The total number of lawyers in the United States has seen a steady increase over the last few years. In 2024, there were approximately **** million active lawyers. This total was slightly lower when compared to the previous year, and not much above the 2015 figure of *** million. Lawyers in the U.S. Unlike many other common law countries, the United States does not differentiate between lawyers who plead in court and those who do not. For example, in the United Kingdom the former are titled barristers and the latter solicitors. In the United States, however, terms such as lawyer and attorney can refer to either profession. Oversupply in the U.S. legal industry Despite continuous growth of the U.S. legal services market since the great recession, there is an oversupply of lawyers relative to the number of jobs. An overproduction of law graduates is one cause of this oversupply; consequently the number of law graduates shrunk in recent years. Increasing automation is another cause, with around half of law firms admitting to replacing human resources with technology in the last two years.

Graph and download economic data for Total Revenue for Offices of Lawyers, All Establishments, Employer Firms (REVEF54111ALLEST) from 1998 to 2022 about legal, employer firms, accounting, revenue, establishments, services, and USA.

The total number of equity partners at the leading 100 law firms in the United States (U.S.) increased overall between 2016 and 2020. In 2020, there was a combined total of 21,258 equity partners working at the 100 highest grossing U.S. law firms.

In 2023, approximately ** percent of lawyers in the United States were women. In 2022, the state with the highest employment in that occupation was California, followed by New York and Florida.

How has the number of lawyers in the U.S. changed over time?

Between 2007 and 2022, there was an overall increase in the number of practicing lawyers in the United States. In 2022, the number of lawyers in the United States was up almost *** percent from what it had been a decade ago. Conversely, the number of law school graduates has steadily declined since 2013. This suggests that although the demand for lawyers has continued to grow in the United States, there have been fewer graduates being produced by law schools in the country.

The U.S. legal services market

The largest segment of the U.S. legal services market in 2022 was spending on outside legal counsel. This segment contributed significantly more to the market than corporate legal departments for companies with over *********** U.S. dollars in revenue. In 2017, the United States held almost half of the global legal market.

Graph and download economic data for Total Expense for Offices of Lawyers, Establishments Exempt from Federal Income Tax, Employer Firms (DISCONTINUED) (EXPEF54111TAXEPT) from 1998 to 2012 about tax exempt, legal, employer firms, accounting, establishments, tax, expenditures, services, and USA.

UniCourt provides legal data on law firms that’s been normalized by our AI and enriched with other public data sets to connect real-world law firms to their attorneys and clients, judges they’ve faced and types of litigation they’ve handled across practice areas and state and federal (PACER) courts.

AI Normalized Law Firms

• UniCourt’s AI locates and gathers variations of law firm names and spelling errors contained in court data and combines them with bar data, business data, and judge data to connect real-world law firms to their litigation. • Avoid bad data caused by frequent law firm name changes due to firm mergers, named partners leaving, and firms dissolving, leading to lost business and bad analytics. • UniCourt’s unique normalized IDs for law firms let you quickly search for and download all of the litigation involving the specific firms you’re interested in. • Uncover the associations and relationships between law firms, their lawyers, their clients, judges, and their top practice areas across different jurisdictions.

Using APIs to Dig Deeper

• See a full list of all of the businesses and individuals a law firm has represented as clients in litigation. • Easily vet the bench strength of law firms by looking at the volume and specific types of cases their lawyers have handled. • Drill down into a law firm’s experience to confirm which judges they’ve appeared before in court. • Identify which law firms and lawyers a particular firm has faced as opposing counsel, and the judgments they obtained.

Bulk Access to Law Firm Data

• UniCourt’s Law Firm Data API provides you with structured, cleaned, and organized legal data that you can easily connect to your case management systems, CRM, and other internal applications. • Get bulk access to law firm Secretary of State registration data and the names, emails, phone numbers, and physical addresses for all of a firm’s lawyers. • Use our APIs to create tailored legal marketing campaigns for law firms and their attorneys with the exact practice area expertise and the right geographic coverage you want to target. • Power your case research, business intelligence, and analytics with bulk access to litigation data for all the court cases a firm has handled and set up automated data feeds to find new cases they’re involved in.

The total number of lawyers working at the leading 100 law firms in the United States (U.S.) increased steadily between 2015 and 2020. In 2020, there was a combined total of 105,718 lawyers working at the 100 highest grossing U.S. law firms.

United States - Total Revenue for Offices of Lawyers, All Establishments, Employer Firms was 343016.00000 Mil. of $ in January of 2022, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Total Revenue for Offices of Lawyers, All Establishments, Employer Firms reached a record high of 343016.00000 in January of 2022 and a record low of 138894.00000 in January of 1998. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Total Revenue for Offices of Lawyers, All Establishments, Employer Firms - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Gross Domestic Product: Legal Services (5411) in the United States (USLEGALNGSP) from 1997 to 2023 about legal, science, professional, GSP, private industries, business, services, private, industry, GDP, and USA.

United States - Total Revenue for Offices of Lawyers, Establishments Subject to Federal Income Tax, Employer Firms was 337392.00000 Mil. of $ in January of 2022, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Total Revenue for Offices of Lawyers, Establishments Subject to Federal Income Tax, Employer Firms reached a record high of 337392.00000 in January of 2022 and a record low of 137230.00000 in January of 1998. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Total Revenue for Offices of Lawyers, Establishments Subject to Federal Income Tax, Employer Firms - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

United States - Total Revenue for Offices of Lawyers, Establishments Exempt from Federal Income Tax, Employer Firms was 5624.00000 Mil. of $ in January of 2022, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Total Revenue for Offices of Lawyers, Establishments Exempt from Federal Income Tax, Employer Firms reached a record high of 5624.00000 in January of 2022 and a record low of 1664.00000 in January of 1998. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Total Revenue for Offices of Lawyers, Establishments Exempt from Federal Income Tax, Employer Firms - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

In 2023, the industry with the highest level of employment for lawyers in the United States was legal services with roughly ******* lawyers working within this field. The next most numerous industry for lawyers was local government, where the total number was approximately ******.

Corporate law firms have enjoyed revenue growth as strong corporate profit stimulated demand for almost all of the industry's services. The largest boon to corporate lawyers came in 2021 as the number of IPOs reached an all-time high. As drafting IPOs is one of the industry's largest revenue streams, this jump brought a surge in revenue. This revenue was especially helpful to make up for a dip the year before as COVID-19-related government assistance allowed struggling businesses to delay filing for bankruptcy, lessening demand for corporate lawyers. Despite some atypical volatility, industry-wide revenue is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 1.0% over the past five years and to total $165.4 billion in 2024, when revenue will rise an estimated 1.4%.Strong corporate profit is the most important factor to the industry's success. Corporate profit skyrocketed following initial pandemic trough as prices, spending and production capacities all rose to meet pent-up demand. This new capital enabled major companies to acquire smaller competitors, leading to a surge in revenue for lawyers specializing in incorporation. With more flexibility in their margins, corporations were also able to invest more in research and development projects. This, in turn, boosted demand for corporate law firms to help protect intellectual property. While wages have been on the rise, revenue growth has helped law firms absorb these costs and keep profit high, especially for the nation's top firms.Looking forward, corporate lawyers are expected to enjoy steady growth over the next five years. Corporate profit is expected to rise toward the end of the period as interest rates decline. The rollout of the 15.0% minimum corporate tax will encourage major companies to seek consulting services from corporate lawyers in order to comply while remaining efficient. Much of this demand will be met by in-house legal departments, though, which experts anticipate to become more prevalent. The range of corporate law firms' cyclical and countercyclical services will continue to make the industry especially resilient, and revenue is forecast to climb at a CAGR of 1.4% over the five years through 2029 to total $177.3 billion.

Number of Businesses statistics on the Corporate Law Firms industry in the US

In 2024, there were approximately 463,600 law firms in the United States. Between 2020 and 2025, the number of law firms grew by approximately 1.8 percent per year on average.

A consistent flow of legal cases, heightened travel and the continued proliferation of vehicle drivers created a range of revenue streams for personal injury lawyers and attorneys. Individual customers drove considerable interest in injury attorneys, as the rate of motor vehicle cases and overall drivers rose over the past five years. There were 237.7 million individual drivers in 2023 according to the Federal Highway Administration, expanding lawyers’ influence within the automobile accident stream. The industry also benefited from continued inclines in medical malpractice cases, buoyed by strong 3.1% growth in the number of adults aged 65 and older over the past five years. Service expansion and diversification has provided smaller law firms with greater ability to run more generalized practices spanning automobile accident cases and workplace injury cases, while expanding their array of clients. Overall, revenue grew at a CAGR of 2.5% to an estimated $61.7 billion, including an estimated 0.7% boost in 2025 alone. Personal injury lawyers benefited from higher travel volumes, which generated greater opportunity for legal cases. Individual customers were able to travel more frequently following a period of high inflation in 2022, enabling greater volume within maritime channels like cruises and air channels like airplanes. Marine injury cases inclined from 1,042 individual cases filed in 2023 to 1,167 in 2024 per the United States Courts, generating a growing revenue stream for law firms. However, growing competition from digital alternatives and the continued effects of elevated interest rates on younger clients curtailed profit. Although the average profit is high, most firms are small and handle few cases, so even the loss of one or two cases could be highly detrimental to their bottom line. Moving forward, personal injury lawyers are poised to benefit from a multitude of favorable economic trends and a steadily rising retiree population. Despite the rise in safe driving technology, distractions on the road will continue to result in reckless driving, which will generate higher automobile accident cases. The aging population will also drive demand for malpractice cases, as more elderly people will seek more frequent medical care that will elevate interest in specialized injury attorneys. Finally, the expansion of digital technology, such as AI, will allow law firms to reduce overhead expenses and service a larger array of cases. Revenue is expected to grow at a CAGR of 1.2% to an estimated $65.6 billion over the next five years.

The graph illustrates the average cost of a lawyer per hour in the United States from 2018 to 2024. The x-axis represents the years from 2018 to 2024, while the y-axis displays the average hourly cost in dollars. Over this seven-year period, the average hourly cost increased from $236.86 in 2018 to a peak of $300.14 in 2024. The data indicates an overall upward trend in hourly lawyer costs over the years, with a large increase in the recent year.

This statistic gives the number of firms in the legal services market in the United States from 2010 to 2018, with a breakdown by enterprise size. In 2018, there were around 264 legal services firms in the United States with more than 500 employees.

The Business Lawyers and Attorneys industry has grown alongside the economy, with surging corporate profit providing businesses with the resources to expand their services. This expansion necessitated increased spending on a wide array of business law services, while corporate law, usually considered a subset of business law, experienced a similar upswing. In addition to traditional service needs stemming from expanded services and mergers and acquisitions, companies have looked to the industry to navigate employment law challenges resulting from expanded protections for contesting discriminatory practices. As a result, industry-wide revenue is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 1.2% over the past five years to total $191.8 billion in 2024. Following a muted downturn in 2022 and 2023, revenue is forecast to rise 4.5% in 2024. Amid these dynamics, lower-cost alternatives could challenge the industry. As clients shift from contracted law firms to more economical in-house departments familiar with company-specific needs, business lawyers must secure top talent to justify their positions. While technological advancements enhance law firms' capabilities by allowing them to concentrate on high-value tasks, large businesses will likely use the same tools to lessen their industry dependence. This trend has exerted downward pressure on profit, which has budged slightly in recent years. While pressures on the industry will be steep, business law will remain crucial as companies look to expand amid a growing economy. The expectation that interest rate cuts will continue will allow businesses to grow, amplifying the need for commercial legal services. In addition, the incoming Trump administration's expected changes to the business environment will create reliance on industry law. With the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act set to expire, its potential extension under the new administration will create demand for business tax services. Additionally, anticipated tariffs on imported goods will require companies to adapt operations, drawing on business attorneys' expertise to ensure legal compliance. The range of law firms' services will position the industry for growth, with revenue forecast to climb at a CAGR of 1.5% through the end of 2029 to total $206.8 billion.

US law firms remain indispensable in providing the legal infrastructure for individuals and businesses despite facing a rapidly evolving industry landscape. How law practices deliver legal services is shifting rapidly, shaped by labor competition, consolidation, new market entrants and rising technology demands. Lateral hiring has increased significantly, reflecting a more competitive environment for experienced legal talent, particularly at larger firms. Consolidation continues across the industry as firms seek scale, broader capabilities and operating efficiencies. Meanwhile, alternative legal service providers and tech-driven platforms are gaining ground, offering specialized, cost-effective services that challenge traditional models. This has forced firms to rethink their approach to delivering value. Larger firms have leveraged their resources to invest in technology, client data and global reach, while midsize and boutique firms focus on specialization and personalized services. Despite the industry’s rapid pace of change since 2020, revenue has been rising, increasing at a CAGR of 2.2% over the past five years, reaching an expected $426.7 billion in 2025, when revenue will jump an estimated 2.7%. Artificial intelligence fundamentally reshapes law firms by streamlining routine and time-intensive tasks like legal research and letting lawyers focus on more complex, strategic work. This technology enhances efficiency, reduces turnaround times and improves accuracy, especially in high-volume practice areas. Law practices are transforming their service models and pricing strategies by integrating AI tools into their workflows. Despite requiring investment and oversight, AI adoption enables a shift from traditional legal delivery to more tech-enabled practices. Advances in AI also introduce new cases for firms, enhancing the industry’s role as AI companies navigate regulatory challenges that current laws don’t fully address. In 2025, law practices are operating in a more segmented industry. Strategic mergers, like the Troutman Pepper and Locke Lord merger in 2024, highlight trends toward expanding scale and geographical reach to stay competitive. Firms are moving into secondary markets to access talent and reduce costs while strengthening their expertise in high-growth areas, including AI, cybersecurity and intellectual property. Political and regulatory scrutiny poses new, novel challenges, exemplified by federal actions directed at some of the country’s largest and most influential firms. While law practices will navigate an evolving environment over the next five years, industry revenue will continue expanding, rising at a CAGR of 1.7% to reach an estimated $463.1 billion in 2030.