Global trends such as economic uncertainties, growing environmental agendas, and strides in how AI technology is transforming business priorities are inevitably impacting how corporations are resourcing their in-house legal teams and the skills and experience they need.
Here, we provide an overview of current trends in the hiring market for in-house legal professionals with a focus on US markets, based on client conversations, recent mandates, and the in-depth market knowledge of our H&P in-house legal hiring teams.
AI and climate shaping ‘hot’ sectors for hiring
As corporations look to leverage the efficiencies presented by the AI boom, we are seeing consistent demand internationally for in-house legal talent within the key sectors of energy, data centers, real estate and infrastructure. There is a clear shift towards specialisation, as businesses require specific skills and experience in their legal talent that is hard to find.
Whilst the ethical, legal and governance aspects of AI best practice is keeping counsel teams busy across the globe, on a ground level this technology is also influencing where the jobs are. To keep powering AI, organisations must keep buying land on which new data centers can be built and develop the necessary infrastructure behind them, including adequate energy supplies. BloombergNEF reports that data centers are now the dominant force behind rising US power demand with data center electricity consumption growing by more than 400% in a decade.
Highly specialised in-house legal expertise is essential at each step in these complex and evolving sectors, and this is reflected in the mandates we are receiving from our clients. Businesses are looking for very particular experience profiles, for example legal experts who have dealt with specific growth scenarios such as hyperscalers.
Net zero emissions targets set by governments across the world, supported by the US Climate Alliance, mean decarbonisation, renewables and nuclear energy are in central focus, with energy and infrastructure ‘super hot’ sectors for in-house legal recruitment. In fact, renewable energy accounted for 61% of new energy capacity in the US in 2025. Whilst the Trump administration has withdrawn the US from the Paris Agreement, climate action remains a focus across many states and for business leaders impacting job markets, a movement that will continue to be guided and governed by legal expertise.
At H&P, our clients are commissioning us to find them professionals with very specific backgrounds to be instrumental in this movement. For example, a recent mandate for a senior nuclear regulatory attorney required precise previous exposure to enforcement experience and to have direct involvement in certain national committees.
Meanwhile, the evolution of ESG frameworks and regional reporting requirements such as the California Climate laws or the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), among others, mean that corporates with European operations need increasing levels of legal expertise to oversee governance and regulatory compliance. ‘Green lawyers’ are in growing demand.
Healthy demand for senior and niche positions
Structurally, we are seeing a shift in team composition. The number of junior legal positions has reduced overall as firms automate certain tasks but reassuringly, at H&P we are seeing undimmed demand for mid-level and senior legal roles. Automation cannot and will not replace legal judgement and professionals are needed to navigate internal legal governance around the use of AI.
With a regulatory picture that keeps evolving and growing – with certain markets coming under increasingly complex levels of regulation often linked to AI – so does the demand for attorneys in this space. In finance and M&A markets, for example, our clients are increasingly looking for regulatory counsels with very specific experience requirements in certain bodies.
As legislative requirements continue to develop and expand, we anticipate ongoing high demand for regulatory counsel experience in candidates.
What skills are corporates looking for?
Whilst using AI is commonplace in the legal sector, both in counsel teams and within law firms, we are finding that demand for specific AI skills has not yet made it onto general client mandates. However, this is the direction of travel.
In-house lawyers would be well placed to proactively upskill so that when the time comes to move to a new role, they can demonstrate proven experience of operating in tech-enabled environments using AI tools, which will put them in an advantageous position.
Furthermore, lawyers who use AI skills as a central part of their role could stand to benefit from the ‘AI wage premium’, as highlighted in PwC’s AI Jobs Barometer, which revealed that US lawyers could earn up to 49% higher pay this way, or up to 27% higher pay for UK lawyers.
Trends in legal search
At H&P, we’re seeing corporate clients place far greater emphasis on speed. Senior legal hiring processes that once took months, particularly through traditional global search firms, are now expected to move much faster. As business priorities shift more quickly, clients want access to top legal talent without lengthy timelines, benefiting both employers and candidates.
In relation to AI, hirers are currently not making specific demands around the use of AI in the process of sourcing candidates for positions. In fact, especially in US markets, the prospect of saving on recruitment costs and time through AI is welcomed. In other jurisdictions, particularly parts of Europe, there are more safeguards in place, which may spread over time.
AI presents many efficiency gains for recruitment and executive search firms in how they source legal talent and manage their processes, but only if firms have a rigorous approach to their own IP. Equally, the best candidates are at risk of being lost through an overuse of AI-driven processes. Counsel lawyers on the job market should stand firm in their expectation of a human-led recruitment process.
