According to a report by the weekly Law Gazette, the research – the Europe, Middle East and Africa Law Department Study – also revealed that 53 per cent of the 114 legal departments surveyed had recruited lawyers in the first quarter of 2012. This represents an increase of 13 per cent on what the companies had forecast last year.

External spend

The increase in hiring was offset with a 13 per cent fall in external spending by legal departments over the last four years.
The survey – conducted by Laurence Simons and the Association of Corporate Counsel -- found that, as well as 61 per cent of the nearly 400 private practice lawyers considering a move in-house, in terms of actual moves to in-house departments, the UK accounted for 30 per cent of hires, with 24 per cent in Germany and 20 per cent in France.
Laurence Simons global managing director Naveen Tuli said: ‘The ultimate result is that an increasing number of private practice lawyers are realising there are great opportunities to be had in-house.’