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Trial lawyers seek safe passage through economic storms.

Article Excerpt
Florida trial lawyer Spencer Aronfeld said he has recently noticed "an amazing phenomenon."

"People who graduated with me from law school 20 years ago and who had top opportunities with the biggest white-shoe firms--which, believe me, I did not--are now knocking on my door, asking me for work," said Aronfeld, who practices in a small firm in Coral Gables.

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All over the country, lawyers and law firms are scrambling for the lifeboats while the waves climb higher. Once considered recession-proof, law firms have been battered by the economy's downturn. According to the Web site Law Shucks, which posts a regularly updated Layoff Tracker, at press time, major firms had laid off more than 10,659 people (4,316 lawyers and 6,343 staff) since January 2008.

In April, the Georgia State Bar began holding monthly job-search and networking sessions for laid-off lawyers. The New York City Bar Association has started a brand-new career counseling service for its members. Among the hardest-hit members of the profession are recent law school graduates, who face dim hiring opportunities and reduced salaries.

There are still some bright spots. Bankruptcy, labor and employment law, and litigation are areas that many analysts say are still stable. And trial lawyers--accustomed to a businesslike approach and fluctuating incomes--are finding creative ways to navigate the stormy economic waters.

"I wouldn't say that personal injury work is depression-proof, but it is recession-resistant," said Larry Simon, a lawyer in Ridgewood, New Jersey, and chair of AAJ's Sole Practitioner and Small Firm Section. "For our lawyers, the big issue is what's happening with...