Is the long anticipated litigation boom finally here, more than a year after the financial crisis hit?

“Boom” might be too strong a word, but the latest Hildebrandt International Peer Monitor index indicates that litigation demand increased by 1.8 percent during the first three quarters of 2009 compared to the last three quarters of 2008. The index, released on Monday, tracked demand for legal services, attorney productivity, billing rates and direct and overhead expenses at large and midsize law firms.