These hotspots of skills are popping up across industries, the guide revealed: “Demand will be high in-house for construction and property lawyers with at least three years PQE [post-qualification experience] in response to the flourishing infrastructure, residential and commercial markets.”

“Both front-end and back-end experience is sought; front-end lawyers are needed to provide contract advice while back-end lawyers are required to handle disputes that arise during or in the aftermath of a project,” Hays said.

Residential and commercial conveyancers and commercial litigation lawyers are similarly in high demand, with candidates showing “general commercial skills” for relevant industry projects becoming priorities for the in-house space.

“Lawyers with commercial contract experience remain highly sought after to negotiate, draft and review a wide variety of commercial agreements in relation to sales and services provided by or to a business.”

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The news follows early reporting from Lawyers Weekly that while more in-house lawyers will receive pay rises in their next employment reviews, traditional law firms will be more generous in terms of dollars.

Two-thirds (65 per cent) of employers will give corporate counsel a pay rise of less than three per cent in their next review, and 11 per cent will not increase salaries at all. A further 18 per cent will give staff an increase between three and six per cent, and just six per cent will receive a raise of six per cent or more.