The modern lawyer's job description has seen a significant makeover in the last few years, thanks (in part) to the proliferation of technology and the rising convergence of legal and business. Whether you're a veteran in the legal profession or an aspirant aiming for a law degree, staying abreast with current trends and statistics of lawyers arms you with the right perspective of where the industry is headed and how to best brace yourself.
Here, we've rounded up some crucial lawyer statistics to help you set yourself up for success in 2025.
Let's dive in!
#1 How many lawyers are active in the United States (US)?
According to the American Bar Association (ABA), there are over 1.3 million active lawyers in the US, reflecting a 5% increase from 2013's population survey. Indeed, the legal profession has witnessed relatively slow growth in the 21st century, recording a 1.3% annual growth rate from 2000 to 2023.
New York and California have the highest population of lawyers in the country, with a combined 27% of the nation's legal professionals.
However, Florida has the fastest-growing population of lawyers, having seen a 24% increase in the past decade. This is closely followed by North Carolina (20%), Georgia, and Texas (both 17%). So, if you intend to practice in these regions, you can expect relatively tougher competition.
If you want more employment opportunities, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) lists Washington, New York, Tallahassee, Miami, and Santa Fe as the five regions with the highest demand for legal services.
#2 The current view of lawyer demographics in the US
39% of lawyers in the US are women. In other words, there's still a significant gap in lawyer gender as male lawyers hold the population advantage over their female counterparts. However, ABA reports that more women are joining the legal industry in recent years, with relatively fewer men enrolling in law school.
White lawyers account for 79% of the entire population of legal professionals, with black, Asian, and Hispanic lawyers making up the remaining 21%. While the numbers may seem small for lawyers of color, it is, indeed, a positive outlook, considering that the last decade had only 11% active in the industry.
Law firm diversity is also a growing trend, with the industry seeing a slow yet steady increase in the presence of law firm partners who are lawyers of color. In 2012, only 6.71% of law firm partners were lawyers of color. That number has now grown to 12.02%.
At the associate level, the growth is more significant, peaking at 30.15%. This represents a 48.42% increase from the National Association for Law Placement's (NALP) report in 2012.
Source: ABA Profile of Legal Profession
#3 How much do lawyers earn?
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports an average lawyer salary of $145,000 per year, equivalent to $70 per hour, excluding bonuses and other employee benefits. This is typical for entry-level associates, especially in medium and large law firms across the country.
For in-house lawyers, the average salary largely depends on the specific designation. According to SpotDraft's Compensation Report, Chief Legal Officers (CLOs) earn an average base salary of $348,976 per year. General Counsel (GC), on the other hand, earns $274,392.
In both positions, female in-house counsel earn higher average base salaries. However, their male counterparts earn higher in equity and bonuses.
Want to learn about the salaries of various in-house legal positions, including Associate GC, Compliance Counsel, Legal Ops managers, and more? Click here to read our in-depth report.
Also read: How should Corporate counsel negotiate for a better salary?
#4 Lawyers and technology
66% of legal leaders plan to accelerate technology investments in the coming years. The goal is to create what Gartner describes as an "augmented legal workforce" where technology tools complement legal performance.
Lawyers are facing increased demand to become familiar with legal technology, and with artificial intelligence (AI) taking over the industry, technical skills are becoming a part of the modern lawyer's core competencies.
ACC's 2024 In-house Trends Report shows that 33% of legal departments use AI in their day-to-day operations.
Fortunately, most lawyers live up to the expectation, with a total of 90% saying they're comfortable with the technology at their workplace.
The use of technology in law firms and corporate legal departments comes with several advantages for corporate organizations, solo firms, and large law companies. This spans from the automation of routine legal work and enhanced productivity to cost reduction and risk mitigation.
Also read: Future Trends in Legal Tech Every In-house Counsel Must Know
#5 In-house legal services are on the rise
Of the estimated 1.3 million active lawyers in the US, 130,000 work in-house, accounting for 9.8% of the entire practicing lawyer population. This marks a 77% growth from the last decade.
While the number of law firm attorneys dwarfs the population of in-house lawyers, the growth rate has been relatively significant for the latter over the last two decades, as shown in the graph above.
Companies are prioritizing hiring internal legal teams in response to the shifting demands of the business ecosystem. They want to reduce costs, control the pace of processes, and build a team that grows with the organization.
According to ACC's In-house Legal Trends Report, 16% of in-house lawyers go into in-house roles immediately after graduating from their law schools. The majority (39%) go in-house after accumulating up to 5 years of Post Qualification Experience (PQE).
Source: ACC In-house Trend Report
Also read: Alternative Legal Careers for Lawyers: 20 Realistic Ideas
#6 What's the outlook for lawyers in the labor market?
According to data by AccessLex, most lawyers (98%) secured employment in their first year as J.D graduates in 2022.
Source: Legal Education Data Deck
This trend will likely continue as the BLS projects an average of 35,600 new job openings for lawyers every year from 2023 to 2033. This represents approximately 5% growth over the span of 10 years if law firms and corporate organizations maintain their current pace of recruitment.
#7 Hybrid work is going mainstream
A study by Empsight and the ACC shows that 63% of lawyers work on a hybrid schedule. This means they can switch between working remotely and onsite on specific days of the week.
Of this group of hybrid workers, 30% work remotely two days per week. This is closely followed by 27% who say they work three days a week. Another 13% say they work remotely four times a week.
Additionally, the report shows that 24% of lawyers work fully remotely, while only 11% work fully onsite.
Source: Law Department Compensation Survey
Also read: Navigating Remote Work as a Legal Counsel: Tips for Staying on Top
#8 Corporate law departments are getting a makeover
According to Gartner, 20% of corporate law departments will consist of non-lawyer staff by the end of 2024. This doesn't mean that many lawyers will lose their jobs. Instead, it means organizations will focus on recruiting for roles that complement legal practices.
With technology transforming the way lawyers provide legal services, it has become paramount for organizations to empower their legal departments with the right tools to foster maximum efficiency.
This has given rise to a variety of non-traditional legal functions like legal operations (legal ops), paralegals, contract managers, and litigation support specialists.
According to Bloomberg Law, 57% of law firms and 45% of in-house legal teams have a legal ops function established within their organization.
“The engine room of the legal function is legal operations. It adds value to the function by dealing with so many parts of in-house lawyers in a scalable manner.”
~ David Lancelot, ex-VP Global Head of Legal, eBay Classifieds
Embracing Legal’s Role as Business Co-Leaders
In another report by ACC, at least 76% of legal departments have personnel for contract management, intellectual property, and legal analytics.
#9 What are the highest-paying niches in the legal industry?
A legal career can be financially rewarding, especially for lawyers specializing in high-paying niches.
Here's a summary of the six highest-paying legal practice areas by Indeed:
- Intellectual property lawyers (or patent attorneys) earn an average of $171,346 per year.
- Corporate lawyers earn an average of $148,196 per year.
- Real estate lawyers earn an average of $135,989 per year.
- Civil litigation lawyers earn an average of $116,954 per year.
- Personal injury lawyers earn an average of $106,172 per year.
- Employment law associates earn an average of $99,547 per year.
#10 Integrating legal into business
“I am often surprised by in-house lawyers who take very little interest in really learning their company’s business. Nevertheless, it is impossible to think strategically without a thorough understanding of a) how your company makes money; b) its products and services; c) its important customers and vendors; d) its competitors; and e) its business plans and strategy.”
~ Sterling Miller, Senior Counsel, Hilgers Graben PLLC
The Strategic In-House Lawyer
In-house lawyers are witnessing increased demand to contribute to business outcomes. In fact, business acumen is now one of the core qualifications that set the best lawyers apart in the industry.
According to Thomson Reuters, 67% of GCs sit in board meetings, where they contribute to strategic business decisions. In another report by Deloitte, 62% of legal departments say they're often consulted about decisions that affect business outcomes.
Also read: Top Challenges for Enterprise Legal Departments
What does this mean for you?
Whether you're a practicing lawyer or an aspiring legal professional, you must come to terms with the fact that the industry has taken a new shape.
Opportunities abound in the industry. However, to remain a valuable asset in your law firm or organization, you must learn to position yourself not as a mere legal advisor but as a strategic business enabler.
This entails developing key business skills, mastering the use of technology tools for core processes (like contract management, legal analytics, and research), and building a strong network.
“There’s a survey which reveals what employers and clients value most out of their lawyers. They create a list of the top ten values, which I put up in my class. It’s an eye-opening moment for most students, just as it was for me when I first read the report.
Seven of the ten have nothing to do with the practice of law. And near the top is relationship building, along with things like being invested in the values of your employer or your client, responsiveness. work ethic, and intentionality around those kinds of things. They don't teach any of that in law school.”
~ Shaping a Purpose-Driven Career in Law
Akshay Verma, Head of Legal Ops, Coinbase
Standout with SpotDraft
Do you know that legal professionals spend 53% of their time manually handling repetitive, low-value contract management tasks? This is notorious for slowing sales cycles, exposing lawyers to burnout, and causing revenue leakages.
To maximize productivity, ensure you take advantage of Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) tools like SpotDraft. SpotDraft offers an all-in-one, automated, and scalable ecosystem that allows you to streamline contracting processes from end to end. This results in shorter contract turnaround times, reduced risks, and increased revenue.
Want to see how it works? Click here to see a demo tailored just for you.
We also have Counsel Corner, a special column where we distill powerful insights from industry-recognized lawyers. Click here to check it out.
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