ABA Profile of the Legal Profession

Resources

Share:

The 2021 ABA Profile of the Legal Profession is a snapshot of a moment in time – a 140-page compilation of statistics and trends in 11 areas, including demographics, law schools, judges and legal technology. The 2021 Profile includes new findings on how the pandemic affected lawyers.

Download a PDF of the 2021 ABA Profile of the Legal Profession or view the report on an interactive website at www.ABALegalProfile.com.

OTHER KEY RESOURCES

The COVID-19 Pandemic

Demographics

ABA: 2021 National Lawyer Population Survey
ABA: 2020 Model Diversity Survey
ABA: Diversity and Inclusion Center

National Association for Law Placement: 2020 Report on Diversity in U.S. Law Firms
U.S. Census Bureau: Data
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment Statistics
American Bar Foundation and NALP Foundation: After the JD III
National Native American Bar Association: The Pursuit of Inclusion

Legal Deserts

ABA: Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defense
Harvard Law & Policy Review, 2018: “Legal Deserts: A Multi-State Perspective on Rural Access to Justice”

Lawyer Wages

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment Statistics
National Association for Law Placement: 2021 Associate Salary Survey
National Association for Law Placement: 2018 Public Service Attorney Salary Survey
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: CPI Inflation Calculator

Legal Education

ABA: ABA Required Law School Disclosures
ABA: Legal Education Statistics
ABA: Class of 2020, Employment Statistics
ABA: Bar Pass Data, Race, Ethnicity and Gender
ABA: Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar
ABA and AccessLex: 2020 Student Loan Debt Survey Report
Law School Admission Council: Applicants and Admissions Statistics
Association of American Law School: Before the JD report
National Conference of Bar Examiners: 2020 Bar Exam Statistics
National Center for Educational Statistics: Trends in Student Loan Debt for Graduate School Completers
AccessLex: Legal Education Data Deck, October 2020

Judges

ABA: Judicial Division
ABA: Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary
Federal Judicial Center: Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges, 1789-Present
Federal Judicial Center: Demography of Article III Judges, 1789-2020
Brennan Center for Justice: State Supreme Court Diversity, April 2021 Update

Pro Bono

ABA: Supporting Justice report, 2018
ABA: Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service
ABA: Free Legal Answers
Association of American Law Schools: Law Student Pro Bono Survey

Women in the Legal Profession

ABA: Commission on Women in the Profession
ABA: In Their Own Words, 2021 report
ABA: Left Out and Left Behind, 2020 report
ABA: Walking Out the Door, 2019 report
ABA: 2021 National Lawyer Population Survey
ABA: Legal Education Statistics
National Association of Women Lawyers: 2020 Survey Report
Brennan Center for Justice: State Supreme Court Diversity, April 2021 Update
Federal Judicial Center: Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges, 1789-Present
Federal Judicial Center: Demography of Article III Judges, 1789-2020
Rosenblatt’s Deans Database

Legal Technology

ABA: TechReport 2020
ABA: Law Practice Division

Lawyer Well-Being

ABA and Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation: Study on Lawyer Impairment
ABA: Survey of Law Student Well-Being
ABA: Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs

Lawyer Discipline

Download the 2020 ABA Profile of the Legal Profession report

Watch video of the one-hour webinar "Legal Deserts in America: A Threat to Justice for All" (below)