This nifty document includes key facts and figures about the country’s legal industry. You probably know many of them already, while others will add to your knowlegde base. Why not rattle off a few of this stats at your next partner's meeting? They’ll be impressed.
Here's a sampling:
- There are 1.25 million lawyers in the US as of 2011 according to the American Bar Association.
- Of those practicing law, 74% are in private practice. 16% are in-house.
- Approximately 25% of practicing lawyers work at the nation’s 350 largest law firms.
- Baker & McKenzie is the country’s largest firm with 3,805 lawyers according to The National Law Journal. DLA Piper (3,746 lawyers) is a close #2. Jones Day (2,407 lawyers) is a distant #3.
- The highest compensation per partner? Wachtell at $4.5 million/year according to The American Lawyer.
- Most important US Supreme Court decisions? Marbury v Madison (1803), Miranda v Arizona (1966), Roe v Wade (1973), and others.