There's no doubt that e-discovery is a job candidate's market right now. But don't expect law firms or corporate legal departments to fork over the budgets necessary to meet the rising salary expectations of top-tier applicants—especially with price-flexible alternative legal service providers (ALSPs) to fall back upon. 

"I don't know that law firms and organizations will want to fully staff an e-discovery department unless the need is truly there, given especially that increased expense," said Anna Mercado Clark, a partner at Phillips Lytle. 

However, that doesn't necessarily mean that businesses—or their outside counsel—can put off e-discovery matters in need of tending. Part of what is driving the uptick in e-discovery salaries is the backlog of litigation that is now being addressed after months of pandemic-induced court slowdowns.