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Lex Machina and LexisNexis release their latest Law Firms Activity Report, which surveys the most active law firms in federal district court. The report focuses on the three-year period from 2019 to 2021 and analyzes law firm activity in 16 practice areas and in cases caused by COVID-19. The final section of the report includes an analysis of the overall most active law firms in federal district court.
Each practice area has specific traits and nuances, and the report discusses the most active firms in each particular practice area. The Law Firms Activity Report may be used for strategic planning, marketing, counsel evaluation, or competitive analysis in order to gauge market leaders and competitors against a dynamic, challenging legal landscape.
“The world is still rapidly changing, and so is the legal industry,” said Gloria Huang, Lex Machina’s Legal Content Associate and report author. “It’s become even more critical for companies and law firms to stay up-to-date on what their potential counsel or competitors are doing. Lex Machina provides an unmatched comprehensive analysis of law firms’ litigation activity in federal court, and our Law Firms Activity Report gives readers a window into this crucial information.”
Further findings from the report include:
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- The Department of Justice remained the most active counsel, filing over 7,000 cases on behalf of plaintiffs and defending nearly 30,000 cases (after excluding multidistrict litigation associated cases).
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- The most active firms who filed and defended lawsuits caused by COVID-19 were involved in large numbers of cases involving employment claims or claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (which falls under Lex Machina’s Civil Rights case type).
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- Major employment firms appeared on multiple “most active” lists in addition to their own practice area, including most active firms involved with cases caused by COVID-19 and most active firms overall.
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- Class actions and suits related to one particular event continued to be influential in the overall landscape of litigation, even after excluding multidistrict litigation associated cases. These suits account for big case counts particularly in product liability, torts, and insurance practice areas.
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- While law firms with big case counts tended to have dedicated specializations, there were several national litigation firms that appeared across several practice areas.
Lex Machina’s reports and software enable practitioners to devise data-driven litigation strategies. The metrics in this report may help readers assess potential counsel or competitors. This research supplements traditional legal research and anecdotal data for a competitive edge in litigation.
Law Firms Activity Report Webcast
Lex Machina is hosting a webcast to discuss the report on February 24, 2022 at noon EST (9am PST) with Natalie Rodriguez, Assistant Managing Editor for Law360 Pulse and co-host of Law360’s Supreme Court podcast, and Gloria Huang, Lex Machina’s Legal Content Associate and report author.
