The annual Largest Law Firms survey by the legal trade publication found 14 of the 39 large law firms decreased their lawyer staff in the past year. But the survey found 18 firms increased the number of attorneys on staff.
Law offices are great barometers on the economy.
When the economy is thriving, law offices traditionally see an increase in the number of new corporations and businesses they help establish. But when the economy sputters or turns down, those law firms, which cater to new businesses or new economy-type companies suffer first. On the flip side, law firms that specialize in bankruptcy usually see an increase in work when things cool off. The number of partners who are women in Michigan s top 20 law firms did not change, according to the survey, and continues to lag behind the rest of the nation. Only 12 percent of the largest law firms have female attorneys at the partnership or shareholder level.