Seventy percent of lawyers polled said their law firms or corporate legal departments plan to award their associates pay raises and bonuses, according to a survey released last week by Robert Half Legal. Fifteen percent said that no additional compensation would be given.

“After several years of staff reductions and salary freezes, employees who don’t feel rewarded sufficiently may be considering other job opportunities,” said Charles Volkert, executive director of Robert Half Legal. “To avoid losing top talent, employers in the legal field increasingly are bolstering employee retention programs, including offering raises and bonuses.”

Robert Half Legal is the legal staffing division of Robert Half International Inc. (NYSE: RHI). The survey was conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from 200 lawyers at the largest law firms and corporations in the United States.