- Legal Jobs
- Legal Articles
- Legal News
- BCG Law Firm News
- Law Firm News
- BCG Reports on Law Firms' Hiring Needs
Support PDF,DOC,DOCX,TXT,XLS,WPD,HTM,HTML fils up to 5MB
Total Legal Jobs
149,563
New Legal Jobs Added in Last 7 Days
31,917
Related Articles
Do It Yourself is a remarkable phenomenon catching up at every home
Tips on how to handle References while Interviewing at Job
2017 American State of the Legal Market Released by BCG Attorney Search
The choice of taking up a new offer in comparison to the present job : Q&A with BCG Attorney Search
Can a Second Year Associate Make a Lateral Move to Another Law Firm?


BCG Reports on Law Firms' Hiring Needs
by Tom Horne
( 12 votes, average: 4 out of 5)
What do you think about this article? Rate it using the stars above and let us know what you think in the comments below.
<<BCG Attorney Search typically places highly qualified attorneys in the highest-paying and most prestigious law firms, where most of the important legal work for the largest American and international corporations occurs. According to its recent press release, most of the attorneys BCG places make in excess of $150,000 a year, and the average partners in such firms typically make well over $500,000 a year.
"You can tell a lot about the overall economy based on law firms' hiring needs," said Harrison Barnes, Managing Director of BCG Attorney Search. "Our clients are the largest and most prestigious law firms, and when their work picks up, it is a sign that things are going well in the economy."
The results of the BCG Attorney Search statistical study reveal a continuing general increase in the demand for attorneys by America's top law firms. A few practice areas saw especially significant growth due to law firms' bringing aboard an additional number of associates and partners. The fastest-growing practice area was antitrust and trade regulation law, which witnessed an increase in demand for attorneys of a startling 1,200 percent when comparing November 2005 to November 2004.
"I've never seen so much growth in this practice area. Obviously there is a lot of concern about trade regulation in the current economic environment," said Barnes, "I think one only needs to read the news to realize this."
Internet/E-commerce law saw a 500-percent spike, and intellectual property litigation law experienced a 400-percent surge. "The increase in demand in these areas is very much reflective of the nationwide trend that is witnessing the growth of business activity in most parts of the country," said Barnes.
"The historically proven rule suggests picked up business activity is followed by increase demand for legal services and attorneys. The increase in the demand for corporate attorneys is particularly good news because corporate work tends to track the progress of the economy in real time." Barnes noted that areas like intellectual property litigation and patent prosecution often take months (or years) to slow down because of the amount of time it takes for the work to be completed.
"I anticipate seeing real estate slow down more in the next few months," Barnes noted. "It has been slowing down more and more, while corporate has been getting busier. On a more macro level, I believe this means people are now less risk-averse to the securities markets and are taking their money from the real estate market and putting it into stocks and securities. This is good for corporate America."
The biggest decrease in attorney demand in the last year was the practice area of trusts and estates law, which saw a decline of 38 percent. The proliferation of solo attorney firms that specialize in this area and whose labor-market dynamics are not tracked by BCG is the most plausible explanation for the decrease.
"Another explanation," said Barnes, smiling, "is that people are now so enthusiastic about the economy that they are not concerned about the future."
"You can tell a lot about the overall economy based on law firms' hiring needs," said Harrison Barnes, Managing Director of BCG Attorney Search. "Our clients are the largest and most prestigious law firms, and when their work picks up, it is a sign that things are going well in the economy."
The results of the BCG Attorney Search statistical study reveal a continuing general increase in the demand for attorneys by America's top law firms. A few practice areas saw especially significant growth due to law firms' bringing aboard an additional number of associates and partners. The fastest-growing practice area was antitrust and trade regulation law, which witnessed an increase in demand for attorneys of a startling 1,200 percent when comparing November 2005 to November 2004.
"I've never seen so much growth in this practice area. Obviously there is a lot of concern about trade regulation in the current economic environment," said Barnes, "I think one only needs to read the news to realize this."
Internet/E-commerce law saw a 500-percent spike, and intellectual property litigation law experienced a 400-percent surge. "The increase in demand in these areas is very much reflective of the nationwide trend that is witnessing the growth of business activity in most parts of the country," said Barnes.
"The historically proven rule suggests picked up business activity is followed by increase demand for legal services and attorneys. The increase in the demand for corporate attorneys is particularly good news because corporate work tends to track the progress of the economy in real time." Barnes noted that areas like intellectual property litigation and patent prosecution often take months (or years) to slow down because of the amount of time it takes for the work to be completed.
"I anticipate seeing real estate slow down more in the next few months," Barnes noted. "It has been slowing down more and more, while corporate has been getting busier. On a more macro level, I believe this means people are now less risk-averse to the securities markets and are taking their money from the real estate market and putting it into stocks and securities. This is good for corporate America."
The biggest decrease in attorney demand in the last year was the practice area of trusts and estates law, which saw a decline of 38 percent. The proliferation of solo attorney firms that specialize in this area and whose labor-market dynamics are not tracked by BCG is the most plausible explanation for the decrease.
"Another explanation," said Barnes, smiling, "is that people are now so enthusiastic about the economy that they are not concerned about the future."
Practice Areas | Increase/Decrease in Number of Jobs from 11/04 to 11/05 |
Antitrust and Trade Regulation | +1200% |
Bankruptcy | +8.33% |
Construction | +50% |
Corporate | +92% |
Employment | +13.64% |
Energy | no change |
Environmental | +133% |
ERISA/Employee Benefits | +14% |
Government | +20% |
Health Care | +33% |
Immigration | +200% |
Insurance | +175% |
Intellectual Property - Litigation | +400% |
Intellectual Property - Other | +200% |
Intellectual Property - Patent | +100% |
Intellectual Property - Trademark/Copyright | +350% |
Internet/E-Commerce | +500% |
Litigation | +25% |
Real Estate | +71% |
Tax | +61.54% |
Telecommunications | +300% |
Trust and Estates | -38% |
White Collar Crime | +100% |
Other | +50% |
Overall Increase in Number of Jobs at Top Law Firms | +71.52% |
- See Top 10 Reasons Most Law Firms Have No Idea How to Hire and Evaluate Patent Attorneys for more information.
Featured Testimonials
LawCrossing is a wonderful site. I can find legal jobs of my interest all over teh world!
Kelly
Facts
LawCrossing Fact #12: LawCrossing’s job board is industry-specific so you only view jobs in your career field.
Success Stories
- Eileen Baca-Penner New Mexico
Why You'll Love LawCrossing
Legal Job Market Updates
Stay Ahead. Get your weekly career digest giving you:
- the latest legal jobs
- legal employment news and trends
- career advice and more
Questions?
- What is LawCrossing?
- Who Else Is Ready to Never Have to Worry About Recessions and the Legal Job Market Again?
- Why Job Boards Are Evil!
- Blow Away Your Competition with LawCrossing
- Get More Employers to Respond to Your Applications and Hire You
- Why You Are Not Aware of 95% of the Jobs Out There
- Why LawCrossing's Marketing Problem is Good for You
- Why It is Important to See Every Job Site There is
- Private versus Public Job Boards
- Why You Need to Manage Your Job Search in One Place
- Who Else Wants Their Phone Ringing Off the Hook With Quality Job Interviews?
- Do Not Use Another Job Board Until You Read This

Already have access? Click here to login | Forgot your password
Sign up now for free access to this content
Enter your details below and select your practice area(s) of interest to stay ahead of the curve and receive Lawcrossing search daily newsletters.