The U.S. legal sector continued its streak of job gains, reaching another historic high in July even as the broader U.S. economy unexpectedly shed jobs, according to new figures released Friday by the U.S. Department of Labor.
The total number of jobs in the legal sector, including lawyers, paralegals, judges and legal assistants, stood at 1,245,200 in July, an increase of 1,000 jobs from June and up 8.1% compared to five years earlier, according to figures released by the department's Bureau of Labor Statistics.
BLS data shows that the U.S. legal sector has almost invariably added jobs monthly since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. March 2026 was the only month in the past 24 months to show any decline in legal sector jobs, although June and July's numbers could be revised downward in future reports.
In another positive signal for at least a segment of the legal industry, prominent corporate law firm Milbank said this week it will offer its incoming first-year associates the option to start their jobs a few weeks early, citing client demand.
The New York-founded firm, which also raised its associate salaries this summer, said it is experiencing "exceptionally strong client demand,” and is giving lawyers the option to begin on August 24 rather than in mid-September, according to an email viewed by Reuters and confirmed by a firm spokesperson.
At the same time, a report from the National Association for Law Placement released Wednesday found that the number of entry-level lawyers hired by the biggest U.S. law firms declined last year for the first time in more than a decade. Law firms of 500 or more lawyers hired 7.5% fewer new associates in 2025, the first decrease since 2014, the report found.
The U.S. finance sector, which is larger and an important source of income for law firms, lost 14,000 jobs last month. That sector has shrunk by 121,000 jobs since peaking in May 2025.
