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The demand for litigation support staff is growing at double digit rates, says Robert Half Legal, and the pace is expected to continue to stay strong. The job entails the knowledge of a litigation paralegal, and the skills of a database administrator. The demand is keen among firms of all sizes. TechFlash

With law firms hiring fewer attorneys it may be tempting for newly minted lawyers or career-stalled associates to pursue an advanced legal degree. Don’t do it, cautions a managing director of legal recruiting firm Major, Lindsey & Africa.

“The market has never demanded it,” Steven John told a group of administrators during a panel discussion at the recently concluded meeting of the Association of American Law Schools. “Advanced degrees never come into the conversation.”

Instead, what clients of the international recruiting firm ask for is experience, John told the group. Read the rest of this entry »

Just because you’re a reader of this blog, we have a special gift for you: An extra day next month to catch up on things.

OK, OK. Caught us. It’s leap year, so everyone will get that extra day. But hey, if you’d rather use it for fun, then stop doing stuff that only offers the illusion of working.

You know what we’re talking about. Things like checking your email every time that message icon pops up, or dropping what you’re doing to respond. Or actually reading every article on a Reply All list. Read the rest of this entry »

The Organization of Legal Professionals says litigation support professionals are generally satisfied with their work / life balance and with where they work, even if a majority say they’re open to opportunities. These are some of the findings of a continuous survey of paralegals and other litigation support professionals. When it comes to compensation, 51% says they are satisfied. See more of the results here.

• Nearly three-quarters of Litigation Support Professionals (LSPs) reported being paid an annual salary with the average salary equal to $75,700.
• The average Litigation Support Manager earns $111,000 per year while their direct reports average $89,300 of total compensation per year.

Law firms won’t do much hiring next quarter, but the 31% that expect to add staff will be looking for paralegals and legal secretaries, in addition to lawyers specializing in bankruptcy and foreclosure, litigation, and labor and employment. Of the average two positions firms and corporate legal departments expect to add, 88% will add a lawyer, 39% a paralegal, and 35% a secretary. More here.