The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the demand for legal services increased in the 4th quarter of 2010 for the first time in more than two years (!) according to a report released today by Hildebrandt Baker Robbins, which surveyed more than 100 large and medium-sized law firms in the U.S. and abroad.

Question is, will this simply translate to more profits for Partners in BigLaw or will the trickle down effect help small firms and/or increase the availability of jobs for legal grads?  That’s an answer we all want to hear…