What Does The 2025 ‘Best Lawyers’ Tell Us About the US Law Business?

Tom Borman

It’s a big job – to say the least – selecting the best lawyers in America but who better than the leading directory called ‘Best Lawyers in America’? What is perhaps more interesting is the changing landscape in the US, with the southwest legal hub taking an increasingly important role in the shape of the US legal profession.

The 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America marks the 31st edition of this recognition and follows the usual peer-review process that includes over 23 million votes from participants – a BLA record.

Commercial Litigation was the ‘star’ practice area for growth it has experienced in recent years, particularly in labor and employment law litigation and insurance law.

Best Lawyers Key Highlights

So what are the highlights in the 2025 Best Lawyers’ report? Among the key areas of particular interest are –

• Recognition and Participation: The 2025 edition features nearly 80,000 lawyers in The Best Lawyers in America and over 26,000 in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America. As mentioned, this year saw record-breaking voter participation with more than 23 million votes analyzed, showcasing the importance of peer recognition in the legal community.
• Top Practice Areas: The most recognized practice areas include Commercial Litigation, Real Estate Law, Personal Injury Litigation (Plaintiffs), Corporate Law, and Litigation. These areas have seen substantial growth, reflecting the evolving nature of the legal industry.
• Geographical Trends: While Washington, D.C., and New York City remain leading metropolitan areas for recognized lawyers, the report ensures comprehensive coverage beyond these major hubs, acknowledging legal talent from across the country.

Notable Trends

• Increased Competition: The increased voter participation and the high number of evaluations indicate a more competitive environment for recognition, raising the standards for legal distinction.
• Emerging Practice Areas: There is notable growth in areas such as Labor and Employment Litigation and Insurance Law, indicating shifts in legal demands and specialization across the US legal profession.
• Peer Review Methodology: The awards are based on a purely peer-review process, ensuring authenticity and trust in the recognitions. Lawyers are evaluated by their peers, and the process does not allow for payment for inclusion, making it a singular honor.

Gender Diversity Increases In 2025 Report

The question of gender diversity and female presence in these surveys is always of interest, particularly in a profession that has struggled to ensure women are elevated in their position within firms.

So what can be observed in the 2025 Best Lawyers’ survey?

There has been a noticeable increase in female representation across several practice areas, which reflects the broader societal shifts towards greater involvement of women in the legal profession.

Practice areas such as Immigration Law, Family Law, Family Law Arbitration, and Elder Law are approaching an even gender split in Best Lawyers, while fields like Family Law Mediation and Collaborative Law have also changed.

Family Law now have a higher representation of women, with over 59 percent of practitioners being female.

Emerging practice areas such as FinTech Practice, Cannabis Law, and Food and Beverage Law have seen a significant rise in the number of women recognized, with a 20 percent or higher increase in female listees over the past five editions of The Best Lawyers in America.

In the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America there is balanced gender representation in over 12 practice areas, including Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Labor and Employment Law – Employee, and Administrative/Regulatory Law.

There has also been a 10 percent increase in female representation in areas such as Civil Rights Law, Natural Resources Law, and Litigation and Controversy – Tax over the past five editions.

All encouraging signs – with more work to do, as teacher would say.

The Firms With Highest Mentions

K&L Gates had a significant presence, with nearly 430 of its lawyers recognized. This includes more than 330 lawyers in The Best Lawyers in America and nearly 90 in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America.

Additionally, 14 K&L Gates lawyers received “Lawyer of the Year” awards, highlighting the firm’s strong performance across various practice areas and regions.

The Cities With the Most Mentions

In the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America, Washington, D.C., and New York City were the leading metropolitan areas with the most recognized lawyers. These cities remain key centers for legal expertise, particularly in regulatory work, corporate law, and litigation.

While the commercial activity in New York and Washington lead to the most mentions for the firms in those areas, there are also emerging metropolitan areas.

Dallas/Fort Worth has emerged as a significant legal hub outside the traditional centers which is attributed to the region’s economic expansion and the relocation of various corporate headquarters to Texas, which offers a favorable business climate.

King & Spalding recently opened in Dallas and last year Seyfarth Shaw did the same. Clifford Chance opened their office in Houston, building on their energy and corporate law expansion in the US.

Besides the South, regions such as the Southwest and West/Rockies are experiencing significant growth as legal hubs.

This growth is linked to the increase in the number of Fortune 500 headquarters in these areas. 

Additionally, cities like Boston and Chicago, which have well-established legal sectors, continue to attract law firms from other regions, further contributing to their growth as legal hubs.

The Changing Regional Legal Landscape

The Best Lawyers report shows that the growth of legal hubs in the South is significantly impacting the national legal landscape where these regions are witnessing a surge in legal activity driven by the relocation of corporate headquarters.

This trend is largely due to the favorable business climate that southern states offer, prompting law firms to expand their presence to serve clients better and capitalize on emerging business opportunities.

The phenomenon of agglomeration economies plays a crucial role in this growth. The concentration of specialized legal expertise and complementary professional services in these southern hubs enhances both quality and efficiency in legal practice.

As a result, legal markets flourish in the South, where these conditions are increasingly met.

How Corporate Clients Affect The Firms

The heavy focus upon the New York-Washington DC axis is changing, with the profession moving form the more traditional East Coast oligarchies to new legal hubs that recognize the changing dynamics – nationally and internationally – of the corporate legal market.

The market for sophisticated corporate legal services is undergoing a structural transformation. Large corporate clients are now considering the size and geographic footprint of law firms as critical factors in their selection process. This shift has prompted many firms to establish a foothold in high-cost markets in the South, allowing them to enhance their reputations and attract complex, high-value work.

This transformation is effectively redistributing legal expertise and resources, fostering competition, and driving innovation in legal services. Ultimately, the growth of these southern legal hubs is reshaping the dynamics of the legal profession across the country.

That fact, together with the changing gender trends are two big takeaways from the 2025 Best Lawyers in America – always an interesting read.