The PA Law 100

PALAW100 2012

Top 100 Law Firms in Pennsylvania

Issue link: https://palaw100.epubxp.com/i/95512

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 85 of 113

Managing Partners Survey (continued from page 81) whereas in the coming year 18.8 percent of respondents plan to lay off attorneys. Over the years, the lawyers who were targets of layoffs have shifted from just associates to all levels of attorneys. Staff became an even greater target for layoffs. In 2011, 12.9 percent of respondents laid off staff. In the past year, that figure rose to 21.9 percent. There was a smaller gain in the percentage of firms that felt staff layoffs were still needed in the coming year. While 6.7 percent predicted staff layoffs in 2011, 9.4 percent said they might have to cut staff in the coming year. First-year associate hiring in 2012 was all over the place. A little more than 25 per- cent of respondents hired more first-years than they did in 2011, and about the same percentage hired none. The largest percent- age — 32.3 percent — hired the same number of associates as they had in 2011 and 16.1 AREAS OF LAW WITH THE MOST SIGNIFICANT GROWTH OR DECLINE IN OPPORTUNITIES Commercial Litigation Employment Law Intellectual Property Class Action Bankruptcy Public Finance Labor Law Mergers & Acquisitions Securities Criminal / White-Collar Real Estate Insurance Litigation Banking Tax Trusts & Estates Venture Capital/ Emerging Businesses 0 10 0% 22.6% 33.3% 6.5% 14.3% 19.4% 23.8% 0% 4.8% 9.7% 14.3% 16.1% 14.3% 2030405060708090 Percent of Managing Partners Who Selected Category 82 | PaLaw 2012 100 0% 19.4% 9.5% 16.1% 23.8% 3.2% 23.8% 16.1% 14.3% 16.1% 28.6% 9.7% 23.8% 9.7% 54.8% 4.8% 4.8% 35.5% 54.8% Growth Decline percent hired fewer first-years. The use of contract or temp attorneys grew rather significantly year over year. Nearly 47 percent of respondents said they hired contract lawyers in 2012, which was up from 38.7 percent last year. And of those that did hire contract lawyers, 81.3 percent hired more than they had in the previous year, a figure that jumped from 46.2 percent in 2011. The use of staff associates, who are full- (continued on page 84)

Articles in this issue

view archives of The PA Law 100 - PALAW100 2012