Number of law graduates in the U.S. 2013-2021

The number of law graduates in the United States steadily declined between 2013 and 2021. As of 2021, 35,287 students graduated from law school in the United States. The share of unemployed law graduates in the United States followed approximately the same trend: the percentage of law students who did not find a job after graduating in 2019 was roughly half the share recorded in 2013, before increasing again in 2020.

Career opportunities

Law school graduates can undertake many career paths. Legal occupations can be primarily distinguished between lawyers, judges, and judicial workers on one hand, and legal support workers, such as paralegals and legal assistants, on the other. As of May 2020, the large majority of professionals employed in legal occupations in the United States were lawyers. According to the same study, lawyers were also the highest-paid workers in the sector, followed by judges and magistrates.

Leading law firms

The United States are home to some of the most renowned law firms in the world. In 2020, Wachtell and Kirkland were the leading law firms in the country in terms of revenue per lawyer and gross revenue, respectively. However, Baker Mckenzie was the company in the United States with the largest number of lawyers employed. In fact, the multinational firm headquartered in Chicago employed almost one thousand lawyers more than DLA Piper, which followed in the ranking.