A recession proof profession?

April 4th, 2008 at 11:43am Nate Legue

Times look tough for hiring in a number of industries, but there’s one profession expected to continue growing; one that everyone wants to see more of: Lawyers.

<insert canned laugh track here>

But seriously folks, a recent survey of 300 attorneys in the U.S. and Canada found that 45 percent of law firms and corporations plan to hire new attorneys in the next several months, according to lawyer staffing agency, Robert Half Legal.

Half of those surveyed said staff at their firm or legal department would stay the same during the next year and only 3 percent expected a drop. Of course, the legal world is somewhat insulated from downturns in the economy, but previous market catastrophes — the savings and loan scandal of the early ’90s and the dot-com debacle earlier this decade — have put attorneys out of work.

Still, the reasons for legal hiring confidence are clear in this survey. Most respondents think that there will be growth in bankruptcy law (25 percent), litigation (24 percent) and ethics and corporate governance practice (17 percent).

So I guess somebody benefits when the economy tanks as businesses go under, people sue each other and new government regulations are proposed.

Entry Filed under: Hiring, Statistics