In-house legal hiring went up in May and stayed in line with the Bureau of Labor Statistics report, which showed more legal jobs were added to the economy last month despite the threat of a looming recession, according to recruiters who spoke to Corporate Counsel on Wednesday.

“One of the things we saw [from 2008 to 2010] is that when the economy takes a hit, corporations will move to hire in-house attorneys because it can be a cost-saver,” Alice Rafalko, a senior legal consultant at Beacon Hill Legal in Philadelphia, said.