We’re no longer talking recession. New Jersey firms are back to full staffing of associates, many of the firms meeting or exceeding pre-2008 levels.

The Law Journal‘s annual yearbook of new-associates this year shows 324 new additions, an 11.7 increase over last year’s 290. The healthy hike continues an upward trend that began in 2010, which was the first year of recovery after a precipitous two-year decline. From 2007 to 2009, associate hiring had been cut by half — from 406 to 204.