Demand remains high for skilled lawyers and legal professionals as we move further into 2025. Because of the ongoing talent squeeze and other challenging hiring trends, employers must work harder to recruit and retain top talent for both permanent and contract roles if they want to meet their goals in the months ahead.
As a manager, knowing the most in-demand positions allows you to better compete for promising candidates while reinforcing your retention efforts for roles at greatest risk of turnover. Robert Half’s Demand for Skilled Talent report can help. It highlights the latest data from surveys of hiring managers and our analysis of thousands of job postings to help you make informed hiring and management decisions.
Here are some key takeaways from the report.
2025 In-Demand Legal Roles and Hiring Trends
What does the legal hiring market look like?
Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the unemployment rate for lawyers was 1.0% during Q4 2024 and the rate for paralegals and legal assistants was just 0.4%. Top industries that are hiring for lawyers and legal professionals include business and professional services and government.
What are the major hiring trends in the legal hiring market?
The legal landscape is undergoing a shift as many law firms and corporate legal teams embrace AI and machine learning to transform their practices. At law firms, key focus areas for teams are AI and legal technology integration and expanding into new specialties and practice areas. Corporate legal departments are prioritizing technology implementation and automation, as well as data security and privacy compliance.
Employers are looking for legal professionals with digital skills and expertise, like using advanced research platforms, AI-powered contract analysis tools and data visualization techniques to make clear, compelling narratives from complex legal information. Low unemployment rates and a growing desire among legal professionals for better work-life balance and more predictable hours are also continued trends in this job market.
Learn where the jobs are in demand
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Explore our Demand for Skilled Talent report to see what specializations employers need most.
Managers planning increased recruitment in first half of 2025
Law firms and corporate legal departments are bracing for the challenges of securing top-tier talent in an improving legal job market, with 71% planning to hire for new permanent roles and 24% hiring for vacant permanent positions only. Chief reasons legal hiring managers plan to staff up in the first half of 2025 are company growth (53%), followed by new projects (50%) and employee turnover (43%).
However, 99% of leaders said it’s already challenging to find skilled talent. At the same time, 71% of law firms and legal departments plan to increase their use of contract professionals through 2025.
How to compete for legal talent in a challenging hiring environment
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In today’s competitive hiring market, attracting and retaining top lawyers and legal professionals requires a mix of strategies.
Salaries that meet or beat market rates are vital, but workplace flexibility, including remote and hybrid options, is prioritized by many candidates. In the legal fields, 63% of new job postings have recently been for on-site positions, 29% for hybrid and 8% for fully remote roles. Policies promoting other ways to achieve work-life balance such as personal wellness days and parental leave can also set you apart from other companies seeking the same talent.
The opportunity to work with emerging technologies can be a magnet for today's professionals—and another way to compete for skilled talent. In particular, candidates see working with AI as an opportunity to develop highly sought skills that can enhance their career trajectory.
And don’t forget how important it is to streamline your hiring processes. Delays often result in losing top candidates to your competitors.
Beyond these internal measures, partnering with specialized recruiters can help you identify and access high-potential candidates who may not actively be job hunting.
Want to know more about hiring trends? Check out the Demand for Skilled Talent report.
About the Demand for Skilled Talent report
The Demand for Skilled Talent report by Robert Half is an authoritative source providing essential insights into employment trends. This report has offered a deep dive into the U.S. hiring landscape for over a decade, spotlighting challenges and strategies to attract and retain talent. It explores what employees seek in their careers, identifies common recruitment errors and suggests solutions. The report spans finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, administrative and customer support, and human resources, proving crucial for business leaders and managers.
