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Attorney Vital StatisticsThere are over ONE MILLION lawyers in the United States today.About forty thousand new lawyers graduate and begin to practice law every year. Over 60% of them engage in the private practice of law.  
Near 90% of lawyers in the US practice in metropolitan areas.
The number of small town lawyer has declined since the 1950’s. The number of female lawyers has grown dramatically over the past two decades in the US. America has more lawyers than any country in history. Many working class Americans cannot afford a lawyer and only request legal services in a crisis, such as DUI charge. There were no more than 10 large firms in the US with more than 100 lawyers in 1973.
Lawyers in the 100 largest firms account for 5% of the lawyer population, but bring in 20% of the fees. Out of 40 thousand law firms in the US, only 2 thousand have more than 10 lawyers. Ten percent of all lawyers practice for some level of government. The United States Justice Department is the largest law firm in the world. The Justice Department defends the United States while US Attorneys represent the prosecutor arm of the federal government. Annually, Americans spend more than 150 billion dollars on legal fees.
The other roles of a lawyer: mediator, evaluator, advisor, negotiator, agent, advocate and fiduciary. Return from Attorney Vital Statistics to Home page.
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Approximately 40% of all lawyers actually do not practice law. Some of these are law-related (teaching law, serving as judges or arbitrators.) Others leave the law profession and engage in activities that have little to do with the legal system.
The largest legal markets are: New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C.- Baltimore, Chicago, Houston, Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Atlanta, Denver, Dallas, Forth Worth, Miami, Detroit, Cleveland, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Kansas City, Seattle, San Diego, Phoenix, Austin , San Antonio, New Orleans, Tampa and Pittsburgh.
In 1990, there were 250. And in 2000, there were over 500 firms, several with more than one thousand lawyers.
Rule number 1.1 of the American Bar Association’s Model Rules of Professional Conduct is: “A lawyer shall provide competent representation to a client. Competent representation requires the legal knowledge, skill, thoroughness, and preparation reasonably necessary for the representation.”