Welcome to the 2021 ABA Profile of the Legal Profession
A snapshot of the legal profession
The third annual ABA Profile of the Legal Profession, published in July 2021, includes stats and analysis on:
- Demographics – Lawyers by gender, race and ethnicity
- Growth of the profession 1900-2021
- Number of lawyers in every state and county
- Wage trends
- Law school applications and enrollment
- Law student demographics
- Employment trends after law school
- Bar passage rates
- Law school debt
- Diversity on the bench
- Pro bono work
- Legal technology trends
- Well-being of lawyers, judges and law students
- Lawyer discipline trends
Download the PDF or read the report on your devices!
Responsive & Mobile. Read the Profile report on the go. This year’s report has a fully responsive layout – fits perfectly on various displays and resolution, on desktop screens, laptops, tablets and phones.
Download the full report. Click below to get the entire 140-page 2021 ABA Profile of the Legal Profession.
Diversity on the Bench
The judiciary is overwhelmingly dominated by judges who are white and male.
- 80% of federal judges are white
- 72% are men
- 22 states have no justices of color on their highest courts
- 28 states have no Black justices
- 40 states have no Hispanic justice
Pro Bono Work
The ABA recommends that all lawyers perform at least 50 hours a year of pro bono services to those unable to pay.
- 20% of lawyers meet this aspirational goal
- 52% of lawyers provided pro bono service in the past year
- The average lawyer works 37 pro bono hours a year
- Lawyers who are 70 to 74 years old work an average of 58 pro bono hours a year
Message from the ABA President
“The pandemic hit the legal profession in many ways. How hard? The answer is right here, in the 2021 ABA Profile of the Legal Profession.
There is a lot more to learn in this fascinating report, now in its third year. Anyone interested in learning more about the profession’s past – and its future – can find it in the ABA Profile of the Legal Profession.”
Lawyer Well-being
As of June 1, 2021, 212 legal employers – including law firms, corporations and universities – have signed the ABA well-being pledge and committed to taking concrete steps to improve lawyer wellness.
Legal Technology
The most popular social media networks for lawyers are LinkedIn (88%), Facebook (39%), Twitter (23%), Martindale (15%), Avvo (14%) and Instagram (13%).
Law School Debt
More than 90% of new lawyers surveyed took out law school loans. Their average total education debt upon graduation – money owed from law school, undergraduate school and other education expenses – was $120,000.
Wages
Free Legal Answers
Since its launch in 2016, ABA Free Legal Answers has received 168,000 questions. More than 9,500 lawyers from across the country have volunteered to answer those questions.
