A majority of companies and law firms in Canada plan on hiring additional attorneys in the next six months, according to a survey published by employment agency Robert Half International earlier this month.

Fifty-six percent of lawyers who responded to the survey said their law firms or corporate legal departments planned on adding lawyers in the first half of 2020. Of those lawyers who said their operations will be expanding, 98% said that some empty positions would likely be filled with temporary or contract workers.

The top three practice areas that law firms and corporate legal departments will be hiring for in 2020 are general business or corporate law, litigation and privacy, data security and information law, according to the report.

"It's important to note that many companies are investing in in-house legal teams," said Charles Volkert, senior district president of Robert Half Legal in an email to Corporate Counsel on Monday. "We're seeing a lot of increase in the general business or corporate law as a result of the growth in business transactions, and also companies looking to lower outside spend on counsel,"

The report also noted that some open positions at law firms and in corporate legal departments would be filled by contractors.

Jamy Sullivan, executive director of Robert Half Legal, said in the report that "many employers find hiring interim legal professionals to be an effective strategy for managing growing business demands and easing workloads for full-time staff."

Volkert said in an email Monday that some of the expanded work is from new laws that have international reach, such as the General Data Protection Regulation and the California Consumer Privacy Act. No regulation in Canada leading to increased hiring, he said.

Staffing up for the new regulations abroad appears to be a challenge in Canada. Thirty-three percent of respondents indicated that recruiting top talent is one of their biggest challenges.

Further, 85% of respondents indicated that they are worried about losing attorneys to other opportunities in the next six months. The best ways to retain top legal talent beyond compensation and bonuses, the recruiters said, are offering flexible work arrangements, professional development opportunities and challenging work assignments.

Thirty-three percent of respondents said that recruiting is the greatest challenge for them.

"Top legal talent may have competing offers on the table. Organizations that set themselves apart by offering extra perks and benefits may have an edge over the competition when it comes to recruitment and retention," Sullivan said.

The online survey was conducted by Robert Half with more than 150 Canadian-based lawyers who work at law firms with more than 20 employees, and in-house lawyers who work at companies with more than 1,000 employees. Each of the respondents was involved in the process of hiring new attorneys.