Case Study: Rothera Bray & Vanilla Recruitment
Rothera Bray is a law firm with offices in Nottingham, Leicester, Derby, Beeston, Market Harborough, Mapperley, and West Bridgford. They have been providing legal services in the East Midlands for over 200 years, tracing their roots back to 1824. The firm offers a wide range of legal services for both businesses and individuals, including commercial law, property law, family law, and dispute resolution. They are known for their customer service and have been recognised as a Legal 500 firm.
The Market Harborough office is located in the centre of the high street, and was previously known in the town as Bray & Bray. They merged with Rotheras to become Rothera Bray in September 2023.
Andrew Hitchon, a Partner at Rothera Bray Solicitors, explains, “Our team is the most important thing we have. Being a service provider, we are only as good as our people and their expertise. That’s why recruitment is hugely important—and why, as Partners, we’re so actively involved”
Challenges
Rothera Bray Solicitors faced several recruitment challenges as they continued to grow their team and deliver high-quality legal services:
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Candidates are open to exploring new roles, but this also means increased counter-offers from current employers, making it harder to secure hires.
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The firm often needs to fill roles at short notice, requiring a quick and reliable recruitment turnaround.
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Rothera Bray place a premium on finding people who align with their values and demonstrate the right legal knowledge and client service skills.
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Why Vanilla Recruitment?
Rothera Bray chose Vanilla Recruitment for their deep local insight and respectful, partnership-led approach:
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Relationship-first mindset: Unlike some recruiters, Vanilla took time to understand the business and build trust, rather than chasing short-term wins.
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Professional communication: The team avoided high-pressure sales tactics, respecting the pace and priorities of Rothera Bray’s busy working environment.
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Industry knowledge: Vanilla demonstrated a clear understanding of professional services hiring, particularly for legal support and administrative functions.
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Solution & Approach
Vanilla Recruitment took a hands-on, consultative approach from the start, working closely with Rothera Bray to understand their structure and hiring needs. Job specs were tailored to each role, with a particular focus on urgent and temporary vacancies.
All candidates were interviewed face-to-face, ensuring strong alignment in skills, motivations, and cultural fit. This helped reduce unsuitable placements and improved offer acceptance rates. Vanilla maintained open communication and responded quickly to last-minute needs, often placing familiar temps to minimise disruption and reduce training time.
Conclusion
The relationship between Rothera Bray and Vanilla Recruitment is built on trust, shared values, and a clear understanding of what makes a great hire.
Vanilla consistently delivers with speed, honesty, and minimal disruption, making them more than a supplier, but a valued recruitment partner.
Results & Impact
Since partnering with Vanilla Recruitment, Rothera Bray has experienced:
Fast turnaround on urgent roles – Temporary positions filled quickly and accurately.
Improved efficiency and reduced onboarding time through familiar, reliable candidates.
Strong candidate vetting led to better offer acceptance and long-term fit.
Some of the roles we have filled:
Solicitors • Legal Executives • Paralegals • Account Managers • Marketing • Administrators
Andrew sums it up best:
“Vanilla Recruitment works with honesty and integrity, which we greatly value—especially for last-minute requests. We know we can trust them to deliver.”