“No one I know has a job anymore. They've got Gigs...a bunch of free-floating projects, consultancies, and part-time bits and pieces they try and stitch together,” states blogger Tina Brown. In a recent poll, she found that one-third of respondents were working either freelance or in two jobs.

While working gig to gig has long been a practice of the lower income brackets, today layoffs, restructurings and pay freezes have forced well-paid college-educated Americans to embrace the gigging life. “Gigonomics” is now becoming a way for legal professionals to make ends meet, according to a recent Law and More blog.

It’s true that there is large mobility in the field and that the declining economy has forced many attorneys, paralegals and other legal professionals to take temporary or contract assignments. However, while Gigonomics may be a trend to watch, the large majority of legal professionals are still employed in traditional one-employer careers.

With recent employment losses in the legal industry, few jobs are completely secure. Below are a few ways to protect yourself from the pink slip and survive lean times.

1. Be Flexible – With the belt-tightening occurring in many law firms and corporate legal departments, you may need to reinvent yourself. Expand your current skill-set, acquire new skills and avoid placing limits on the scope of your position.
2. Be Proactive – Remain alert to new opportunities, actively seek new assignments and volunteer for projects and committees outside your job parameters.
3. Be Available – Working late even when it’s not expected and remaining available during crunch times will establish you as reliable and willing to go the extra mile. Law firm partners may appreciate your hard work when downsizing decisions are made.
4. Be Positive - Job losses, pay cuts, restructuring - in today’s market it’s easy to become negative and pessimistic. Adopt a positive attitude and the powers-that-be may want to keep you around when times are lean.
5. Be Cost-Conscious – Be cognizant of how you can contribute to the bottom line. Think outside the box to cut costs and find creative ways to streamline work processes.

Lawyers and judges may be high-powered and well-paid but a new study listing the best and worst jobs in the U.S. ranks paralegals well above these lucrative professions.

Paralegals ranked an impressive 17th on the list of 200 jobs due to favorable work conditions, high employment outlook, and low physical demands, stress levels and hours (hmm, I’d bet some paralegals would disagree).

Court reporters ranked 28th and federal judges ranked 64th. Lawyers, listed as 82nd, ranked poorly due to high stress levels inherent in the profession.

“Attorneys and stockbrokers [ranked 84th] may earn considerably more than bookbinders or telephone repair technicians [ranked 83rd and 81st respectively], but these high-powered careers are hurt by anxiety, as both rank among the 20 most stressful jobs on our list,” the list's editors told the ABA Journal.

The list puts annual income at $109, 207 for lawyers, $152,027 for federal judges, $47,228 for court reporters and $46,155 for paralegals. The figures were derived by combining midlevel income with income growth potential.

The list, released by Careercast.com, offers help for uncertain job seekers by analyzing 200 jobs according to 5 criteria: stress, work environment, physical demands, income and outlook. The findings were compiled by Les Krantz, author of "Jobs Rated Almanac," and are based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau, as well as studies from trade associations and Mr. Krantz's own expertise, according to a Wall Street Journal story profiling the list’s top job: mathematician.

The legal services industry lost around 7,000 jobs in 2008, according to new statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor.

The numbers reflect a series of layoffs by firms nationwide and include attorneys, paralegals and other legal professionals. Job losses in the legal industry were part of 2.6 million jobs lost in the country last year, the largest employment losses in six decades. However, legal jobs actually increased by about 1,300 in December, according to seasonally adjusted data, the Am Law Daily reports.

Not all legal professionals are suffering in the present economy. Certain practice areas, such as bankruptcy, prosper in a declining economy. In fact, bankruptcy attorneys are named as one of the “Six Jobs that Thrive When the Economy Falters,” according to a report by Yahoo! Hotjobs.