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.

Especially in demand are attorneys with four or more years experience in litigation, labor and employment, real estate, and corporate law, according to a Robert Half study.

“Tomorrow’s most successful lawyers will need business acumen and solid management skills,” says the Robert Half hirings trends report. ”They must approach client relationships with a focus on solving a company’s problems, based on a thorough understanding of the client’s business and the issues it faces. This holistic approach to working with clients also has made project management skills and interpersonal abilities increasingly important for lawyers.”

That’s why, rather than looking toward an LL.M., more law school students and grads are opting for an MBA. Joint degree programs have proliferated across the country, but it’s the graduates of JD/MBA programs that fare the best when it comes to earnings. Bloomberg reports that holders of both degrees have a higher median salary ($104,000) when compared with regular MBAs ($82,000) or with lawyers generally.

One advanced degree that does make a difference, however, is an LL.M. in taxation. Candidates otherwise equal in skill and experience, but with a tax LL.M. will be more likely to land a tax specialist position. The other group for whom an advanced legal degree is useful, said John, is for foreign trained attorneys.

For everyone else, John says, “The additional six months or a year of training can only help you if you understand why you’re doing it, and if you can articulate in a job interview what it brings to the table as far as benefiting the firm or the client.”

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.

Author, business strategist, and consultant Dorie Clark has five suggestions for becoming more productive this year. These aren’t the usual time management yadda, yadda. None of those “finish one task before going on to another” kind of tips. Though, and here is a brief digression, it’s worthwhile to keep those routine efficiency tips in mind. And to actually practice what the experts preach. For instance:

• Make a daily list of key tasks and check each off when completed.
• Don’t just sort paperwork; handle it, then file it.
• Prioritize tasks. Important things first.

No less an authority on work and gens X & Y than Penelope Trunk says most multitasking reduces productivity. So, to be most productive, don’t multitask.

Now, back to Dorie Clark, whose time suck avoidance list reads like a list of secret sins. There’s the “Reading Annoying Things” ban, she proposes after confessing  to having “a dozen newspaper and magazine subscriptions, the result of alluring specials ($10 for an entire year!) and the compulsion not to miss out on crucial information.”

For your amusement, here’s a time wasting video addressing the very point Clark makes.

Her list (blogged on the Harvard Business Review, no less) provides ammunition to ignore “Mindless Traditions” and to eschew doing “Work That’s Not Worth It.”

Sure, it’s hard to break old habits, which is what makes taking Clark’s suggestion a good workplace resolution.

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.