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Litigation to Generate Greatest Number of Legal Jobs

TORONTO, Jan. 8, 2015 /CNW/ - One-third (33 per cent) of lawyers interviewed for a new Robert Half Legal survey said their law firms or companies will be adding legal jobs in the first half of 2015. Fifty per cent of lawyers said they expect to only fill vacant posts, while 11 per cent said they would neither fill vacant positions nor create new ones. None of the respondents anticipate staff reductions in the next six months.

Litigation is expected to yield the most job opportunities from January through June of 2015, according to 35 per cent of attorneys surveyed. Within the litigation practice area, commercial litigation was cited by 43 per cent of lawyers as the leading driver of job growth, followed by insurance defense (25 per cent).

The survey was developed by Robert Half Legal, a legal staffing and consulting services firm specializing in lawyers, law clerks and other highly skilled legal professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on 150 telephone interviews with lawyers of the largest law firms and legal departments in Canada. All of the respondents have hiring authority within their organizations.

Lawyers were asked, "Which one of the following practice areas, in your opinion, will offer the greatest number of job opportunities in the first half of 2015?" Their responses:*

*Total percentage does not equal 100 due to rounding.

Lawyers who cited "litigation" as a response also were asked, "Which of the following areas of litigation, if any, will offer the greatest job opportunities in the first half of 2015?" Their responses:**

**Multiple responses were permitted.

"The legal job market is expected to see modest gains as we start the new year," said John Ohnjec, division director of Robert Half Legal. "Law firms are taking a strategic approach when making hiring decisions, adding headcount to ensure they can meet client demands in profitable practice areas. Experienced legal professionals are in high-demand as law firms handle increasing litigation caseloads, especially in the areas of insurance defense and commercial litigation."

Ohnjec noted that legal departments are seeking privacy and intellectual property, compliance, and commercial law experts to meet the rising need for legal services. "Increasingly, general counsel are hiring talented in-demand professionals on a project or part-time basis as a cost-effective strategy to tap into specialized skills that may not exist internally within the organization," he added.

Sixty-six per cent of lawyers surveyed cited at least some challenge in finding skilled legal professionals. Ohnjec noted that in many Canadian markets, skilled candidates with expertise in the most sought-after practice areas are often receiving multiple job offers.

Employee retention is a chief concern at many organizations, the research finds, 42 per cent of lawyers expressed concern about losing legal personnel to other job opportunities. "Employers need to regularly benchmark compensation levels to remain competitive in today's market. In today's market, employers are offering performance-based and spot bonuses to retain skilled professionals," Ohnjec said.

Aside from increased compensation, 42 per cent of lawyer's surveyed said challenging work or a variety of assignments provide the greatest incentive for legal professionals to remain with an employer. Flexible work arrangements ranked second, receiving 27 per cent of the survey response, followed by professional development opportunities, cited by 13 per cent of respondents. "Some law firms are expanding their pro bono workload to offer associates the opportunity to work on a diverse range of cases. Others are offering immediate access to benefits programs and accommodating the need for work-life balance to attract today's multigenerational workforce," said Ohnjec.

About Robert Half Legal
Robert Half Legal is the legal staffing and consulting services division of Robert Half. A premier legal employment agency, Robert Half Legal provides highly skilled legal professionals for law firms and corporate legal departments on a temporary, project and full-time basis. With North American and global locations, the company offers a full suite of legal staffing and consulting services to help organizations manage constantly changing workloads and access expertise across in-demand legal practice areas. More information, including online job search services, can be found at roberthalflegal.com. Follow our Legal Blog at blog.roberthalflegal.com or follow twitter.com/roberthalf_CAN for workplace news.

SOURCE Robert Half Legal

Image with caption: "Where the Legal Jobs are in 2015 (CNW Group/Robert Half Legal)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150108_C5222_PHOTO_EN_10008.jpg