Legal Staff Stays Steady While In-House Legal Spending Takes a Dip

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Feature

Legal Staff Stays Steady While In-House Legal Spending Takes a Dip By Todd Schultz According to a new survey conducted by Hildebrandt Baker Robbins, for the first time in a decade, in-house legal departments in the U.S. are cutting back spending.

The Hildebrandt Baker Robbins 2010 Law Department Survey showed a 1 percent dip in nation-wide legal spending. Worldwide, that number doubled, reaching 2 percent. Outside legal spending in the country fell even harder, tumbling 5 percent in the U.S. and 6 percent across the world. The numbers are somewhat surprising when one considers that each of the last nine years demonstrated increases between 5 and 9 percent in total legal spending. However, while in-house legal departments have cut their spending, inside legal spending, or spending within law firms, increased 1 percent in the U.S. and 2 percent worldwide. Participants were asked about their feelings concerning the legal market. One of the items they were asked was to state what areas of practice were going to increase in need. 44 percent said regulatory practice, 39 percent said employment

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and labor, 35 percent said government relations, and another 35 percent said international. The survey showed that two-thirds of law departments had increased their staff or maintained the same level, which came as no surprise to a majority of participants in the study. The survey asked participants what they had anticipated for the legal job market. 51 percent of those participating in the United States said they thought staffing levels would remain the same, 41 percent anticipated an increase, and only 8 percent thought there would be a decrease. Lauren Chung, the survey editor, sent out a press release, stating, ‘’Most law departments do not appear to be reducing staff as a cost-savings measure. Many departments are seeking to enhance their internal capabilities to do even more. As a result, significant decreases in inside legal staffing are unlikely.’’

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