Legal Sector Enjoys Employment Rebound in Latest Jobs Report
The industry had its best showing since adding 4,100 jobs in August, according to the latest U.S. jobs report.
December 06, 2019 at 12:41 PM
3 minute read
The original version of this story was published on The American Lawyer
(Image: Shutterstock.com)
A month after gaining a paltry 300 jobs and two months after losing 900, the legal industry rebounded in November, adding 2,900 positions, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' November jobs report. There are currently 1,151,900 people employed in the industry.
The overall U.S. job market rebounded from last month's lower than expected growth of 128,000 jobs and September's 136,000 additions to add a robust 266,000 jobs in November, more than the previous two months combined.
The November figures represent the legal industry's best showing since adding 4,100 jobs in August.
The sector is currently is employing about 11,000 more people in 2019 than it did at this point in 2018.
The professional services sector added 38,000 jobs overall, below its October total of 43,000, but still showing a healthy gain. Professional services as a whole employs 21,634,000 people overall, of which legal makes up a little over 5%.
The overall November jobs numbers beat analysts' expectations of 180,000 job additions, thanks in part to the return of about 54,000 GM workers who were on strike the previous month and did not count toward the October numbers.
Overall unemployment numbers were down slightly from last month to 3.5%, or 5.8 million workers.
As seems to always be the case over the past several months, worries about trade wars, tariffs and immigration policies have not manifested in job market declines. By sector, health care added 45,000 jobs in November, manufacturing added 54,000 (bolstered by the return of the GM workers; the overall growth remains flat in the sector) and leisure and hospitality added 45,000 jobs. The latter has added 214,000 over the past four months.
Other BLS statistics of note:
- Long-term unemployed (more than 27 weeks) remained around 1.7 million, or about 20% of the total unemployed.
- Part-time workers seeking full-time worked remained steady at about 4.3 million.
- Marginally attached workers (those who want to work, do not have work and have not looked for a job in four weeks) are down to 1.2 million, a reduction of over 400,000 from the previous year.
- Wages are up 3.1% over the past 12 months.
- The average workweek for non-farm workers was unchanged at 34.4 hours.
Read More
Legal Jobs Decline as Broader Professional Services Sector Sees Gains
Legal Sector Employment Flat as US Adds 128,000 Jobs
Legal Industry Adds 4,100 Jobs, Outpacing US Employment Growth
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Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
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Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
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