About one-third of corporate legal departments intend to add attorneys in the next 12 months, according to a recent survey by Robert Half Legal. While the hiring environment for in-house attorneys has leveled off slightly after two years of steady growth, demand for lawyers with more than five years' experience in ethics and corporate governance, transactions and litigation is strong.

“There is not a shortage of applicants for in-house positions, but there is a shortage of qualified candidates,” says Charles Volkert, managing director of Robert Half Legal. “Corporate legal departments have done a lot of hiring over the past couple of years, but they still need top quality attorneys. If you are an in-house attorney experienced in corporate governance, transactions or litigation, you are a step ahead.”

In the survey, 30 percent of in-house attorneys said they expected the number of lawyers in their department to increase in the next year, 63 percent thought the number would stay the same, 4 percent expected a decrease and 3 percent didn't know.