Why Do Blue States Keep Prioritizing Lawyers Over Low-Income Americans?

Last year was one of the best ever for the world’s richest law firms. Deals surged. Hiring boomed. Salaries ballooned. First-year associates now make $215,000, and that’s pre-bonus. The median BigLaw partner earns well over $1 million a year.

For most Americans, however, the pandemic has been a legal disaster. The need for legal help swelled alongside rising household debt, unemployment claims, and domestic violence incidents. Even pre-pandemic, most Americans did not hire a lawyer when facing legal problems, even serious ones. The majority of legal problems are met with inaction—a person doesn’t write the will, doesn’t contest the eviction, doesn’t challenge the debt, or doesn’t seek the restraining order.

Then, even when Americans do take action, it’s typically without legal assistance. In a stunning three-quarters of the 20 million civil cases filed in court each year, at least one party lacks a lawyer. When Americans think of the legal system, they imagine “A Few Good Men,” “Perry Mason,” or even “My Cousin Vinny”—lawyer clashing with lawyer in open court. The reality is starkly different.