Exactly one-third of lawyers surveyed said they plan to add jobs in the next quarter and just two percent expect to cut staff. The net 31-percent hiring increase is up five points from the previous quarter’s survey.
The hiring index is conducted by an independent research firm and is based on telephone interviews with 100 lawyers at law firms with 20 or more employees; and 100 corporate lawyers at companies with 1,000 or more employees. All of the respondents have hiring authorization within their organization.
Charles Volkert, executive director of Robert Half Legal, noted in a press release that 83 percent of respondents expressed confidence in their organizations’ prospects for growth.
“In particular, law firms specializing in bankruptcy, foreclosure and litigation are adding staff to meet increased demand for their services,” Volkert said. “Successive waves of bankruptcies and restructurings, along with a surge in labor relations and employment-related litigation, are fueling hiring.”
The survey also found that, despite a competitive legal jobs market, nearly half respondents (47 percent) said it is challenging to find skilled legal professionals, which is a 6 percent increase from the previous survey.
“Specific attributes that may have been listed as ‘preferable’ in a job posting in the past may now be ‘required,’ which narrows the range of viable candidates for a given position,” Volkert said.