Career Clinic: Is anyone still busy despite the downturn?

Commercial ligitation... if your firm wins the right cases. Apparently insurance will take off because of claims against organisations and people, such as directors. Shipping still hasn't been affected (I think because people still need their goods delivered).

Anonymous -19 Feb 2009 | 10:34

It's all very circumstantial in that it depends who your clients are and how bullish they are prepared to be in this market. Corporate has slowed down significantly but the UAE is still very active, as are other cash-rich buyers who don't need to borrow a huge amount of debt.

MC trainee -19 Feb 2009 | 11:19

After years of being hidden in the basement (and kept as far away from clients as possible), now is the time of the regulatory lawyer...

Anon -19 Feb 2009 | 11:33

Banking Lit.... sooooo busy!!

Jonny -19 Feb 2009 | 12:06

(Un)employment law.

May -19 Feb 2009 | 12:41

Securitisation - which may come as a surprise. To access the liquidity schemes (e.g. the Bank of England SLS) banks need ABS to repo and there is also a fair amount of restructuring work and consent solicitation following the recent S&P downgrades.

Shane Williams -19 Feb 2009 | 12:43

Most work which is litigious in nature... employment law, commerical litigation, banking litigation. To an extent transactional work is doomed in the medium term.

Bob -19 Feb 2009 | 12:52

Our employment team is the busiest it's been in ages - any teams that don't rely heavily on corporate support work are going to be mega-busy.

Associate -19 Feb 2009 | 14:07

Real estate litigation. Lots of developers trying to get out of deals, landowners trying to enforce contracts and lots of claims where people cannot afford not to litigate...Happy days!

Associate top 25 firm -19 Feb 2009 | 16:06

I have a friend in the litigation team at a top 10 firm and he hasn't seen a weekend since Christmas.

Anon -19 Feb 2009 | 16:14

EU/Competition law, if you are not in a 'merger shop'. I am working on a healthy mix of European and national competition law, including (some) merger, antitrust, distribution and State aid.

Competition Lawyer -19 Feb 2009 | 16:45

IP/TMT - we are still really busy and this seems to be one of the areas where redundancies have been light. Plus, it is one of those areas that also does well in a boom time.

IP/IT Associate, Magic Circle -19 Feb 2009 | 18:20

Contrary to what you may believe, Conveyancing is not speeding up and response times from other solicitors are not improving. Also, those instructions you do get are running a higher risk of becoming abortive. And those that do complete to the end are taking longer because I'm not prepared to take views and cut corners. So, there is not the same volume of work by any stretch but the work there is seems a harder slog.Also there seems to be greater urgency on some transactions. My work includes plot sales for developers and one of them is imposing 7-day exchange deadlines in return for deep discounts on the sale price. So still plenty of 'drop everything' jobs around. And a lot of disenchanted Property fee earners.

High Street Solicitor Solihull -20 Feb 2009 | 14:09

It's not to everyone's taste, but criminal law's doing fairly well, as is fraud.

Gavin -20 Feb 2009 | 16:11

Our Asset Finance dept is as busy as ever and it doesn't look as if it will quieten down any time soon. We could actually do with taking on more people if there weren't a firmwide headcount freeze.

Anonymous -20 Feb 2009 | 16:15

Personal injury is doing fine!

Hodge Jones & Allen -20 Feb 2009 | 16:33

State Aid has been going through a series of changes in the last twelve months whilst also rising to prominence in the political agenda.

Axl -23 Feb 2009 | 15:19

I am still working my nuts off in finance!

Monkey -23 Feb 2009 | 16:36

Are corporate tax lawyers busy now (i.e. is corporate tax fairly recession-proof)?

mindful -25 Feb 2009 | 14:30

Property litigation is!

Anonymous -26 Feb 2009 | 17:14