Law firm leaders are slowly, surely gaining confidence in the strength of the U.S. economy and the outlook for their businesses, according to a report released Tuesday by Citi Private Bank.

The quarterly survey of law firm managing partners' projections for the future showed demand projections increased, which may prove to be a bullish outlook for an industry that has been dogged by stagnant demand, particularly among Am Law Second Hundred firms.

A separate Citi report on law firm financial results from the first quarter showed demand rose a mere 0.4 percent among a survey of 180 firms. The results were stratified, with Am Law 100 firms posting better results than their counterparts in the bottom half of the Am Law 200. Seventy-one percent of firms in the Second Hundred experienced a drop in demand, compared to a surveywide figure of 52 percent of firms experiencing a drop in demand, the report found.