Ed. note: Welcome to our daily feature, Quote of the Day.
One minute the recession was imminent, the next minute the stock market has rebounded to where it was at the beginning of Q1. So things can change at the drop of a hat. And we did see strong hiring numbers for the majority of Q1, so nothing here necessarily tells me we’re in for any kind of a downturn. It’s more, people taking a breath and people trying to make an assessment about where they’re headed before they commit resources.
— Craig Savitzky, manager of research and insight at Leopard Solutions, in comments given to the American Lawyer, on the state of the legal job market, with new job openings for lawyers at midsize and Biglaw firms falling 32% in May 2025, compared to May 2024. Savitzky went on to say that the hiring data was “not a pullback, but more of a pause,” because things have been “so whipsaw” this year.
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.
