Less than a third of lawyers feel optimistic about the future jobs market – lower than any other profession in London, including accountants, IT and HR experts.

Legal salaries may be up 6.4 percent since before the recession and the Number of jobs for legal professionals increased 10.3 percent since 2007. But less than a third of lawyers feel optimistic about the future jobs market – lower than any other profession in London, including accountants, IT and HR experts.

When global legal recruiter Laurence Simons asked lawyers to rate their confidence in the jobs market within their industry from 10 (very optimistic) to -10 (very pessimistic), the average score was -7.8. The results are drawn from a poll of 1,518 legal professionals.

Lucinda Moule, managing director of Laurence Simons said: “Lawyers are naturally cautious and to a certain extent that explains their outlook. But there are concrete economic reasons too. The recession’s tightening of finances meant many firms were forced into pay and hiring freezes, the memory of which has yet to wash away, as our recovery continues to stutter.”