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One in Four Attorneys Polled Plan to Add Staff This Year

By ParalegalGateway.com

MENLO PARK, Calif. March 26/PRNewswire/ -- Despite a down economy and layoffs in the legal field, one-quarter (25 percent) of lawyers interviewed recently said their organizations would be adding personnel in the next 12 months. The majority (65 percent) of survey respondents forecast no change in staffing levels while one in 10 attorneys said their firms and corporations would be reducing the size of their teams in the coming year. The two practice areas anticipated to experience the most growth, according to those polled, are bankruptcy and litigation.

The survey was developed by Robert Half Legal, a leading staffing service specializing in attorneys, paralegals and other highly skilled legal professionals. It was conducted from Feb. 11-27, 2009, by an independent research firm and includes responses from 300 attorneys among the largest law firms and corporations in the United States and Canada. All respondents have at least three years of experience in the legal field.

Lawyers were asked, "Do you expect the number of lawyers employed with your law firm/corporate legal department to increase, stay the same or decrease in the next 12 months?" Their responses:

 Increase      25%
 Stay the same     65%
 Decrease      10%
       100%

Lawyers also were asked, "In your opinion, which one of the following areas of law will experience the most growth in the next 12 months?" Their responses:

 Bankruptcy     51%
 Litigation     31%
 Ethics and corporate governance   6%
 Intellectual property    4%
 Real estate     1%
 Mergers and acquisitions    1%
 Labor relations/employment    1%
 Other      2%
 Don't know      3%
       100%

"The current recession and financial crisis have increased demand for bankruptcy services and resulted in a higher volume of litigation," said Charles Volkert, executive director of Robert Half Legal. "In response, law offices are hiring lawyers and other legal professionals on a full-time and project basis to augment their practice offerings."

Volkert noted that law firms are seeking attorneys with three or more years of experience who have handled all phases of litigation including discovery, motions, trials and appeals. "Firms busy with bankruptcy and foreclosure work are in need of associates who can assist clients with restructuring efforts and represent both debtors and creditors in Chapters 7, 11 and 13 proceedings."

SOURCE Robert Half Legal

Full post as published by ParalegalGateway Blawg on March 26, 2009 (boomark / email).