Survey: 26% of Firms Look to Expand in Second Quarter

A U.S. jobs survey indicates 26 percent of law firms expect to increase staff in the second quarter of the year while none are expecting to cut jobs. The response to the first quarterly survey conducted by The Robert Half Professional Employment Report was the highest among all employment sectors. Overall, the survey shows 10 percent of executives planned to increase the number of full-time professionals it employs and six percent expected to cut staff.

Brett Good, a Robert Half International district president, explained the anticipated legal uptick in a press release.

“Hiring in the legal profession is likely a result of unusually large-scale downsizings by many law firms in the early months of the recession,” Good said. “Consequently, a number of firms are now in a position where they must hire to keep pace with client demands. The downturn also has had a stimulative effect on certain practice areas, such as bankruptcy and foreclosure law, fueling hiring by law firms focusing on these specialties.”

The Robert Half Professional Employment Report focuses only on professional occupations because, as the release notes, the unemployment rate in the professional sector can differ from the general rate. “For example, in recent years, the U.S. unemployment rate for workers with college degrees has been about half that of the overall unemployment rate,” said Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International.