Despite Brutal Legal Job Market, Some Well-Known Law Firms are Hiring in the Midwest
Although the overall market for legal hiring could hardly be called robust, it is perhaps improving in the Midwest; and in certain high-demand niche practice areas, experienced attorneys are even being sought-after.
Tucker Ellis, based in Ohio, added 21 new attorneys lawyers this year, 16 in its downtown Cleveland office. The attorney roster at Thompson Hine increased by 16 firmwide over the past year, eight of them in its Cleveland command post. And Walter & Haverfield has had its biggest growth spurt ever, up by 20 percent as it brought in seven partners and five associates in the first nine months of 2012, reports the Plain Dealer.
Managing Partner Ralph Cascarilla credits Walter & Haverfield’s sudden growth to its strong practice groups focusing on employment, education, public law and real estate, which have seen their workload increase along with regulatory changes.
Meanwhile, at Jones Day, one of the biggest and best-known law firms historically associated with Cleveland, the local office has also grown. It now has 227 lawyers, an increase of 17 since January, as the overall firm remains stable with some 2,400 attorneys.
“While we are reluctant to call our increase a trend, we have implemented an uptick in hiring for the near term,” said Christopher Kelly, the partner in charge of the Cleveland office of Jones Day. “Our incoming class of lawyers in October is double the size of last year’s group, and we have been actively recruiting laterals.”
Last month, Jones Day announced a new office in Amsterdam.
