International Law Prof Blog

ABA Reports 1.3 Million Licensed, Active Attorneys in the United States

Newly released survey data from the American Bar Association on the nationwide population of lawyers indicates a total of 1,338,678 licensed, active attorneys in the United States. The total represents a 0.2 percent increase since last year and a 15.2 percent rise over the past decade in number of U.S. lawyers.

The American Bar Association National Lawyer Population Survey is an annual snapshot of the number of licensed practicing lawyers in the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and five U.S. territories. The association compiles this information each year from data voluntarily submitted by state bar associations or licensing agencies that are asked to provide the number of resident and active attorneys as of December 31 of the prior year. Under those parameters, the 2018 survey represents data as of December 31, 2017.

Overall, the 2018 survey indicates a slight gain in the national lawyer population, rising 0.2 percent from 1,335,963 active resident attorneys on December 31, 2016 to 1,338,678 lawyers on the same day in 2017. A look at the 10-year trend in lawyer population also shows modest year to year increases since 2008, culminating in 2018 with an overall 15.2 percent gain in practicing U.S. lawyers over the decade. 

Among other findings from the report, the top five areas with the largest number of active attorneys in residence are New York (177,035), California (170,044), Texas (90,485), Florida (78,244) and Illinois (63,422). The top five areas with the fewest resident attorneys are North Dakota (1,694), Virgin Islands (776), Guam (270), North Mariana Islands (128) and American Samoa (59).

The 2018 data is presented in three tables. The first is a state-by-state listing of the number of resident lawyers with comparable data from the previous year. The next table shows the trend in population over the past 10 years, again organized by geographic area. And the last table offers the total number of lawyers by year from 1878 to present. 

The numbers presented in the 2018 population report reflect the best available data provided to the ABA from the state associations and agencies. The organizations responding to the survey sometimes change their reporting standards. Among the changes affecting the 2018 report, Vermont was not able to provide current data for 2017 so the data from the most recent submission were used (2016). Virgin Islands was not able to provide residency data in 2018 due to Hurricanes Irma and Maria, causing the significant increase in lawyer count. In 2018, Oklahoma removed senior members from the count of active residents (they can still practice but are over the age of 70), causing the significant drop in lawyer count. Each table is footnoted to provide relevant detail on the data submitted by each responding entity.

A full copy of the 2018 survey is located here.

With more than 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is one of the largest voluntary professional membership organizations in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.

(ABA Press Release)

ASIL-Midwest Works-in-Progress Conference

ASIL-Midwest, an interest group of the American Society of International Law (ASIL), will co-sponsor its fifth annual scholarly works-in-progress conference this year at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) College of Law in Carbondale, Illinois on September 7-8, 2018.

ASIL members and SIU School of Law faculty, staff, and students may attend for free. Participants who are not ASIL members or SIU School of Law affiliates will be required to pay a $50 registration fee (includes workshop and some meals) for the conference. Some meals will be provided, but participants are responsible for their own travel and hotel expenses. 

(mew)

ASIL-Midwest Works-in-Progress Conference: Final Reminder of Deadline to Submit Calls for Presentations or to be a Commentator

ASIL-Midwest Works-in-Progress Conference

Carbondale, Illinois, September 7-8, 2018

Call for Submissions by July 15, 2018

ASIL-Midwest, an interest group of the American Society of International Law (ASIL), will co-sponsor its fifth annual scholarly works-in-progress conference this year at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) College of Law in Carbondale, Illinois on September 7-8, 2018. The goal is to create a friendly, open conversation about works in progress and to foster a Midwestern United States international law community. To that end, the workshop will include both full drafts and early works in progress.

Those interested in presenting at the conference should send a 500-word abstract to ASIL-Midwest Co-Chairs Neha Jain ([email protected]) or Yvonne Dutton ([email protected]) by July 15. Please also include a sentence about the stage the paper is expected to be in by September 7 (e.g., reasonably complete draft, early work in progress, etc.). Papers may address any International Law topics, and this Call for Submissions is open to everyone in the international legal community. Preference will be given to ASIL members who are also members of the ASIL-Midwest Interest Group. Paper presenters will be asked to circulate their drafts (or a summary of the project if it is in an early stage) to workshop attendees no later than August 25, 2018.

Those interested in serving as a commentator for a paper should also send an email to the Co-Chairs by July 15. Commentators will be asked to prepare five to eight minutes of comments on one or more of the papers. Those interested in presenting are also encouraged to comment on the other papers and should indicate whether they are willing to serve as commentators as well.

ASIL members and SIU School of Law faculty, staff, and students may attend for free. Participants who are not ASIL members or SIU School of Law affiliates will be required to pay a $50 registration fee (includes workshop and some meals) for the conference. Some meals will be provided, but participants are responsible for their own travel and hotel expenses. More details regarding transportation, hotels and other logistics will be provided shortly.

For any questions about papers and presentations, please contact ASIL-Midwest Interest Group Co-Chairs, Neha Jain ([email protected]) or Yvonne Dutton (For questions about conference logistics, contact immediate past-Chair, Cindy Buys ([email protected]).

(mew)

ASIL-Midwest Works-in-Progress Conference

ASIL-Midwest Works-in-Progress Conference

Carbondale, Illinois, September 7-8, 2018

Call for Submissions by July 15, 2018

ASIL-Midwest, an interest group of the American Society of International Law (ASIL), will co-sponsor its fifth annual scholarly works-in-progress conference at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) College of Law in Carbondale, Illinois on September 7-8, 2018. The goal is to create a friendly, open conversation about works in progress and to foster a Midwestern United States international law community. To that end, the workshop will include both full drafts and early works in progress.

Those interested in presenting at the conference should send a 500-word abstract to ASIL-Midwest Co-Chairs Neha Jain ([email protected]) or Yvonne Dutton ([email protected]) by July 15. Please also include a sentence about the stage the paper is expected to be in by September 7 (e.g., reasonably complete draft, early work in progress, etc.). Papers may address any International Law topics, and this Call for Submissions is open to everyone in the international legal community. Preference will be given to ASIL members who are also members of the ASIL-Midwest Interest Group. Paper presenters will be asked to circulate their drafts (or a summary of the project if it is in an early stage) to workshop attendees no later than August 25, 2018.

Those interested in serving as a commentator for a paper should also send an email to the Co-Chairs by July 15. Commentators will be asked to prepare five to eight minutes of comments on one or more of the papers. Those interested in presenting are also encouraged to comment on the other papers and should indicate whether they are willing to serve as commentators as well.

ASIL members and SIU School of Law faculty, staff, and students may attend for free. Participants who are not ASIL members or SIU School of Law affiliates will be required to pay a $50 registration fee (includes workshop and some meals) for the conference. Some meals will be provided, but participants are responsible for their own travel and hotel expenses. More details regarding transportation, hotels and other logistics will be provided shortly.

For any questions about papers and presentations, please contact ASIL-Midwest Interest Group Co-Chairs, Neha Jain ([email protected]) or Yvonne Dutton (For questions about conference logistics, contact immediate past-Chair, Cindy Buys ([email protected]).

(mew)

China and International Law

Issue 43 of the international law review L'Observateur des Nations Unies will address the theme of "China and International Law." The editors invite proposals for the issue by June 23, 2018. They will respond by July 13, 2018 and final manuscripts will be due no later than November 10, 2018. Send your email to [email protected].

(mew)

 

Registration Now Open for the 2018 WTO Open Forum

Online registration for the 2018 World Trade Organization Public Forum is now open. Under the main theme of "Trade 2030," the Forum's sub-themes will be sustainable trade, technology-enabled trade, and a more inclusive trading system. The Forum will be held at the WTO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, from 2 to 4 October. Visit the WTO website for more information.

(mew)

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