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U.S. legal-sector employment rose in October, Labor data show
BLS reported 1,251,200 U.S. legal-services jobs in October, up 2,400 from September. Total nonfarm payrolls rose 165,000; unemployment was 4.1%.
- New headline Was: “US legal sector job growth climbs as broader economy sees gains”
- Our desk filed its story
Based on reporting by Reuters
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 1,251,200 jobs in legal services in October, up 2,400 from September, in Friday's Employment Situation tables. Reuters, citing the same Labor figures, put the legal-sector total at 1,251,2001.
Reuters said that total includes lawyers, paralegals, judges and legal assistants, and was 7.4% above the level five years earlier1. Those occupational details and the five-year percentage are not stated in the BLS summary.
BLS table B-1 shows seasonally adjusted legal-services employment at 1,248,800 in September and 1,251,200 in October. Reuters said the bureau revised September legal-sector figures downward and that the data show growth in the sector since March1.
The same BLS report said total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 165,000 in October and the unemployment rate changed little at 4.1%. Reuters said that payroll gain was above economists' expectations in a Reuters poll1.
Reuters said the finance sector, which it described as larger and an important source of work for law firms, added 9,000 jobs last month and has shrunk by 126,000 jobs since a May 2025 peak1. BLS said employment showed little change over the month in financial activities, among other major industries.
Reuters also reported that Weil, Gotshal & Manges plans to wind down, with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in talks to take on about 120 Weil lawyers in the United States and London, while other partners have already moved to Goodwin Procter and Quinn Emanuel1. That firm news is not in the BLS release.
