The number of law firms and the total headcount of lawyers both have failed to keep pace with the growth observed in other professional and business service sectors, the majority of which have sharply rebounded in the wake of the recession. We suggest several reasons why the headcount of lawyers has stagnated over the past several years, and submit that the square footage currently occupied by law firms is likely to continue to decline over the next several years, though perhaps at a slower pace than has been the case recently.

1. Savills Studley
Insights October 2014
Savills Studley Research
LAW FIRM EMPLOYMENT AND SPACE TRENDS
In Summary
The number of law firms and the total
headcount of lawyers both have failed
to keep pace with the growth observed
in other professional and business
service sectors, the majority of which
have sharply rebounded in the wake
of the recession. We suggest several
reasons why the headcount of lawyers
has stagnated over the past several
years, and submit that the square
footage currently occupied by law firms
is likely to continue to decline over the
next several years, though perhaps at
a slower pace than has been the case
recently.
“As partnerships, law firms have always been
mindful of costs, but what we’re seeing now is a
true paradigm shift. Law firms as a group are, for
the first time, really starting to question traditional
assumptions about how they use space, who sits
where, and how to maximize flexibility to prepare for
what the future may bring for their business.”
Lisa Davidson, Executive Managing Director, Savills Studley
“Overall, firms are feeling pressure to be more
efficient. Private offices remain a necessity, but
there is an emerging trend toward universal size
for partners and associates with the distinction
being made by creative furniture solutions that also
facilitate easy adaptability of offices.”
Zev Holzman, Corporate Managing Director, Savills Studley

2. 02
Savills Studley | Insights
Law firms head count growth has been sluggish
Why has headcount at domestic law firms slowed?
We believe that there are three main
reasons why domestic employment
at US law firms has failed to echo the
rebound observed in other professional
office-using sectors:
1) Merger and acquisition activity among law firms has led to fewer employees.
2) Law firms have focused on growing internationally, rather than increasing their
domestic presence.
3) Revenue growth at law firms has slowed and prevented more aggressive
expansion within the U.S.
Table 1: Largest Law Office Employment by County,
Q1 2014 Average, Private Sector Only
Chart 1: National Employment by Establishment Type, Select
Sectors
The record high in office-using
employment largely has resulted
from the immense strength of the
professional and business services
sector, where employment is 7.5%
above its prior peak at the end of 2007.
However, not all categories within the
professional segment have rebounded
equally: since the end of the recession
in June 2009, the number of employees
at law offices, as measured by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), is
unchanged and stands well below the
count observed more than a decade
ago (Chart 1).
Persistent weak employment at law
firms could have a notable impact
on major office markets (Table 1),
particularly in those locales where
law firm employment has typically
comprised a sizable fraction of
professional and business services
employment. Compounding the
problem are many law firms’ plans to
decrease the space per employee,
particularly in light of the fact that law
firms have typically allocated one of
the highest levels of square footage
per employee1
among major users of
office space.
Source: CoStar and Savills Studley.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Chart 1: National Employment by Establishment Type, Select Sectors
980
1,020
1,060
1,100
1,140
15,500
16,500
17,500
18,500
19,500
Mar-­‐00
Sep-­‐00
Mar-­‐01
Sep-­‐01
Mar-­‐02
Sep-­‐02
Mar-­‐03
Sep-­‐03
Mar-­‐04
Sep-­‐04
Mar-­‐05
Sep-­‐05
Mar-­‐06
Sep-­‐06
Mar-­‐07
Sep-­‐07
Mar-­‐08
Sep-­‐08
Mar-­‐09
Sep-­‐09
Mar-­‐10
Sep-­‐10
Mar-­‐11
Sep-­‐11
Mar-­‐12
Sep-­‐12
Mar-­‐13
Sep-­‐13
Mar-­‐14
Sep-­‐14
Professional
and
Business
Services
(000s,
SA)
Offices
of
Lawyers,
(000s,
SA)
Source:
Bureau
of
Labor
StaJsJcs
New York County, NY 314,447 65,702 21%
Los Angeles County, CA 278,390 45,295 16%
Cook County, Illinois 204,804 36,476 18%
District of Columbia 106,226 28,632 27%
Harris County, TX 180,977 19,266 11%
Miami-Dade County, FL 65,379 18,899 29%
Suffolk County, MA 68,720 14,422 21%
Orange County, CA 120,189 14,248 12%
Fulton County, GA 85,706 13,817 16%
United States 8,253,357 1,034,538 13%
County/State
Professional/ Business
Services Employment
Offices of Lawyers
Employment
Law Firm Employment (%
of Professional/Business
Services Employment)
Table 1: Largest Law Office Employment by County, Q1 2014 Average, Private Sector Only
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
1
Norm G. Miller, PhD. “Estimating Office Space per Worker: Implications for Future Office Space Demand.” Forthcoming: Journal of Corporate Real
Estate. http://www.normmiller.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Estimating_Office_Space_Requirements-Feb-17-2014.pdf

3. savills-studley.com/research 03
October 2014
Firm (Headcount)
Announcement
Date
Status
Locke Lord (630) and Edwards Wildman Palmer (450) Sep-14 Pending
Hinshaw Culbertson (460) and Barger Wolen (45) Sep-14 Eff. Oct. 1, 2014
Squire Sanders (1227) and Patton Boggs (280) May-14 Completed
Buchanan Ingersoll Rooney (425) and Fowler White Boggs (92) Mar-14 Completed
Stinson Morrison Hecker (308) and Leonard Street Deinard (202) Sep-13 Completed
BakerHostetler (807) and
Woodcock Washburn (68) Nov-13 Completed
Taft Stettinius Hollister (330) and
Shefsky Froelich (63) Nov-13 Completed
Lewis and Roca (175) and Rothgerber Johnson Lyons (75) Jul-13 Completed
Source:
http://www.altmanweil.com/
Table 2: Major Law Firm Merger Announcements, Q3 2013 – Q3 2014
2014 2014 2013 2013
Firms Attorneys Firms Attorneys Firms Attorneys
China 150 2,526 144 2,415 4% 5%
UK 95 6,913 89 6,012 7% 15%
Germany 81 2,205 76 1,930 7% 14%
Belgium 43 708 40 674 8% 5%
France 37 1,859 35 1,595 6% 17%
UAE 37 417 34 360 9% 16%
Japan 33 660 31 682 6% -3%
Australia 32 1,667 21 819 52% 104%
Russia 26 674 24 593 8% 14%
Italy 24 719 22 653 9% 10%
Singapore 24 447 22 330 9% 35%
Brazil 23 341 18 264 28% 29%
Canada 23 1,345 13 160 77% 741%
Mexico 20 407 18 387 11% 5%
Poland 14 618 12 384 17% 61%
Grand Total 853 25,278 755 20,159 13% 25%
% Change in:
Table 3: International Presence of National Law Journal's Largest 250 US Law Firms
Law firm merger and acquisition activity
While there are many reasons that U.S.
law firm employment has contracted,
we speculate that a lack of robust
revenue growth domestically, in
tandem with a focus on firms growing
their international presence, has led
to headcount growth that can only be
characterized as anemic. As shown in
Table 2, there have been several major
combinations of law firms over the past
year. Through the first five months of
2014, there have been 50 mergers or
acquisitions of law firms according
to ALM Media—more than half of the
total number of combinations in all of
2013. The flurry of activity shows no
signs of abating: last month, Bingham
McCutchen LLP (800 attorneys) and
Morgan, Lewis Bockius LLP (1,400
attorneys) disclosed that they were in
merger talks. (A full list of all law firm
mergers and acquisitions over the past
twelve months in shown in Appendix II.)
We suspect law firm mergers will continue to make economic sense, particularly
given the savings associated with shared resources. According to the 2014
Law Librarian survey released by ALM Legal Intelligence, the average firm-wide
library budget (including staff, print materials, electronic resources, online costs,
etc.) has fallen from $5.8 million in 2009 to $5.5 million in 2014, likely led by a
decline in librarian headcount.
Table 2: Major Law Firm Merger Announcements,
Q3 2013 – Q3 2014
Table 3: International Presence of National Law Journal's
Largest 250 U.S. Law Firms
Source: www.almlegalintel.com
Source: National Law Journal
Law firm headcount growth also has
been muted due to an increased focus
on international growth. Overall, the
250 largest U.S. law firms expanded
their international presence by
increasing their branch count across
the top 15 global markets by almost
100 firms (13%) and by more than
5,000 attorneys (+25%) between 2013
and 2014 (Table 3). Even excluding
tremendous expansion into Canada,
the average growth in the number of
attorneys is still a robust 23%.
Focus on international presence

4. 04
Savills Studley | Insights
Table 4: Merger and Acquisition Activity
(includes all announcements of US targets)
Source: CoStar and Savills Studley
Source: Bloomberg
A lackluster increase in U.S. law firm
employment may also be resulting from
sluggish revenue growth. While gross
revenue for the top 200 U.S. firms has
increased from $65.2 billion in 2005 to
$96.4 billion in 2013 according to ALM
Legal Intelligence—equivalent to a
compound annual growth rate of 5%—
the growth in average profits per equity
partner for those same years has been
substantially weaker, and stood at just
1.8% as of 2013. Moreover, a Census
Bureau measure of total legal services
revenue shows that total revenues fell
in 2013 for the first time since 2010
(Chart 2). One driver of lower revenues
has been the trend toward corporate
clients performing work in-house;
another has been the move toward
alternative fee arrangements, which
largely eliminates the “hourly rate”
from the revenue equation. (Instead,
firms bill on a contingency fee or fixed
fee basis.) More clients are also asking
for outright discounts on their legal
bills when outside counsel is retained.
The most recent Law Firm Leaders
Survey (2013)2
shows an average of
60% of the surveyed firms’ top 50
clients receive a rate discount, up from
just 47% the year prior.
Additionally, while some practice
areas, such as merger and acquisitions
advisory work, have been boosted by
the economic recovery (Table 4), other
areas are likely to have fallen amid
an improvement in overall economic
conditions, such as a reduction in
corporate restructuring stemming from
fewer bankruptcies (Chart 3).
Chart 2: Quarterly Services Survey: Total Legal Services Revenue, Year-Over-Year Percentage Change
5.9%
6.3%
6.7%
0.8%
-­‐1.2%
-­‐5.2%
2.7%
5.1%
-­‐0.8%
-­‐6%
-­‐4%
-­‐2%
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
Dec-­‐05
Dec-­‐06
Dec-­‐07
Dec-­‐08
Dec-­‐09
Dec-­‐10
Dec-­‐11
Dec-­‐12
Dec-­‐13
Source:
U.S.
Census
Bureau
Number $ Value, Fraction of Deals Largest Sector
of Deals trillions Completed or Pending (based on aggregate deal value)
1/1/14-9/15/14 6,178 1.4 96.1% Communications
1/1/13-9/15/13 5,068 0.75 98.9% Communications
1/1/12-9/15/12 5,093 0.5 98.8% Consumer Non-Cyclical
1/1/11-9/15/11 5,323 0.68 98.6% Consumer Non-Cyclical
Date Range
Table 4: Merger and Acquisition Activity
(includes all announcements of US targets)
Chart 3: Number of Total Business Bankruptcy Filings by
Quarter, SAAR
Slower revenue growth
Chart 3: Number of Total Business Bankruptcy Filings by Quarter, SAAR
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
70,000
Jun-­‐00
Dec-­‐01
Jun-­‐03
Dec-­‐04
Jun-­‐06
Dec-­‐07
Jun-­‐09
Dec-­‐10
Jun-­‐12
Dec-­‐13
Source:
U.S.
District
Courts
and
Moody's
Source: U.S. District Courts and Moody's
Chart 2: Quarterly Services Survey: Total Legal Services Revenue,
Year-Over-Year Percentage Change
2
Conducted by The American Lawyer.

5. savills-studley.com/research 05
October 2014
On a national level, there is evidence
that more and more lawyers are
choosing to work outside of traditional
law firms, as measured by the declining
fraction of attorneys employed at “legal
service” firms (primarily law offices)
versus other types of establishments
(Table 5). As such, growth in the
number of attorneys at law firms has
been even slower than growth in the
total number of attorneys overall.
Not surprisingly, first-year associate
salaries have reflected the softness
in law firm employment. According
to a recent National Association for
Law Placement (NALP) study, in 2009,
about 90% of offices in Los Angeles
and Washington, D.C. at firms with
700 or more attorneys reported first-
year salaries of $160,000; in 2014, only
about 40% of firms did so.
Table 5: Number of Lawyers by Establishment Type
Table 6: Attorney Headcount by City at the Five Largest Law Firms (by Attorney Count)
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Source: Crain's (local editions), National Law Journal, CoStar, Articles, Internal Data
Total Number
of Lawyers
Information
Firms
Finance and
Insurance Firms
Legal Service
Firms
Fraction of Lawyers at
Legal Service Firms
Mar-08 553,690 4,510 20,100 362,530 65.50%
Mar-09 556,790 4,250 19,810 363,170 65.20%
Mar-10 561,350 3,710 19,940 369,600 65.80%
Mar-11 570,950 4,100 19,930 372,030 65.20%
Mar-12 581,920 4,450 21,380 373,510 64.20%
Mar-13 592,670 5,180 21,170 374,950 63.30%
Lawyers at
City Change: 2014 vs. 2005 2014 2013 2012 2009 2005
NEW
YORK
Paul
Weiss ↑ 716 674 636 670 592
Skadden
Arps ↓ 629 675 738 803 814
Davis
Polk ↑ 562 560 571 563 508
Simpson
Thacher
≈ 553 560 563 631 551
Sullivan
Cromwell ↑ 550 529 524 485 408
CHICAGO
Kirkland
Ellis ↑ 577 588 591 621 508
Sidley
Austin ↓ 503 500 502 562 529
Mayer
Brown ↓ 365 361 389 463 466
Winston
Strawn ↓ 297 316 358 351 388
McDermott
Will
Emery
LLP
≈ 279 316 310 262 282
WASHINGTON,
D.C.
Covington
Burling ↑ 440 436 429 481 375
Hogan
Lovells ↑ 500 500 500 500 453
Arnold
Porter
≈ 424 436 429 439 417
WilmerHale ↓ 396 422 402 466 484
Williams
Connolly ↑ 322 270 264 247 211
DALLAS
Haynes
and
Boone
≈ 191 200 208 198 191
Thompson
Knight ↓ 170 168 169 185 192
Locke
Lord ↓ 148 146 156 183 177
Jones
Day ↓ 140 145 163 192 199
Gardere
Wynne
Sewell ↓ 130 132 136 154 171
Table 6: Attorney Headcount by City at the Five Largest Law Firms (by Attorney Count)
Evidence of slow growth is borne out by the attorney count at some of the
nation’s largest law firms. As shown in Table 6, attorney headcount at the five
largest law firms in New York City, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and Dallas is flat
over the last decade: the total count of attorneys at the firms shown in 2005 was
7,916, while in 2014, the figure totaled 7,892.

6. 06
Savills Studley | Insights
Table 7: Attorney Count and Occupied Space by Office and by Year
Moreover, among the top law firms examined, none has expanded their footprint over the past several years. A review of
total space per attorney3
shows that the majority of firms have shrunk, rather than expanded, their space on a per attorney
basis (Table 7).
2014 2014 2012 2012 Occupied Space per Attorney Ratio:
Attorney Count Occupied Space (sf) Attorney Count Occupied Space (sf) 2014 vs. 2012 % Chg
NEW
YORK
Paul
Weiss 716 585,000 636 585,000 -­‐11%
Skadden
Arps 629 825,000 738 825,000 17%
Davis
Polk 562 675,000 571 675,000 2%
Simpson
Thacher 553 595,000 563 673,000 -­‐10%
Sullivan
Cromwell 550 530,000 524 567,000 -­‐11%
CHICAGO
Kirkland
Ellis 577 600,000 591 600,000 2%
Sidley
Austin 503 575,000 502 575,000 0%
Mayer
Brown 365 450,000 389 450,000 7%
Winston
Strawn 297 430,000 358 430,000 21%
McDermott
Will
Emery
LLP 279 225,000 310 235,000 6%
WASHINGTON,
D.C.
Covington
Burling 440 420,000 429 420,000 -­‐3%
Hogan
Lovells* 500 420,000 500 420,000
0%
(-­‐8%*)
Arnold
Porter** 424 425,000 429 485,000 -­‐11%
(-­‐23%**)
WilmerHale 396 540,000 402 540,000 2%
Williams
Connolly 322 289,000 264 289,000 -­‐18%
DALLAS
Haynes
and
Boone 191 181,300 208 181,300 9%
Thompson
Knight 170 183,000 169 183,000 -­‐1%
Locke
Lord 148 176,000 156 176,000 5%
Jones
Day 140 133,000 163 180,000 -­‐14%
Gardere
Wynne
Sewell*** 130 216,000 136 216,000
5%
(-­‐50%***)
Source: National Law Journal, CoStar, Articles, Internal Data
City
* In 2014 Hogan Lovells signed a lease for 385,000 SF that will commence in 2017.
** In 2014
Arnold
Porter signed a lease for 375,000 SF that will commence in 2015.
*** In 2014, Gardere Wynne Sewell signed a lease for 109,000 SF that will commence in 2016.
Table 7: Attorney Count and Occupied Space by Office and by Year
Source: National Law Journal, CoStar, Articles, Internal Data
3
The ratio of total occupied square feet per attorney is not meant to represent the amount of space allocated per attorney, as it ignores all non-attorney
professionals. Rather, it is meant to serve as a rough proxy for attorney space allocation.
4
In some cases, loss factors have increased between lease signings, which can have the effect of making firms appears as if they have taken more space
than if the loss factors have been maintained at prior levels.
5
Their lease was arranged in 2012.
In New York:
• Paul Hastings announced a future
move from 240,000 sf at 75 East
55th Street to 180,000 sf at 200
Park Avenue—a space reduction
of -25%—despite the fact that
they have no plans to reduce their
attorney headcount. (In fact, ALM
statistics show a current count of
231 attorneys, up from 215 in 2013
and 205 in 2012.)
• Weil, Gotshal Manges recently
renewed its headquarters lease
beginning in 2019 for approximately
30% less than it currently leases.
The firm intends to fit its existing
employee base through a complete
interior renovation scheduled to take
roughly three years.
• KayeScholerjustmovedinto250,000
sf at the brand new 250 West 55th
Street,5
leaving behind 330,000 sf at
425 Park Avenue, a -17% reduction
in space.
• Troutman Sanders will move from the
Chrysler Building at 405 Lexington
Avenue to 875 Third Avenue next
year, leaving 140,000 sf and taking
87,000 sf, for a space reduction of
almost -40%.
The shrinking law office phenomenon is evident across other firms, too; the trend to allocate fewer square feet per employee
more generally has played into a number of the space downsizings highlighted below.4

7. savills-studley.com/research 07
October 2014
Many other firms currently have
sublease space on the market even if
they have not experienced a dramatic
reduction in attorney count over the
last few years—again, consistent
with the trend to “universal” offices—
similarly-sized offices for partner and
associate alike (Table 8).
In Washington, D.C.:
• Hogan Lovells renewed its lease earlier this month for
-8% less space than they currently occupy.
• Arnold Porter will move to 601 Massachusetts Avenue
in its third reduction in as many years, having downsized
from 485,000 sf to 425,000 sf (currently) to 375,000 sf with
their October 2015 lease signing.
• Nixon Peabody, at the end of 2013, also announced a
2015 move within Washington, D.C. where the firm will
cut its footprint by nearly -30%, from 92,000 to 65,000 sf.
• Sheppard, Mullin, Richter Hampton completed its
August 2014 move to 58,000 sf at 2099 Pennsylvania
Avenue NW, down from the 64,000 sf it previously
occupied. Even so, the firm plans to expand its attorney
count from 60 to as many as 100+ attorneys over the next
five years, increasing the number of offices from 70 to 90.
In Chicago:
• Seyfarth Shaw has sliced its occupied space by one-third
(from 300,000 sf to 200,000 sf) for its 215 attorneys.
• Blatt, Hasenmiller, Leibsker Moore downsized from
30,000 sf to 23,000 sf with its recent move.
• McDermott Will Emery and DLA Piper each will pare
office space in their respective moves once River Point,
currently under construction, is completed. McDermott
Will Emery will reduce its footprint from 303,000 sf
to 225,000 sf, while DLA Piper will trim its space from
260,000 sf (part of which it currently sublets) to 175,000 sf
for its 210 Chicago-based lawyers. (The building’s slightly
narrower windows will allow more offices per floor than is
the case with most existing skyscrapers.)
• Latham Watkins modestly reduced its space from
144,000 sf to 136,000 sf when it moved with its 143
lawyers (and 245 employees) to the AMA tower. Dentons
took Latham’s old space at the Willis Tower, moving within
the building, but downsizing from 177,000 sf.
Firms are also shrinking their footprint by quietly subletting partial floors, particularly with spaces earmarked for future
growth that has not materialized. In Manhattan, Weil, Gotshal Manges, which underwent a downsizing of 60 junior
attorneys and 110 staff last year, sublet a small portion of its space on the 23rd floor of the GM Building (767 Fifth Avenue)
in April, while Davis Polk Wardell sublet 27,000 sf in its 450 Lexington Avenue office and Sills Cummis Gross and
Sullivan Worcester each recently signed subleases from other law firms (for 25,000 sf and 12,500 sf, respectively.)
In Chicago, too, many firms have sublet space, although in many cases, the need to sublet arose from attorney reductions.
According to Chicago Lawyer Magazine, Jenner Block sublet two of its 14 floors after its attorney count fell from a peak
of 386 in 2006 to 279 in 2014, while Mayer Brown gave back one floor and sublet another in 2013 as its Chicago attorney
count fell from 509 in 2009 to 375 in 2014. Locke Lord sublet approximately 55,000 sf last year as well. Skadden, Arps,
Slate, Meagher Flom and Kirkland Ellis—each of which has seen their Chicago headcount decline over the past five
years—each have sublet space, while Winston Strawn, whose attorney count has fallen by -17% over the past two
years, currently has 75,000 sf of sublet space on offer.
Manhattan 2012 2013 2014 Current
Office Attorney Count Attorney Count Attorney Count Sublet Space Available (sf)
Arnold Porter 51 97 93 12,000
Bingham McCutchen 166 155 138 22,000
Bryan Cave 129 128 129 26,000
DLA Piper 207 222 227 11,000
Greenberg Traurig 221 223 216 46,000
Herrick, Feinstein N/A 130 115 25,000
King Spalding 98 111 92 120,000
Table 8: Attorney Count by Year and Sublet Space Available,
Select Manhattan Firms
Source: Savills Studley and National Law Journal

8. 08
Savills Studley | Insights
Aggregate law office space also has
contracted as firms have trimmed
their support staff, evident in the
lackluster growth of legal secretaries
(Chart 4). With clients more vocally
scrutinizing legal bills, law firms
have begun to increase their use of
electronic document review, records
management and discovery services,
which has reduced their need for
paralegals as well. As with temporary
hires—which enable companies to
“optically” reduce their headcount and
associated benefit expenses—the use
of third-party vendors (such as Williams
Lea and Accenture) has proliferated as
firms remain focused on cost cutting.
Not surprisingly, an article from the
American Bar Association had this to say
in an article published earlier this year.6
“Some law firms, wanting to cut costs
and increase efficiency, are eliminating
legal support staff positions, including
secretaries. Those remaining
secretaries, who once supported
one or two attorneys, are now often
supporting five or more, especially
when assigned to younger lawyers.
In addition, some law firms have
retitled “legal secretaries” as “legal
assistants,” not only so they can bill
certain tasks of the secretary (such as
drafting correspondence or organizing
documents) to clients, but also to
entice a new generation of entry-
level college-degree workers who
view a secretarial job as temporary or
transitional.”
Earlier this year, Arnold Porter offered
voluntary resignation packages to its
entire secretarial staff, for example, and
over the summer, Sheppard, Mullin,
Richter Hampton offered voluntary
retirement to certain older employees in
offices in California, “with the possibility
of further cutbacks among the
administrative staff in the future.” Other
staff cutbacks are noted in Table 9.
Chart 4: Legal Secretary Employment
Table 9: Select Support Staff Reduction Announcements, 2014
Source: BLS
Source: Online articles
31-­‐Dec-­‐07 176170 5880 363160 1.9948366 2007 266180
31-­‐Dec-­‐08 187360 5490 362530 1.8798548 2008 257810
31-­‐Dec-­‐09 179350 4930 363170 1.970751 2009 244380
31-­‐Dec-­‐10 179850 7760 369600 1.9700442 2010 228700
31-­‐Dec-­‐11 183240 9620 372030 1.9290159 2011 220680
31-­‐Dec-­‐12 197750 10800 373510 1.7909854 2012 216730
31-­‐Dec-­‐13 202930 10160 374950 1.7595852 2013 220680
31-­‐Dec-­‐14 ND ND ND ND
0.1518987 0.7278912 0.032465
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Source:
BLS
Support Date
Staff Reduction Announced
McDermott Will Emery 25 Jun-14 Across firm’s 20 offices
Winston Strawn 30 (out of 728) May-14
Lawyer count dropped from
842 lawyers in 2013 to 822
lawyers in 2014
Snell Wilmer 40 (approximate) May-14
No cuts to firm’s 400+
attorneys
Downey Brand 17 Apr-14 Addl. attorney reduction
Fitzpatrick Cella “Unspecified number” Apr-14
Attorney reduction through
“associate attrition”
Nixon Peabody 38 Apr-14 Cuts across 16 offices
Edwards Wildman Palmer 42 Apr-14
Also cut 10 attorney positions;
cuts across 10 of firm’s 16
offices
Bingham McCutchen 31 Jan-14
Rumors of efforts to merge;
also sent 22 positions to firm’s
Global Services Center in
Lexington, KY.
Kasowitz, Benson, Torres
Friedman
30 Feb-14 Includes attorney cuts
Husch Blackwell 25 (out of 750) Jan-14
Offices in 16 US cities and
London
Firm Comments
6
Cynthia Thomas, “The Changing Role of Legal Support Staff. Law Practice, Volume 40, Number 1.
http://www.americanbar.org/publications/law_practice_magazine/2014/january-february/the-changing-role-of-legal-support-staff.html

9. savills.co.uk/research 09
October 2014
In addition to the lackluster growth
of attorneys and legal staff employed
at law firms overall, law firms have
been shifting a number of the non
fee-earning workers that they have
retained to lower-priced locales. While
some firms have trimmed expenses
by outsourcing some administrative
functions to third-party providers,
others have taken advantage of lower
labor costs and less costly office
space by shifting operations away
from major metropolitan areas. Tampa
is home to back-office operations for
DLA Piper, for example, while White
Case recently announced its own
service center there, having received
approximately $300,000 in incentive
grants to relocate 45 positions. In
June, Fish Richardson announced
a plan to save $3 million per year
by consolidating its administrative
functions in Minneapolis—a move
that followed Sedgwick's decision
to operate certain administrative
positions in Kansas City, Missouri.
Kaye Scholer relocated 100 staffers to
Tallahassee, while Pillsbury Winthrop
Shaw Pittman's back office is in
Nashville.
For law firms, the shift toward reduced
space allocation is likely permanent.
While we don’t foresee law offices
being configured in the “workbenching”
model that has become so popular
with technology firms any time soon,
we would expect further compression
of space on a per attorney basis.
The lack of growth in the number of
practicing attorneys is puzzling, too.
Such anemic headcount growth so
far into a recovery suggests that the
contraction observed to date is more
than just a cyclical phenomenon, and
that we are unlikely to see a rebound
in the amount of space occupied
overall stemming from an increase in
the number of attorneys (even if each
attorney is given a smaller desk.)
Looking ahead, we suspect that
firms will continue to shed unneeded
space through further sublet activity—
particularly to other law firms looking to
expand their footprint geographically.
Firms nearing lease expiry will continue
to look for more open floor plans
achieved either through re-design or
new construction, with the result that
more open space for everyone means
smaller office space for each one.
Savills Studley is the leading commercial real estate services firm specializing in tenant representation. Founded in 1954, the firm pioneered the conflict-free
business model of representing only tenants in their commercial real estate transactions. Today, supported by high quality market research and in-depth
analysis, Savills Studley provides strategic real estate solutions to organizations across all industries. The firm's comprehensive commercial real estate
platform includes brokerage, project management, capital markets, consulting and corporate services. With 25 offices in the U.S. and a heritage of innovation,
Savills Studley is well known for tenacious client advocacy and exceptional service. The firm is part of London-headquartered Savills plc, the premier global
real estate service provider with over 27,000 professionals and over 600 locations around the world.
The information in this report is obtained from sources deemed reliable, but no representation is made as to the accuracy thereof.
Heidi Learner
Chief Economist
hlearner@savills-studley.com
212-326-8648
Alexandria Faiz
Senior Research Manager
afaiz@savills-studley.com
212-326-8615

10. 010
Savills Studley | Insights
APPENDIX I
Largest Law Firms: For New York City firms, Crain’s New York ranks firms by the number of New York-area attorneys,
which includes New York City, Long Island, Westchester, and Northern New Jersey. The attorney numbers provided are for
New York City only. For Chicago firms, Crain’s Chicago ranks them by the number of attorneys in the six-county Chicago
area: Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties. The attorney numbers provided are for Chicago only. For
Washington D.C. firms, the Washington Business Journal ranks firms by metro-area attorneys; the attorney counts provided
are for Washington, D.C only. Dallas firm rankings are determined from the National Law Journal.
APPENDIX II: Law Firm Mergers and Acquisitions, Q3 2013 – Q3 2014
PRIMARY FIRM SECONDARY FIRM NEW FIRM DATE
Kuhn Darling Boyd Quandt Calcutt Rogers Boynton Kuhn Rogers PLC 9/1/14
DLA Piper HaskovcovaCo. DLA Piper 9/1/14
Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor Reed,
P.A.
Potter Clement Bergholtz Alexander Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor Reed,
P.A.
8/1/14
Baker McKenzie Vani Chetty Competition Law Baker McKenzie 8/1/14
Takvoryan Law Group Tepper Associates Tepper Takvoryan 8/1/14
LeClair Ryan Hays McConn Rice Pickering LeClair Ryan 8/1/14
Johnson Pope Bokor Ruppel Burns, LLP Bronstein Carlson Gleim Shasteen Smith PA Johnson Pope Bokor Ruppel Burns, LLP 8/1/14
Leech Tishman Sheldon Mak Anderson Leech Tishman Fuscaldo Lampl, LLC 7/21/14
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Sullivan Gerger Clarke Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Sullivan 7/14/14
Shaheen Gordon Smith Elliott Shaheen Gordon 7/10/14
Venable Weingarten Brown Venable 7/8/14
Hogan Lovells Barrera Siqueiros y Torres Landa Hogan Lovells 7/7/14
Squire Patton Boggs Mamiya Law Offices Squire Patton Boggs 7/7/14
Apperson Crump The Putnam Firm Apperson Crump 7/1/14
O'Connell Attmore Morris Skelley Rottner O'Connell Attmore Morris 7/1/14
Bland Partners Crain Wilson Bland Partners 7/1/14
Jackson Kelly PLLC Rudolph, Fine, Porter Johnson, LLP Jackson Kelly PLLC 7/1/14
Simmons Browder Gianaris Angelides
Barnerd LLC
Hanly Conroy Bierstein Sheridan Fisher
Hayes LLP
Simmons Hanly Conroy 7/1/14
Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman Goggin Jones Hirsch Connors Miller Bull Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman Goggin 7/1/14
Husch Blackwell Miles Peters Husch Blackwell 6/30/14
Lindsay Hart Wood Tatum Lindsay Hart 6/10/14
Smith Gambrell Russell The Kapoor Law Group Smith Gambrell Russell 6/2/14
Shook Hardy Bacon Sander Ingebretsen Wake Shook Hardy Bacon 6/1/14
Squire Sanders Patton Boggs Squire Patton Boggs 6/1/14
Connors Morgan Karen Schaede Law Office Connors Morgan 5/28/14
Poyner Spruill Bode Hemphill Poyner Spruill 5/16/14
Robins Kaplan Miller Ciresi Peitzman Weg Robins Kaplan Miller Ciresi 5/14/14
Allman Spry Leggett Crumpler Davis Harwell Biggs Allman Spry Davis Leggett Crumpler 5/1/14
CMS Cameron McKenna Dundas Wilson CMS Cameron McKenna 5/1/14
Donahue Gallagher Woods Fitzgerald Abbott Beardsley Donahue Fitzgerald 5/1/14
Fortis Law Partners Friesen Lamb Fortis Law Partners 5/1/14
Dentons KapdiTwala Dentons 4/9/14
Coleman Talley J. Stephen Gupton PC Coleman Talley 4/1/14
Hudson Martin Witten June Mallery DeMaria Hudson Martin Witten June 4/1/14
Wilson Elser Hake Law Wilson Elser 4/1/14

11. savills.co.uk/research 011
October 2014
PRIMARY FIRM SECONDARY FIRM NEW FIRM DATE
Butler Snow Kiesewetter Law Firm Butler Snow 3/25/14
Holland Hart Crapo Smith Holland Hart 3/24/14
Sutherland Asbill Brennan Arbis LLP Sutherland Asbill Brennan 3/18/14
McCathern PLLC Braden Hinchcliffe Hawley McCathern PLLC 3/17/14
Buchanan Ingersoll Rooney PC Fowler White Boggs Buchanan Ingersoll Rooney PC 3/14/14
CzepigaDaly Law Offices of Sharon L. Pope CzepigaDalyPope 3/3/14
Dinsmore Shohl Peck Shaffer Williams Dinsmore Shohl 3/1/14
Cohen Milstein Sellers Toll Leopold Law Cohen Milstein Sellers Toll 2/12/14
Field Fisher Waterhouse Heatons Field Fisher Waterhouse 2/7/14
Herum Crabtree Suntag Law Firm Herum Crabtree Suntag 2/3/14
McDonald Hopkins Welin O'Shaughnessy Scheaf McDonald Hopkins 2/3/14
Bond Scoeneck King Kennedy Gillen Bond Schoeneck King 2/1/14
McCarter English Miller Balis O'Neil McCarter English 2/1/14
Bartimus Frickleton Robertson Gorny Goza Honnold Bartimus Frickleton Robertson Goza 1/30/14
Howard Kohn Sprague FitzGerald Baio Associates Howard Kohn Sprague FitzGerald 1/28/14
Travers Thorp Alberga Paget-Brown Travers Thorp Alberga 1/8/14
Weintraub Tobin Chediak Coleman Grodin Waldron Bragg Weintraub Tobin Chediak Coleman Grodin 1/7/14
Tripp Scott Ellis Law Group Tripp Scott 1/6/14
Taft Stettinius Hollister Shefsky Froelich Taft Stettinius Hollister 1/2/14
BakerHostetler Woodcock Washburn BakerHostetler 1/1/14
Bond Scoeneck King Kehl Katzive Simon Bond Schoeneck King 1/1/14
Brown Ruprecht Sandage Bell Brown Ruprecht 1/1/14
Cantey Hanger Smith Moore Cantey Hanger 1/1/14
Carlton Fields Jorden Burt Carlton Fields Jorden Burt 1/1/14
Carmody Torrance Sandak Hennessey Greco Carmody Torrance Sandak Hennessey 1/1/14
Cooley LLP Dow Lohnes Cooley LLP 1/1/14
Fein Such Kahn Shepard Levitan Frieland Fein Such Kahn Shepard 1/1/14
Fox Rothschild MBV Law Fox Rothschild LLP 1/1/14
GableGotwals The Glass Law Firm GableGotwals 1/1/14
Hiscock Barclay Davidson O'Mara Hiscock Barclay 1/1/14
Lewis King Krieg Waldrop Thomason Hendrix Harvey Johnson Mitchell Lewis Thomason 1/1/14
Littler Mendelson Schuster Aguilo Littler Mendelson P.C. 1/1/14
Michael Best Friedrich LLP Vantus Law Group Michael Best Friedrich LLP 1/1/14
Michael Best Friedrich LLP Vantus Law Group Michael Best Friedrich LLP 1/1/14
Polsinelli PC Rafuse Hill Hodges Polsinelli PC 1/1/14
Roberts Markel Weinberg Butler Hailey Roberts Markel Weinberg Butler Hailey PC 1/1/14
Saiber Marcus Brody Ford Kessler Saiber 1/1/14
Silver Freedman Taff Elias Matz Tiernan Herrick Silver, Freedman, Taff Tiernan LLP 1/1/14
Stinson Morrison Hecker Leonard Street and Deinard Stinson Leonard Street 1/1/14
ENSafrica De Comarmond Koenig ENSafrica 12/13/13
Pierce Atwood Little Bulman Medeiros Whitney Pierce Atwood 12/9/13
Becker Poliakoff Taylor Carls Becker Poliakoff 12/1/13
Hogan Lovells Routledge Modise Hogan Lovells 12/1/13
Squire Sanders Melli Darsa Co. (MDC)
Melli Darsa Co. in strategic alliance with
Squire Sanders
11/18/13
DeWitt Ross Stevens Mackall Crounse Moore DeWitt Ross Stevens 11/16/13
Irwin Mitchell MPH Solicitors (McCool Patterson Hemsi) Irwin Mitchell 11/14/13

12. 012
Savills Studley | Insights
PRIMARY FIRM SECONDARY FIRM NEW FIRM DATE
Wynne Law Firm Law Office of Jon Michael Franks Wynne Law Firm 11/12/13
Conn Kavanaugh Rosenthal Peisch Ford Friedler Law Group Conn Kavanaugh Rosenthal Peisch Ford 11/7/13
Clifford Law Offices Law Office of Kenneth Chessick Clifford Law Offices 11/1/13
King Wood Mallesons SJ Berwin King Wood Mallesons 11/1/13
Shutts Bowen Livingston Patterson Strickland Siegel Shutts Bowen 11/1/13
GrayRobinson Hirschhorn Bieber GrayRobinson 10/30/13
Maser Amundson Garvey Boggio Hendricks Maser, Amundson, Boggio Hendricks 10/29/13
LeClair Ryan Adelman Sheff Smith LeClair Ryan 10/15/13
Littler Mendelson BDS Asesores Littler Global 10/1/13
Littler Mendelson Godoy Cordoba Abogados Littler Global 10/1/13
Rhoads Sinon Tsoules Sweeney Martin Orr Rhoads Sinon 10/1/13
Smith Haughey Rice Roegg Even Franks Smith Haughey Rice Roegg 10/1/13
Thompson Coburn Freedman Weisz Thompson Coburn LLP 10/1/13
Offit Kurman Fineburg Law Associates Offit Kurman 9/30/13
Warren Kasper Davis and Brewer Kasper and Payne 9/26/13
Clark Hill Folk Associates Clark Hill 9/16/13
Gregory P. Joseph Law Offices Hage Aaronson Joseph Hage Aaronson 9/16/13
Carson Boxberger Federoff Kuchmay Carson Boxberger 9/1/13
Lewis Roca Rothgerber Johnson Lyons Lewis Roca Rothgerber 9/1/13
Moye White Franke Greenhouse Moye White 9/1/13
Slater Gordon Goodmans Law Slater Gordon 8/30/13
Lydecker Diaz Clyne Associates Lydecker Diaz 8/28/13
Slater Gordon Taylor Vinters Slater Gordon 8/16/13
Dickey McCamey Chilcote Miller Lawrence Dickey McCamey Chilcote 8/7/13
Dressman Benzinger LaVelle Reed Wicker Dressman Benzinger LaVelle 8/2/13
Blank Rome Bell Ryniker Letourneau Blank Rome 8/1/13
Clyde Co LLP Clasis LLC Clyde Co LLP / Clyde Co Clasis in Singapore 8/1/13
Verrill Dana Friedman Gaythwaite Wolf Verrill Dana 8/1/13
Woods Oviatt Gilman Fix Spindelman Brovitz Goldman Woods Oviatt Gilman 7/2/13
Baker McKenzie Habib Al Mulla Baker McKenzie 7/1/13
Ballard Spahr Stillman Friedman Ballard Spahr LLP 7/1/13
Chun Kerr Dodd Beaman Wo Chun Yoshimoto Chun Kerr LLP 7/1/13
Coombs Dunlap Toller Novak Coombs Dunlap 7/1/13
Fox Rothschild Lottner Rubin Fishman Saul Fox Rothschild LLP 7/1/13
Husch Blackwell Brown McCarroll Husch Blackwell LLP 7/1/13
Lorch and Naville Ward King Agnew Lorch Naville Ward, LLC 7/1/13
Marshall Grant Law Office of Ruben E. Soccaras Marshall Socarras Grant P.L 7/1/13
Rifkin, Livingston, Levitan Silver, LLC Law Offices of Arnold Weiner Rifkin, Weiner, Livingston, Levitan Silver, LLC 7/1/13
Schiff Hardin Mazur Carp Rubin Schiff Hardin LLP 7/1/13
Siegfried, Rivera, Hyman, Lerner, De La Torre,
Mars Sobel, PA
Hyman Mars, LLP
Siegfried, Rivera, Hyman, Lerner, De La Torre,
Mars Sobel, P.A.
7/1/13
Sprouse Shrader Smith Irwin Merritt Hogue Price Sprouse Shrader Smith 7/1/13
Source: ALM Legal Intelligence / www.almlegalintel.com