growth Strategy
The firm is focused on global growth, as evidenced by its recent hiring of key partners in strategic markets such as the US to strengthen its global private capital offering.
