© 2014 Robert Half Legal. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V. All rights reserved. This material is theconfidential property of Robert Half Legal. Copying or reproducing this material is strictly prohibited. © 2014 Robert Half Legal. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V. All rights reserved.
2015 Legal Hiring and Compensation Trends
Eve S. Senuty, Esq.
Director of Legal Projects - Southern California
Robert Half Legal 2015 Salary Guide
Features of the guide:
� National starting salary ranges
� Regional and national hiring trends
� Practice areas, skills in demand
� Management strategies
� Flexible staffing models
� Guidance on counteroffers, job interviews and other best practices
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Robert Half Legal 2015 Salary Guide
� Sources of data
� Our expert recruiting professionals
� Thousands of placements made by our offices
� Exclusive workplace research
� Analysis of hiring trends
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Important Trends in the Legal Field
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1. The hiring environment
2. The tightening talent market
3. Skills and expertise in demand
4. Practice areas in demand
5. Average starting salaries
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Trends for 2015: Law Firms
� Law firms are actively recruiting
� In-demand practice groups:– Corporate/general business, compliance, litigation, intellectual property, real estate
� Focus on candidates with business development skills experience and business development skills
� Increased compensation and benefits to attract and retain top talent
� Strategic use of flexible staffing models
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Trends for 2015: Corporate Legal Departments
� Expanding internal teams, keeping more work in-house to contain outside counsel costs
� Recruiting experienced candidates with law firm experience, business backgrounds and industry expertise
� Additional staff needed to handle rising workloads in the areas of:– Litigation
– Compliance
– Corporate transactional
– Contract administration
� Bringing in legal professionals on project basis
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The Legal Staffing Challenge
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More than half (56%) of lawyers
polled by Robert Half Legal said
it is challenging for their law
firms or companies to find skilled
legal professionals today.
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Source: Robert Half Legal survey of 200 lawyers among the largest law firms and corporations in the United States.
Practice Areas in Demand
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Areas of law
expected
to experience
the most growth
in the
next two years
Source: Survey of 200 lawyers among the largest law firms and corporations in the United States.
The survey was commissioned by Robert Half Legal and conducted by an independent research firm.8
Litigation
� An increase in insurance defense, medical malpractice, commercial litigation and employment law is driving demand for legal professionals with litigation expertise in these areas
General business/commercial law
� Specialists are needed to provide guidance and support for commercial transactions, including contract administration, financial reporting, compliance matters and more
Healthcare
� Evolving healthcare reforms and regulations continue to impact the demand for legal professionals with expertise in the healthcare, pharmaceutical and biotech sectors
Top Practice Areas
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Top Practice Areas
Intellectual property
� As companies increasingly depend on patents, trademarks and copyright laws to protect their creative work, they need legal professionals with IP expertise, especially in biotech and high-tech
Real estate
� As the commercial and residential real estate markets continue to rebound, companies and law firms are seeking lawyers and legal support professionals to manage legal matters associated with many aspects of the real estate sector
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The Outlook for Lawyers
Hiring tied to practice area, sector expertise
� Tenure, experience in demand:– Senior and midlevel associates
– Knowledge of particular industry or sector
– Experience or degrees in engineering, science fields, banking and finance
– Technical proficiency
� Market for new and first-year associates improving but still modest
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The Outlook for Paralegals
Paralegals assuming broader roles
� Managing a wide range of assignments
� Hybrid/blended paralegal positions growing
� Backgrounds in demand:– Practice area expertise – compliance, contract/lease administration, eDiscovery
– Insurance, financial services, real estate, healthcare
– Bachelor’s degree, paralegal certification
– Technical skills/experience and aptitude
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The Outlook for Legal Secretaries
Lawyer-to-legal secretary ratios are changing
� Most marketable legal secretaries possess:– Three to five years of experience
– Backgrounds in high-demand practice areas
– Adaptability, resourcefulness and initiative
– Technical aptitude
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2015 Outlook
� Average increase for starting salaries across the legal field in the U.S. will be 3.0%
� Compensation for some positions is expected to exceed the national average:
Paralegal/Legal Assistant
(4-6 years’ experience)midsize law firm
+4.5%+4.9%
Licensed Lawyer (10+ years’ experience) small/ midsize law firm
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2015 Outlook
� Compensation for some legal specialist positions are also expected to exceed the national average:
Contract Manager
+5.1%+5.2%
Compliance Director(10+ years’’’’experience)
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Calculating Salaries for U.S. Markets
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Low and high ends of national salary
range
Local variance index number as a
percentageSalary Range
Example: A first-year associate at a small law firm in Boston:
$54,250 1.330 $72,153 (low end)
$77,500 1.330 $103,075 (high end)
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Salaries for U.S. MarketsFirst-Year Associate – Small Law Firm
CHICAGO$66,728 - $95,325 NEW YORK
$75,408 - $107,725
MIAMI$58,048 - $82,925
DALLAS$58,319 - $83,313
SEATTLE$64,503 - $92,148
SAN FRANCISCO$74,865 - $106,950
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SAN DIEGO$64,286 - $91,838
Fastest Growing Industries
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1. Healthcare
2. Manufacturing
3. Professional
Services
4. Real Estate
5. Technology
1. Manufacturing
2. Financial Services
3. Healthcare
4. Professional
Services
5. Transportation
1. Manufacturing
2. Healthcare
3. Financial Services
4. Service
5. Distribution
1. Healthcare
2. Construction
3. Manufacturing
4. Real Estate
5. Technology
1. Manufacturing
2. Healthcare
3. Distribution
4. Nonprofit
5. Technology
1. Healthcare
2. Manufacturing
3. Financial Services
4. Nonprofit
5. Technology
1. Healthcare
2. Manufacturing
3. Pharmaceutical
4. Real Estate
5. Nonprofit
1. Healthcare
2. Manufacturing
3. Oil & Gas/Energy
4. Financial Services
5. Construction/
Real Estate
1. Healthcare
2. Manufacturing
3. Real Estate
4. Construction
5. Financial Services
Positions in Demand
1. Litigation Legal
Secretary
2. Contract
Administrator
3. Corporate
Paralegal
4. Lawyer
5. Patent Lawyer
1. Paralegal
2. Legal Secretary
3. Contract
Administrator
4. Patent Paralegal
5. Legal Assistant
1. Litigation Legal Secretary
2. Corporate Compliance
Paralegal
3. Document Review Lawyer
4. Intellectual Property
Paralegal
5. Litigation Paralegal
1. Corporate Paralegal
2. Contract Administrator
3. Litigation Legal
Secretary
4. Contract Manager
5. Legal Assistant
1. Corporate
Paralegal
2. Commercial Real
Estate Paralegal
3. Litigation Legal
Secretary
4. Litigation Paralegal
5. Litigation Legal
Assistant
1. Litigation Paralegal
2. Intellectual
Property Paralegal
3. Real Estate Lawyer
4. Litigation Legal
Secretary
5. Commercial
Leasing Lawyer
1. Paralegal
2. Contract
Administrator
3. Legal Secretary
4. Lawyer
5. Legal Compliance
Manager
1. Paralegal
2. Litigation Legal
Secretary
3. Contract
Administrator
4. Corporate Lawyer
5. Medical Malpractice
Paralegal
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Local Hiring Trends – San Diego
� Fastest growing industries
• Pharmaceutical, medical device, healthcare
• Real Estate
• Public Sector
� Positions in demand
• Corporate Contracts Senior Paralegals
• Contracts Manager/ Contracts Administrators
• Litigation Paralegals
• Compliance Manager, Licensed and NonLicensedattorneys
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Points About the Salary Figures
Salary ranges listed are average national starting salaries
� Continuing salaries are not reported
� Ranges do not take into account additional circumstances(e.g., seniority, practice area expertise)
� Bonuses, incentives and other forms of compensation are not reflected
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Other factors to consider when determining starting salaries:
� Employee benefits
� Candidate’s skill set� Current market conditions
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Other Positions
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Additional positions covered in the Robert Half Legal 2015 Salary Guide include:
� Administrator/Office Manager
� Litigation Support Director
� Compliance Director
� Contract Administrator
� Lease Administrator
� Librarian
� File/Records Clerk
� Legal Receptionist
� And more ...
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Benefits of a Flexible Staffing Structure
� Ability to adjust staffing levels to business cycles and caseloads
� Ease workload of current employees
� Handle special projects
� Access specialized expertise on short-term or project basis
� Increase job stability for full-time employees
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Ask the Right Questions During an Interview
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� Job interview is most pivotal part of hiring process
� Essential to gain insights beyond resumes and reference checks
� 6 key questions to ask to evaluate communications skills, interpersonal and problem-solving capabilities, interest in the job, and more
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5 Reasons to Think Twice Before Making a Counteroffer
1. Not a long-term solution
2. Sets bad precedent
3. Morale can suffer
4. Difficult to re-establish trust
5. Performance won’t likely improve
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More Tools for Your Business
Robert Half Legal Salary CenterLook up salary ranges for individual positions, customized to
your location: roberthalflegal.com/salary-center
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© 2014 Robert Half Legal. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V. All rights reserved. This material is theconfidential property of Robert Half Legal. Copying or reproducing this material is strictly prohibited. © 2014 Robert Half Legal. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V. All rights reserved.
2015 Legal Hiring and Compensation Trends
Eve S. Senuty, Esq.
Director of Legal Projects – Southern California