Zoning in on areas of growth

In recent times bankruptcy and litigation have been growth areas within many firms, and a new survey shows this trend is apt to continue.
In the Robert Half Legal poll, nearly one in three lawyers — 32 percent — cited bankruptcy/foreclosure as the area that will experience the most growth in the next three months.
Another 22 percent believed litigation would exhibit the strongest growth within this time frame.
The survey was developed by Robert Half Legal, a staffing service specializing in attorneys, paralegals and other highly skilled legal professionals.
It was conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from 300 attorneys from among the largest law firms and corporations in the United States and Canada.
All respondents have at least three years of experience in the legal field.
Lawyers were asked, “In your opinion, which one of the following areas of law will experience the most growth in the next three months?
Thirty-two percent cited bankruptcy/foreclosure, 22 percent picked litigation, 10 percent pointed to labor and employment, six percent thought it would be intellectual property and five percent picked ethics and corprorate governance.
At the same time, three percent selected environmental law, two percent cited general business/commercial law and one percent picked healthcare. Another six percent of respondants mentioned a variety of other issues while 13 percent failed to respond to the question or said they did not know.
“Economic conditions continue to fuel demand for specialists in bankruptcy and litigation,” said Charles Volkert, executive director of Robert Half Legal. “These specialties are broad in scope, since they are not restricted to specific industries or client types.
“Their wide reach, combined with the complex financial issues that individuals and businesses face, may result in ongoing demand in this area.”
Volkert added that the need for legal professionals is especially strong within small-to-midsize firms.
“The uptick in litigation for insurance defense, personal injury, labor and employment, medical malpractice, and foreclosure is driving the need for experienced professionals in these areas,” he said.
 

––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
http://www.legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available