35% of Canadian In-House Legal Departments Have Frozen Hiring

According to the 2009 Barometer survey of Canadian in-house counsel, 66% of in-house lawyers feel the economic situation has affected their legal department; 59% say they are conducting more work internally compared with six months ago; 75% of in-house counsel surveyed say that their legal departments have taken steps to rein in costs.

The survey reports that 38% of legal departments are decreasing the amount of work sent to outside firms.

The survey is conducted by Ipsos Reid for the law firm Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg and the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association.

More than one-third have implemented a hiring freeze, and 22% have cut their legal department budgets.

In-house lawyers report they still like their jobs, with 77% saying they would recommend becoming an in-house lawyer, and 80% recommending that a lawyer first work at a law firm before going corporate.