If you are confused, dear reader, about the direction of the business of law, we sympathize. Consider two reports by a pair of respected industry players.

A Robert Half International Inc. survey shows a big increase in the percentage of legal industry respondents who said they expect to add jobs in early 2011. “The survey results are certainly positive for the legal industry as a whole,” Charles Volkert, executive director of Robert Half Legal, told The American Lawyer. Bankers, however, are taking a far dimmer view. Jeffrey Grossman, national managing director for Wells Fargo’s legal specialty group, told The Washington Post recently that he still sees “an industry that has overcapacity and we suspect further challenges, further timekeeper cuts and possibly further staff cuts.” Insert head-scratching here.