Law Firms Closed 2025 With Continued 'Appetite For Hiring'

By Tracey Read | 2026-01-09

The legal sector continued to defy hiring expectations in spite of uncertainty in the U.S. economy as 2025 drew to a close.

There were 1,208,100 jobs in the legal sector in December, up 2,000 roles from November, according to seasonally adjusted data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The tally includes lawyers, paralegals and other legal professionals.

"These numbers are in line with what we are seeing from our law firm clients — a steady and continued appetite for hiring and strong competition for top talent at all levels," said Michelle Fivel, co-founder of recruiting firm Hatch Henderson Fivel.

The BLS data also showed there were 16,100 more legal industry jobs in December than a year ago.

"The addition of more than 16,000 legal jobs over the past year denotes consistent demand for legal services despite broader economic uncertainty," Fivel said. "Law firms are maintaining headcount to support ongoing regulatory complexity, robust litigation activity and increasing transactional needs, even as they remain thoughtful, strategic and selective in where they add talent."

Law firm hiring also held steady both during and immediately after the government shutdown.

The number of U.S. legal industry jobs stayed level in November after climbing about 300 positions in October from the previous month, according to the BLS.

Overall, the U.S. economy added over 50,000 jobs in December, and the 4.4% unemployment rate changed little from November, the bureau said. Employment grew in food and drink service, healthcare and social assistance, while the retail trade lost jobs.