Almost 40 percent of corporate legal departments added at least one attorney last year, and nearly as many plan to hire an attorney this year, according to the 2007 InsideCounsel Hiring Survey.

Almost half of those planning to hire cite business expansion as the main reason, with about 15 percent attributing the hiring to bringing more work in-house.

The survey of more than 600 general counsel and other in-house attorneys, to be published in the March issue of InsideCounsel, found that hiring of paralegals and support staff lagged behind attorney hires. Only 24 percent of respondents hired a paralegal in 2006, while 17 percent added support staff. In addition, only 13.4 percent of respondents will be adding paralegals in the coming year and 11 percent will be hiring support staff.

Attorneys looking to make a career move will find that companies that are hiring lawyers are looking for generalists (39 percent), contract specialists (30 percent), compliance experts (28 percent), and IP attorneys (21 percent).

Respondents were split on whether they prefer to hire law firm attorneys or other in-house counsel. Twenty percent would rather hire from the ranks of law firms, 34 percent prefer to hire from other legal departments and 45 percent have no preference.

“Many companies end up hiring their external counsels,” says Carrie Printz, managing director of David Carrie, a legal search firm. “The advantage is that the in-house lawyers and the candidates have already become familiar with each other's needs, skills and personalities. Of course, hiring attorneys from companies where the business models and marketplaces are similar can be very effective because these hires can more quickly adapt to their new organization and require a less steep learning curve.”

Watch for complete results from the hiring survey in the March issue of InsideCounsel and on www.insidecounsel.com.

Almost 40 percent of corporate legal departments added at least one attorney last year, and nearly as many plan to hire an attorney this year, according to the 2007 InsideCounsel Hiring Survey.

Almost half of those planning to hire cite business expansion as the main reason, with about 15 percent attributing the hiring to bringing more work in-house.

The survey of more than 600 general counsel and other in-house attorneys, to be published in the March issue of InsideCounsel, found that hiring of paralegals and support staff lagged behind attorney hires. Only 24 percent of respondents hired a paralegal in 2006, while 17 percent added support staff. In addition, only 13.4 percent of respondents will be adding paralegals in the coming year and 11 percent will be hiring support staff.

Attorneys looking to make a career move will find that companies that are hiring lawyers are looking for generalists (39 percent), contract specialists (30 percent), compliance experts (28 percent), and IP attorneys (21 percent).

Respondents were split on whether they prefer to hire law firm attorneys or other in-house counsel. Twenty percent would rather hire from the ranks of law firms, 34 percent prefer to hire from other legal departments and 45 percent have no preference.

“Many companies end up hiring their external counsels,” says Carrie Printz, managing director of David Carrie, a legal search firm. “The advantage is that the in-house lawyers and the candidates have already become familiar with each other's needs, skills and personalities. Of course, hiring attorneys from companies where the business models and marketplaces are similar can be very effective because these hires can more quickly adapt to their new organization and require a less steep learning curve.”

Watch for complete results from the hiring survey in the March issue of InsideCounsel and on www.insidecounsel.com.