Employment enlargement for lawyers will take on to be concentrated in salaried jobs, as businesses and all levels of government employ a rising number of staff attorneys and as employment in the legal services industry grows.
The number of self-employed lawyers is supposed to decrease slowly, reflecting the difficulty of establishing a beneficial new practice in the face of competition from larger, established law firms.
Most salaried positions are in inner-city areas where government agencies, law firms, and big corporations are concentrated. What is more, the growing difficulty of law, which heartens specialization, along with the cost of maintaining up-to-date legal research materials, favors larger firms.
For lawyers who wish to work individually, establishing a new practice will perhaps be easiest in little towns and expanding suburban areas. In such communities, opposition from larger, established law firms is likely to be less keen than in big cities, and new lawyers may find it easier to become known to potential clients.
Some lawyers are adversely affected by cyclical swings in the economy. During depressions, demand declines for some optional legal services, such as planning estates, drafting wills, and handling real estate transactions. Some corporations and law firms will not employ new attorneys until business improves, and these establishments may even cut staff to hold costs.
As well, corporations are less likely to go to court cases when declining sales and profits result in budgetary restrictions. Several factors, however, alleviate the largely impact of recessions on lawyers; during depressions, for example, individuals and corporations face other legal problems, such as bankruptcies, foreclosures, and divorces requiring legal action.
