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LawCrossing: Law Firms and Corporations Continue to Hire at a Steady Pace
March 21, 2007
According to figures recently released by LawCrossing, the world's largest legal career-placement website, law firms and corporations are continuing to bring in new talent, as the numbers of law firm and in-house job openings have steadily crept up.

The first quarter of 2007 showed an overall increase in hiring in the private sector, which helped to counterbalance a steady decline in government hiring for legal professionals. The number of job openings in law firms jumped to its highest level in December 2006 and dipped slightly in January 2007, only to rebound in February and climb even higher in March. The number of available in-house positions held fairly steady throughout much of 2006 but spiked to its highest level near the beginning of the new year. February posted the highest level of hiring for in-house positions, and the numbers fell only slightly from this peak in March.

Government hiring saw peaks and troughs in 2006. However, the number of available legal positions within the government hit a low point in the latter half of 2006, and the market has not recovered from this weak position.

The news is mixed for legal support professionals. Hiring for information technology personnel has soared, with the number of open positions rising by 177%. Overall demand for public-relations and marketing specialists has also been strong, as the numbers of open positions in these fields jumped by 85%. In contrast, hiring trends for librarians and legal administrators have been weaker; hiring in these areas fell by 40% and 60%, respectively.

Regionally, hiring has been brisk in the West across the board and steady in the South and Southwest. Western law firms, in particular, have been hiring at a rapid pace. In March 2006, law firms in the Western region advertised 2,408 job openings. In March 2007, that number rose to 3,665, with a significant portion of that increase occurring in the first quarter of this year. The number of in-house positions in the West also rose during the last three months from 1,720 to 1,798. In contrast, the number of government positions in the West fell from 545 in January to 486 this month.

In the Southwest region, the number of law firm positions has risen by 81 since February, with a modest decrease of 63 in-house positions and nine government jobs. Overall, hiring was up in the private sector in the Southwest. Since March 2006, law firms in the region have added 84 positions and the number of in-house openings has risen by 62, while the government sector has lost 17 openings.

In the Northeast, the contrast between robust hiring in the private sector and slowing job growth in the government sector has been even more pronounced. The total number of job openings at law firms rose from 2,451 in March 2006 to the current number of 2,747. In the first quarter of 2007, the number of law firm positions dipped slightly in January to 2,380 and then rose to 2,658 in February, only to jump to its current level in March. The number of in-house positions also rose from 1,490 in January to 1,585 this month. However, the number of government jobs fell from its high of 361 in March 2006 to 168 this month. The availability of government positions fell sharply in the last quarter of 2006 and continued to decline modestly through the first quarter of 2007.

Job growth held fairly steady in other regions of the country. The numbers of job openings in law firms and corporations inched up in the Mid-Atlantic region over the last 12 months, although gains during one month were repeatedly undercut by losses during the next. Overall, the number of government positions has fallen in the Mid-Atlantic region, with a recent decline from 394 openings last month to 321 positions this month.

The South has shown an increase of 129 law firm positions since last month and a decrease of 70 in-house positions and 39 government positions. The Midwest added 159 law firm jobs in March and has added 302 jobs since January. The number of in-house job openings fell by 97 over the last month, although the current number of openings—1,683—is reflective of normal hiring patterns for in-house positions in the Midwest. The number of government positions declined in the Midwest by 63 during the last month.

LawCrossing CEO Harrison Barnes noted that, in spite of the uneasy national economy, the legal industry is experiencing steady growth overall. However, he noted that in the absence of a booming legal market, legal professionals must be cautious when considering career changes and should take the time to find the right positions and secure the right representation before making their moves. "We are pleased with the overall rise in legal positions," said Barnes. "However, we caution anyone in the market to use a professional to help find the best position. At LawCrossing, we are experts in our field and can find anyone the right position regardless of the trends."

LawCrossing's team of 200 researchers and editorial staff monitors the hiring trends of more than 1 million legal employers. With more than 50,000 U.S. legal jobs in its database, LawCrossing counts tens of thousands of law students, attorneys, and legal staff professionals as members.
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