Cheer up

Lawyers are pessimistic about the future jobs market but their gloomy outlook is not matched by the facts.

Legal recruiter Laurence Simons asked more than 1,500 lawyers to rate their confidence in the legal jobs market from 10 (very optimistic) to -10 (very pessimistic). The average score was a dismal -7.8.

However, lawyers have fared better than many other professions during the economic downturn. Since 2007, lawyers’ nominal salaries have risen by 6.4%, while accountants’ salaries have increased by just 0.1%. In that period, the number of legal professionals in full-time employment in the UK has increased by 10.3%—more than three and a half times the national average increase.