Jobs in legal sector continue to grow, reaching historical high

Recently released data from the U.S. Department of Labor shows that employment in the U.S. legal sector continued to increase in February. (Image from Shutterstock)
Employment in the U.S. legal sector continued to increase in February, according to recently released data from the U.S. Department of Labor.
The news, released Friday, shows the legal sector reaching another historical high, even as the broader economy shed jobs and the unemployment rate increased, according to a story from Reuters.
The total number of jobs in the legal sector, including lawyers, paralegals, judges and legal assistants, hit 1,237,600 in February, an increase of 2,600 jobs from January and up 8.2% compared to five years earlier, according to figures released by the department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“It’s a good time to be in the legal industry,” John Cashman, the president of legal recruiting firm and consultancy Major, Lindsey & Africa, told Reuters.
Data from the Labor Department shows that the legal sector has added jobs continuously since July 2024, though January and February’s job count could still be revised. That is in contrast to the broader economy, which showed the sixth decline in nonfarm payrolls since January 2025.
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