As legal advocates, attorneys hold a critical role in the justice system. In this blog post, we will be examining the latest trends and statistics on the number of attorneys in the United States, using data from the American Bar Association’s “National Lawyer Population by State (2022)” report.
Number of Attorneys:
According to the report, there are approximately 1.34 million lawyers in the United States as of 2022. California has the highest number of attorneys with 168,620 members of the bar, followed by New York with 168,163 lawyers, Texas with 99,166, and Florida with 89,107.
Gender and Ethnicity:
While there has been an increase in gender diversity within the legal profession over the years, there is still work to be done in terms of racial and ethnic representation. As of 2022, women make up 39.1% of all attorneys in the United States, which is an increase from 30.9% in 2012. However, only 14.5% of all attorneys are minorities, which is lower than their representation in the overall U.S. population.
Employment Trends:
Private practice remains the most common employment setting for lawyers, with 68% of attorneys in the United States working in this category. However, there has been a recent rise in attorneys working in government, public interest, and corporate settings. According to the report, 32% of lawyers in the United States work outside of private practice, with the largest percentage working in government (17%).
Conclusion:
In conclusion, the legal profession in the United States consists of around 1.34 million attorneys, with California having the highest number of lawyers. While there has been an increase in gender diversity within the legal profession, there is still a lack of representation for minorities. Private practice remains the most popular employment setting for lawyers, but there has been a recent shift towards government, public interest, and corporate settings. For more information on how LawTurbo can help your law firm stay up-to-date on the latest trends and best practices, schedule a discovery call with us today at https://lawturbo.com/book-appointment/.