Employment across the US legal industry climbed to a new record in September, even as hiring across the wider economy fell well short of expectations.
Figures released by the US Department of Labor showed that the legal sector had approximately 1.249 million jobs last month. That represented an increase of about 2,000 positions from August and marked a 7.6% rise compared with five years earlier.
The legal employment figures include a broad range of positions, including lawyers, paralegals, judges and legal assistants.
The sector’s continued expansion stood in contrast to the overall US employment picture. Employers added only 29,000 jobs in September, substantially below the roughly 90,000 new positions economists had anticipated.
The divergence was also evident in the financial sector, a major source of business for law firms. Finance-related employment declined by about 7,000 jobs in September.
The financial sector has now shed approximately 129,000 positions since reaching its employment peak in May 2025, according to the latest figures.
Despite weakness in some major areas of the economy, the latest employment data show that the legal industry continued to add workers and maintain its record level of employment through September.
