The State of Legal Hiring

The State of Legal Hiring The State of Legal Hiring The State of Legal Hiring: July-December 2019 from Robert Half STATE OF LEGAL HIRING: JANUARY â€" JUNE 2019 Where the Legal Jobs Are in the U.S. Practice areas expected to offer the greatest number of job opportunities in the first half of 2019: Litigation (32%) Privacy, data security, information law (12%) General business or commercial law (11%) Ethics/corporate governance (11%) Areas of litigation expected to offer the greatest number of job opportunities:* Commercial litigation (48%) Insurance defense (41%) Employment (36%) Top full-time legal jobs being added:* Lawyer (77%) Legal secretary (57%) Paralegal (51%) Top criteria for employers when hiring lawyers, aside from legal knowledge: Practice area expertise (36%) Technology skills/digital expertise (18%) Client contacts/book of business (15%) 47% of lawyers plan to expand legal teams in the next six months. 22% of open positions will be filled on a temporary, project or consulting basis. Only top responses are shown. *Multiple responses were permitted. Source: Legal online survey of 200 lawyers with law firms and companies in the United States. © 2018 Legal. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. STATE OF LEGAL HIRING: JANUARY â€" JUNE 2019 Hiring and Retention Concerns in the U.S. 91% of lawyers said it is challenging to find skilled legal professionals today. Greatest challenges when hiring skilled legal professionals: Shortage of qualified candidates (44%) Meeting salary expectations (23%) Offering competitive benefits (20%) 80% of lawyers are concerned with losing top legal performers to other opportunities in the next six months. Best retention incentives, aside from compensation or bonus: Flexible work arrangements (38%) Professional development opportunities (26%) Company perks (12%) Only top responses are shown.