In a great article by Lorraine Mirabella of The Baltimore Sun, the legal staffing industry is given some relevant attention.
"In a recovering economy, law firms in the Baltimore area and across the nation are likely to continue some of the practices that helped them compete in the recession — staff reductions, hiring pullbacks, limiting partner slots and offering clients alternatives to hourly billing.
That's according to a recent survey of more than 200 firms nationwide by consultancy Altman Weil Inc. It tracked changes spurred by the recession and found that some of the biggest staffing and overhead cuts ever made in U.S. law firms happened last year. The findings are echoed by local attorneys and experts.
While workforce reductions at firms are not over, they are expected to be more limited this year, according to Altman Weil.
Several Baltimore-area firms either shed employees during the economic downturn or managed to avoid layoffs but took other steps to control costs, such as holding off on hiring associates or limiting the number hired.
Venable LLP, which has about 550 lawyers and about 2,000 employees in Baltimore, Towson and several other offices, was forced to lay off 64 employees last March, including 3 percent of its attorneys and 7 percent of its paralegals. The firm has not made further cuts and now is hiring, though more conservatively, said Michael J. Baader, partner in charge of Venable's Baltimore office.
'The numbers may be down a little bit, but we never turn off the hiring spigot,' Baader said. 'If you just don't hire anybody for a couple of years, you will have a big hole in your organization.'"
See full article here.
"In a recovering economy, law firms in the Baltimore area and across the nation are likely to continue some of the practices that helped them compete in the recession — staff reductions, hiring pullbacks, limiting partner slots and offering clients alternatives to hourly billing.
That's according to a recent survey of more than 200 firms nationwide by consultancy Altman Weil Inc. It tracked changes spurred by the recession and found that some of the biggest staffing and overhead cuts ever made in U.S. law firms happened last year. The findings are echoed by local attorneys and experts.
While workforce reductions at firms are not over, they are expected to be more limited this year, according to Altman Weil.
Several Baltimore-area firms either shed employees during the economic downturn or managed to avoid layoffs but took other steps to control costs, such as holding off on hiring associates or limiting the number hired.
Venable LLP, which has about 550 lawyers and about 2,000 employees in Baltimore, Towson and several other offices, was forced to lay off 64 employees last March, including 3 percent of its attorneys and 7 percent of its paralegals. The firm has not made further cuts and now is hiring, though more conservatively, said Michael J. Baader, partner in charge of Venable's Baltimore office.
'The numbers may be down a little bit, but we never turn off the hiring spigot,' Baader said. 'If you just don't hire anybody for a couple of years, you will have a big hole in your organization.'"
See full article here.
USA Staffing Services:
Definitely another sector of the staffing industry to keep on the radar. Heading in the right direction with increased hiring is always a good thing!
Definitely another sector of the staffing industry to keep on the radar. Heading in the right direction with increased hiring is always a good thing!
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