I’m a little bit unusual for a lawyer – I like numbers! While my mental math skills have definitely been on the decline since I started the journey of being a lawyer, my appreciation for them has not. In particular, I like data. Maybe it’s the computer scientist in me that causes my fascination with numbers, functions, and outputs, I don’t know. Whatever the cause, I like having statistics on hand.
While there are a number of places to find statistics about the practice of law, it’s hard to find one single repository for all of that information. As all of my former law school classmates will probably tell you, if I don’t like something, I’ll try to fix it!
Here is a compilation of statistics about the life of a lawyer, with a heartfelt thanks to each of the organizations responsible for producing the data.
Have a legal statistic you want to update or add? Let me know!
Employment
Employment of legal occupations is projected to grow 7 percent from 2018 to 2028, faster than the average for all occupations, which will result in about 93,300 new jobs. (bls.gov)
According to the American Bar Association’s National Lawyer Population Survey , a compilation of data collected by state bar associations or licensing agencies, there were over 1.3 million resident and active attorneys as of December 2016. (bls.gov)
The lowest 10 percent of lawyers earned less than $59,670, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $208,000. (bls.gov)
In 2020, the number of attorneys nationally decreased from 1,328,692 to 1,352,027, a 1.7% decrease. (americanbar.org)
In 2020, the number of attorneys in Texas increased to 92,833 from 91,244, a 1.7% increase; Texas experienced the third highest attorney growth rate behind Oklahoma and Nevada. (americanbar.org)
In 2020, there was one attorney for every 244 people in the US. (statista.com/census.gov)
Demographics
Representation
In 2019, 36.4% of lawyers were women. (bls.gov)
In 2019, 24% of law partners were women. (nalp.org)
In 2019, 47% of law associates were women. (nalp.org)
In 2019, 37% of law firm counsel were women. (nalp.org)
In 2019, 86.6% of lawyers were white. (bls.gov)
In 2019, 5.9% of lawyers were black. (bls.gov)
In 2019, 5.7% of lawyers were Asian. (bls.gov)
In 2019, 5.8% of lawyers were Hispanic. (bls.gov)
In 2019, 10% of law partners were people of color. (nalp.org)
In 2019, 25% of law associates were people of color. (nalp.org)
In 2019, 12% of law firm counsel were people of color. (nalp.org)
In 2019, 3% of law partners were women of color. (nalp.org)
In 2019, 14% of law associates were women of color. (nalp.org)
In 2019, 6% of law firm counsel were women of color. (nalp.org)
In 2019, 0.46% of law partners were lawyers with disabilities. (nalp.org)
In 2019, 0.59% of law associates were lawyers with disabilities. (nalp.org)
In 2019, 2% of law partners identified as LGBT. (nalp.org)
In 2019, 4% of law associates identified as LGBT. (nalp.org)
In 2019, 2% of law partners were military veterans. (nalp.org)
In 2019, 1% of law associates were military veterans. (nalp.org)
Ideology
In 2017, 68% of lawyers who make political contributions give more money to Democrats than to Republicans. (harvard.edu)
In 2017, 76% of lawyers who attended law school at either the University of Virginia, the University of Chicago, Harvard, Yale, or Columbia and make political contributions give more money to Democrats than to Republicans. (harvard.edu)
Cases
In 2019, the US Courts of Appeals had 48,486 cases filed, a decrease of 1.6% over 2018 and a slowing of the trend to decrease appellate cases. (uscourts.gov)
In 2019, the US District Courts had 297,877 civil cases filed, an increase of 5.3% over 2018. (uscourts.gov)
In 2019, the US District Courts had 92,678 criminal cases filed, an increase of 6.3% over 2018. (uscourts.gov)
In 2019, the US Bankruptcy Courts had 776,674 cases filed, an increase of 0.4% over 2018. (uscourts.gov)
In 2019, there were 128,904 people under post-conviction supervision, a decrease of 0.6% over 2018. (uscourts.gov)
Income
In 2018, 49.6% of reporting recent law school graduates had salaries between $45,000 and $75,000. (nalp.org)
In 2018, the reported average salary of recent law school graduates was $98,150. (nalp.org)
In 2018, the adjusted average salary of recent law school graduates was $91,833. (nalp.org)
In 2019, the average billable hourly rate was $253 nationwide. (clio.com)
In 2019, the average billable hourly rate was $280 in the state of Texas. (clio.com)
In 2019, the average billable hourly rate in Dallas, Texas was $307, and the average billable hourly rate in Houston, Texas was $297. (clio.com)
Public Service
In 2018, the average entry-level salary for civil legal service professionals was $48,000, while those with over a decade of experience were making $69,400. (nalp.org)
In 2018, the average entry-level salary for public defenders was $58,300, while those with over a decade of experience were making $96,400. (nalp.org)
In 2018, the average entry-level salary for local prosecuting attorneys was $56,200, while those with over a decade of experience were making $84,400. (nalp.org)
In 2018, the average entry-level salary for lawyers in public interest organizations was $50,300, while those with over a decade of experience were making $80,500. (nalp.org)
Private Sector
In 2019, the average entry-level salary for lawyers at firms with fifty or fewer attorneys was $98,750. (nalp.org)
In 2019, the average entry-level salary for lawyers at firms with fifty to 100 attorneys was $115,000. (nalp.org)
In 2019, the average entry-level salary for lawyers at firms with 101 to 250 attorneys was $115,000. (nalp.org)
In 2019, the average entry-level salary for lawyers at firms with 251 to 500 attorneys was $160,000. (nalp.org)
In 2019, the average entry-level salary for lawyers at firms with 501 to 700 attorneys was $160,000. (nalp.org)
In 2019, the average entry-level salary for lawyers at firms with over 700 attorneys was $180,000. (nalp.org)
In 2019, the average entry-level salary for all lawyers at firms was $155,000. (nalp.org)
Client Experience
Finding a Lawyer
In 2019, 59% of clients found their lawyer through referrals. (clio.com)
In 2019, 57% of clients found their lawyer through doing their own research. (clio.com)
In 2019, 16% of clients found their lawyer by using referrals and doing their own research. (clio.com)
In 2019, the most common client referral sources were friends and family members, which accounted for 32% of all referral sources. (clio.com)
In 2019, 16% of lawyer referrals were made by another lawyer. (clio.com)
In 2019, 9% of lawyer referrals were made by a professional services provider outside of the legal industry. (clio.com)
Factors in Hiring
In 2019, 77% of clients ranked a lawyer’s experience and credentials as an important factor in deciding who to hire. (clio.com)
In 2019, 72% of clients ranked a lawyer’s typical type of case as an important factor in deciding who to hire. (clio.com)
In 2019, 70% of clients ranked whether a lawyer set clear expectations as an important factor in deciding who to hire. (clio.com)
In 2019, 66% of clients ranked a lawyer’s estimate of the total cost for their case as an important factor in deciding who to hire. (clio.com)
In 2019, 42% of clients said they would hire the first lawyer they spoke to if they liked them. (clio.com)
In 2019, 82% of clients said they want a lawyer who is timely about their communications with them. (clio.com)
In 2019, 64% of clients said they want their lawyer to have a friendly and likable tone. (clio.com)
Firm Operations
In 2019, 89% of lawyers said they respond to requests within 24 hours, but 32% of clients who have shopped for a lawyer don’t expect lawyers to follow up with them, and 64% of potential clients say a law firm didn’t respond to them. (clio.com)
In 2019, 76% of lawyers said they are overworked. (clio.com)
In 2019, 68% of lawyers said they are underappreciated. (clio.com)
In 2019, 69% of lawyers said they love being a lawyer. (clio.com)
In 2019, 82% of lawyers said they enjoy working with their clients. (clio.com)
In 2019, 69% of lawyers who aren’t confident in their ability to handle the operations of a law firm have no business training or experience. (clio.com)
In 2019, 82% of lawyers who are confident in their ability to handle the operations of a law firm had some business training or experience. (clio.com)
In 2019, 57% of client invoices were paid on the same day as they were issued. (clio.com)
In 2019, the average lawyer spent 2.5 hours on billable work each day. (clio.com)
Tech
Cybersecurity
Between 2017 and 2018, 63% of Texas law firms surveyed suffered a data breach. (bizjournals.com)
Between 2017 and 2018, 90% of Texas law firms surveyed had a vendor suffer a data breach. (bizjournals.com)
Between 2017 and 2018, every Texas law firms surveyed identified cybersecurity as one of their top three risks. (bizjournals.com)
