An earlier metapost pulled together some thoughts on contract lawyers (See my post of July 17, 2008: contract lawyers with 12 references.). Also important are temporary lawyers (See my post of Aug. 5, 2005: temporary vs. contract lawyers; and April 9, 2006: differences between contract lawyers hired on their own while temporary lawyers are with agency.).
Economics, flexibility, and competencies justify the use of temporary lawyers (See my post of Jan. 10, 2006: some cost comparisons; March 1, 2008: temp labor costs turn out higher than contracts say; March 11, 2007: contract lawyers at law firms; and May 21, 2006: eight methods to control legal costs;
Dec. 17, 2007: temporary and contract lawyers; July 14, 2005: temporary staffing arrangements; and Nov. 26, 2006: contract lawyers and references cited.). I think we will see even more use of temporary lawyers by law departments.