2023 Bright Insight: The 2023 National Legal Sector Benchmark Survey Results

Staff growth rates are expected to be more tepid (3.6% vs. 5.6% for attorneys). A fourth of firms are actually expecting to shrink their staff headcount.

How much do you expect your attorney headcount to change in 2023? Attorney Headcount, Expected Change in 2023 (%)

Looking ahead, law firms involved in the 2023 Bright Insight Benchmark Survey are expecting to increase in size this year. Two thirds of firms are planning on increasing their staff headcount while 87% of firms are expecting attorney headcount to grow in 2023 . The average forecasted increase is larger for attorneys (+5.6%) than staff (+3.6%), which is in line with the ongoing trend of firms becoming more efficient with staffing ratios. A fourth of respondent firms are planning on reducing staff headcounts in 2023; only 10% expect to reduce their total attorney numbers. The largest firms will get even bigger this year. The expected attorney growth rate for firms with over 1,000 attorneys is 6.7%, while smaller firms (those with under 50 attorneys) are forecasting 3.6% increases (on average) in attorney headcount.

6.7%

5.6%

3.6%

How much do you expect your staff headcount to change in 2023? Staff Headcount, Expected Change in 2023 (%)

5.4%

4.2%

3.7%

All firms, 3.6%

Under 50 attorneys

All firms

1,001+ attorneys

Source: Cushman & Wakefield Research

1.8%

1.1%

87% of firms are expecting to increase their attorney headcount, looking to expand, regardless of current size. Growth rates are larger, however, among bigger firms and Global 100 firms.

0.7%

51 to 100

101 to 250

251 to 500

501 to 1,000

1,001+ attorneys

Under 50 attorneys

Source: Cushman & Wakefield Research

8 | BRIGHT INSIGHT