Real estate market fuels law firm recruitment. (Philadelphia-based law firms hiring more lawyers in anticipation of more real estate work)

Philadelphia's law firms, straining to keep up with ever-higher demand for real estate work, are looking for a few good attorneys.

But only a few.

Thanks to the currently hot real estate market, workloads are immense - to the point where some firms are actually turning away work.

Firms did little or no hiring when the market hit rock-bottom between 1989 and 1994. But the hiring of real estate lawyers today is happening at almost every firm in town with a real estate department. Firms, however, are being careful to not hire too many real estate attorneys, because a dip in the market could happen at any time.

The trend is most in evidence in a reported shortage of real estate associates at the four- to eight-year level.

"Everyone is looking for associates," said Mark …