Research by staffing firm Robert Half Legal indicates 31 percent of law firms intend to add to their staff in the second half of 2013. Furthermore, 50 percent of firms will be maintaining current employment levels by filling vacancies. This research, combined with the growing trend of hiring professionals on a contingent basis, may signal a coming increase in the hiring of contract workers in the legal field.
Litigation activity is driving many firms to consider hiring. Temporary workers in the law profession are often contracted to work for the duration of a case or set of related cases to bring their particular expertise to a firm. This kind of contingent work in the legal field may grow as litigation activity also increases. Of those lawyers surveyed, 16 percent reported that it is very difficult to find skilled professionals in the field. This may drive a desire to retain workers with very specific skills on a temporary basis.
The survey included 100 respondents from firms with 20 or more employees. Firms in this range may, as the ACA looms, wish to keep their permanent staff below 50 people. As an employer of record, a staffing firm can help law firms bring on necessary talent without courting legal trouble of their own.