In a webinar delivered jointly by Flo Recruit and Firm Prospects last week, we saw the extent to which litigation rules in BigLaw recruiting.
As displayed in practice area data from the Firm Prospects Q2 Market Report, hiring in litigation has steadied after its peak in the fall of 2024, although this group remains the core of so many firms’ activities.
Litigation tends to boom in disruptive times; since the pandemic it has been more dominant. Until 2020, corporate and litigation departments were a little closer in headcount.
But, in parallel to this new litigious era, corporate hiring appears to have stepped back, or more accurately, the corporate market has evolved. Increasingly we’re seeing firms diverting corporate attorneys into more specialized groups, such as private equity, venture capital, or specialist transactional teams like technology. This change mirrors the market’s ever-growing demand for subject-matter expertise, as law firms compete for clients within ever-more complex industries and globalized trade networks.
If you’re an attorney wondering how to progress, take a look at this feature on Becoming a Specialist Lawyer. Flo Forward
