‘Sign of Overall Health’: The Am Law 100 Metric That Deserves More Attention

As far as acronyms go, “PPL” doesn’t have the same recognition as some others in the law firm financial vernacular. And as a barometer of firm performance, profits per lawyer—a firm’s net income divided by its attorney headcount in full-time-equivalents–also doesn’t get the most attention. But should that change?

The 2024 Am Law 100’s average PPL ($518,000) is a 6.2% increase from last year ($487,000).

The increase follows a collective 7.1% year-over-year decline in PPL in last year’s Am Law 100 (based on fiscal 2022) that was attributable to increased hiring, softening demand and rising expenses.

And on this year’s list, firms that might not be list-toppers in any given metric nevertheless can boast PPL increases well in excess of that 6.2% average rate.

Are you interested in learning more about the Am Law 100 metric that deserves more attention? Read more in this law.com article.