photo montage showing people most in need of legal aid

Profile of the Legal Profession focus on:
Legal Aid

More than 10,000 paid legal aid lawyers nationwide provide free help for low-income Americans with civil legal problems. Some places have lots of legal aid lawyers, some have only a few. Some have none. Where are they?

 Read more: Legal Aid
Lawyer Demographics

Lawyer Demographics

There are 1.3 million lawyers in the United States. Who are they – and where are they? How many are women? How many are Black, Hispanic, Asian or Native American? How many are LGBTQ? How – and where – has the profession grown?

 Read more: Lawyer Demographics
Diversity in the Judiciary

Diversity in the Judiciary

The United States has more than 1,400 Article III federal judges. How diverse are they – by gender, by race, by ethnicity? How has the federal judiciary changed with appointments by President Joe Biden?

 Read more: Judges
Legal Education

Law Schools

The American Bar Association accredits 197 law schools across the country. Is enrollment up or down? How do graduates fare on the bar exam? Where do new lawyers work upon graduation? When did the number of female students pass the number of male students?

 Read more: Legal Education

Profile of the legal profession

 

The latest numbers are in and the American Bar Association presents them through graphs and analysis to help you understand the current legal landscape.

The fifth annual Profile of the Legal Profession is a snapshot of the profession in 2023, with statistics, charts and analysis in 10 areas.

 

Access previous reports at: ABA News

 

Demographics

Who lawyers are and where they are found

Judges

Judges in Article III federal courts, plus state Supreme Courts

Wages

How much are lawyers paid?

Legal Education

Applicants, enrollment and bar exam passage rates

Women in the Profession

Women in law firms and law schools

Technology

Hardware, software and how lawyers work online

Well-Being

Mental health, substance use and law firm life

Discipline

A state-by-state look at lawyer discipline

Questions? You can contact us directly:
(202) 662-1090

or email: abanews@americanbar.org

Video: Legal Aid in America: A Challenge for Equal Justice
Click to download the Profile of the Legal Profession report in .pdf format

What's New?

 

Everything. Each year, the American Bar Association compiles the latest statistics and trends on the legal profession in the United States. We gather data from dozens of sources – within the ABA, government agencies and nonprofits – that track lawyers, law schools, judges, law firms, lawyer disciplinary systems and more.

 Go to chapter one

Among the many updated statistics in the latest Profile report: