How many lawyers in the U.S. practice law? Learn the number of lawyers in the U.S. practicing law and how slow growth trends could affect clients.
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Reviewed By Adam Ramirez, J.D.
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Examine the growth in the number of lawyers in the U.S. from 1990-2023, analyzing trends in lawyer demographics and quantities.
The statistics do not lie. The number of lawyers in U.S. practices flattened in the late 2010s and early 2020s, and the number of lawyers has seen no significant growth since 2017.
How many lawyers in the U.S. practice law? According to U.S. Justice Department statistics, approximately 1.3 million legal professionals actively practice in the country. From 1990 to 2017, the number of American lawyers increased by nearly 72% to 1.3 million. Since 2017, the total has fluctuated within a range of about 15%, essentially ending where it started.
The American Bar Association, a voluntary professional legal organization, provides detailed statistics about the population:
The stagnation in the U.S. lawyer population has a few contributing factors. First, the overall population growth in the U.S. has flattened. This long-term trend means that growth in many professions has plateaued.
Second, undergraduate and law school enrollment numbers have fallen. With fewer students in the pipeline, fewer new lawyers are joining the profession.
Finally, lawyers tend to be older than members of other professions. The legal profession requires thousands of new lawyers each year just to replace those who have retired, passed away, or moved into other professions.
The distribution of lawyers across the United States is far from uniform. Major metropolitan areas, such as New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., serve as hotspots for legal practitioners, attracting both seasoned lawyers and aspiring law school graduates. These urban hubs offer a broader spectrum of legal opportunities, leading to a higher concentration of legal professionals.
Determining how many attorneys in the U.S. join the profession each year tells only part of the story. The legal profession has undergone a significant demographic shift.
Since the 1990s, the share of women in the legal profession has doubled, and the percentage of lawyers from racial minority groups grew from 11% in 2013 to 21% in 2023. These changes may help the legal profession be more responsive to the needs of female and minority clients.
You can infer the effects on clients by knowing how many lawyers in the U.S. practice law. A flat legal profession could pose significant problems to the legal system as a whole. Fewer lawyers means fewer advocates for clients, whether they are dealing with divorces or personal injury claims.
Second, legal practices are the training ground for new judges. With fewer new judges to oversee individual lawsuits, class action lawsuits, and settlement conferences, courtroom dockets will become even more overloaded, and clients will wait even longer for justice.
While 1.3 million lawyers seem like a lot, they must serve tens of millions of clients every year. When you have a legal issue, you will often benefit from educating yourself using the resources from ConsumerShield. We will also provide a free case evaluation and connect you with a lawyer to address the specifics of your case. Contact us to learn more about our services.
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Sarah Edwards is a seasoned legal writer with more than a decade of experience.
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