Survey Reveals Growing Demand for Multilingual Attorneys

July 28, 2009 0 Comments

Lawyers who speak more than one language are at an advantage in the job search, a new survey shows. More than one-third (36 percent) of attorneys polled said they are seeing an increased need for counsel who are multilingual. Spanish and Chinese were identified as the languages in greatest demand.

The survey was developed by Robert Half Legal, a leading staffing service specializing in attorneys, paralegals and other highly skilled legal professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from 300 attorneys from among the largest law firms and corporations in the United States and Canada. All respondents have at least three years of experience in the legal field.

Lawyers were asked, “Are you seeing an increase or decrease in the need for attorneys with foreign language skills?” Their responses:

  Significant increase                     5%
  Slight increase                         31%
  No change                               58%
  Slight decrease                          2%
  Significant decrease                     1%
  Don't know                               3%

                                         100%

Lawyers also were asked, “Which foreign language is most in demand?” Their responses:

  Spanish                                 47%
  Chinese                                 24%
  French                                   6%
  German                                   6%
  Other                                   10%
  Don't know                               7%

                                         100%

“The practice of law is increasingly global, with a growing number of law firms serving clients outside the United States and many corporations handling more international transactions,” said Charles Volkert, executive director of Robert Half Legal. “To meet the needs of their clients, law offices seek attorneys who not only are fluent in a language other than English, but also understand multijurisdictional issues and the distinctions between regulations and laws in the United States and other countries.”

Source: Robert Half

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