January’s Modest Legal Sector Job Gains Show Sluggish U.S. Pace

Feb. 5, 2021, 5:46 PM UTC

U.S. legal services employment grew only slightly in January, showing the slow pace of the recovery after the coronavirus pandemic’s surge hammered the economy.

Legal payrolls were up a seasonally adjusted 4,800 people, after a drop of 200 jobs in December, according to the Labor Department figures released Friday. January’s modest gain resembled the increases of 5,000 legal industry jobs in November and 4,800 in October.

Overall legal services industry employment was about 1.13 million in January, down from 1.15 million in the same month last year, the department figures show. Law firms jettisoned a number of staff-related jobs during ...

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