With the number of industrial disputes and layoffs-related cases touching new highs because of the global financial crisis, certain sections of legal professionals are becoming hopeful that their law firms will start hiring in about a year's time, according to a survey.

The survey, conducted by US-based legal services firm Robert Half Legal, one out of every four legal professionals working with American and Canadian law firms believes that his organisation will start hiring in the next one year.

About '25 per cent of lawyers said their organisations would be adding personnel in the next 12 months", it said.

The survey found that two practice areas of law -- bankruptcy (51 per cent) and litigation (31 per cent) -- are expected to experience the most growth.

However, about 65 per cent of the people surveyed said they anticipate no change in staffing levels.

"The majority (65 per cent) of survey respondents forecast no change in staffing levels, while one in 10 attorneys said their firms and corporations would be reducing the size of their teams in the coming year," the report noted.

Conducted between February 11 and 27, nearly 300 attorneys of large law firms and corporations from the US and Canada participated in the survey.