Legal Hiring To Rise First Quarter of 2011

The 31 percent represents a seven-point increase over the fourth quarter of 2010. Attorney positions represent 91 percent of the positions that the employers surveyed are looking to fill. Though there was an increase in available jobs, it still leaves a hefty majority of 58% not planning to do any hiring in 2011.
The survey respondents consist of 100 lawyers at law firms with 20 plus employees and 100 corporate lawyers at companies with 1,000 or more employees. All of those surveyed have hiring responsibilities at their respective firms. According to Charles Volkert, the executive director of Robert Half Legal, ''The survey results are certainly positive for the legal industry as a whole. It shows some confidence returning to the legal marketplace.''

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However, while hiring may be up, this isn't necessarily good news for those attorneys who have been laid off in the past couple of years. According to the Am Law Daily, recruiters are looking for currently employed lawyers, as opposed to those who are simply looking for work. Those in the best position to be hired are midlevel associates.

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Margie Grossberg, a partner at Major Lindsey & Africa, explained, ''The sweet spot is midlevel associates. Associates in the classes of 2005 to 2007 who are extremely well-credentialed and qualified in an academic and work-experience sense are the most sought-after.''