When compared to states, D.C. topped the list in 2022 for number of law school applications per 100,000 people, according to research conducted by law firm Oberheiden PC.
The report said there were 129.4 law school applications per 100,000 people.
That places D.C. above New York, which ranked a distant second with 29.15 law applicants per 100,000 people, then Massachusetts, New Jersey and Connecticut.
Maryland was ranked No. 7 at 21.55 applicants per 100,000, while Virginia was ranked No. 9 at 21.23 per 100,000 people.
“This research highlights where the next generation of lawyers will be coming from with Washington, D.C. having four times more applicants per 100,000 people than New York,” the report said.
According to a Georgetown Law report, D.C. has nine times more lawyers per capita than New York City — about 80,000 total in the D.C. region.
The federal government and government contractors drive much of the demand.
The D.C. area has some of the oldest and most prestigious law firms in the country, and D.C.-based offices for many of the nation’s other top law houses. Much of the demand also comes from Capitol Hill, lobbying firms and government relations firms, nonprofits and associations, corporations and public interest firms, Georgetown Law’s recruiting materials state.
Some of the most in-demand fields of expertise for attorneys in the D.C. area include government investigations, privacy, intellectual property, antitrust and international trade.
