Lex Machina Releases 2021 Law Firms Activity Report

In a changing legal market, assessing the competition and understanding practice area trends is more important than ever

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Lex Machina

Feb 18, 2021, 11:00 ET

MENLO PARK, Calif., Feb. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lex Machina, a LexisNexis company, today releases its Law Firms Activity Report looking at the most active law firms in federal district court. The report looks back at the last three years and analyzes law firm activity in 15 practice areas and in cases caused by COVID-19. The final section of the report includes a comprehensive look at civil litigation in federal district court.

There are nuances to each practice area, and readers will want to find out who are the most active firms in each specific practice area. The Law Firms Activity Report can be used for strategic planning, marketing, or competitive analysis in order to gauge market leaders and competitors against a dynamic, challenging legal landscape.

"Lex Machina provides an unparalleled view of law firms' activity in federal court,'' said Rachel Bailey, Lex Machina's data relations manager. "Our systems go beyond finding firms in metadata and use documents themselves to supplement and correct law firm data. This ensures that we have the most comprehensive view of a firms' litigation activity."

Findings from the report include:

The Department of Justice was far and away the most active counsel, filing nearly 9,000 cases on behalf of plaintiffs and defending over 27,000 cases when excluding multidistrict litigation associated cases.
Gottlieb & Associates filed the most lawsuits caused by COVID-19 on behalf of plaintiffs in 2020 (230 cases). The firm filed many lawsuits under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which are part of Lex Machina's Remaining Federal case type.
Multidistrict litigation, class actions, and suits related to one particular event were influential in the overall landscape of litigation. These suits account for big case counts particularly in product liability, torts, and insurance practice areas.
While law firms with big case counts tended to have dedicated specializations, there were several national litigation firms that appeared across several practice areas.

Law Firms Activity Report Webcast
Lex Machina is hosting a webcast to discuss the report on February 18, 2021 at noon ET/9am PT with report author Rachel Bailey and Natalie Rodriguez, Assistant Managing Editor at Law360. Register for the event or view a recording here.

About LexisNexis Legal & Professional
LexisNexis Legal & Professional is a leading global provider of legal, regulatory and business information and analytics that help customers increase productivity, improve decision-making and outcomes, and advance the rule of law around the world. As a digital pioneer, the company was the first to bring legal and business information online with its Lexis® and Nexis® services. LexisNexis Legal & Professional, which serves customers in more than 150 countries with 10,600 employees worldwide, is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers.

About Lex Machina
Now celebrating the 10th anniversary of Legal Analytics, the Lex Machina platform fundamentally changes how companies and law firms compete in the business and practice of law. The company provides strategic insights on judges, lawyers, law firms, parties, and other critical information across 16 federal practice areas and select state courts. Lex Machina allows law firms and companies to predict the behaviors and outcomes that different legal strategies will produce, enabling them to win cases and close business.

Lex Machina was named "Best Decision Management Solution" (AI Breakthrough Awards, 2019) and "Disruptor of the Year" (Changing Lawyer Awards, 2019). Based in Silicon Valley, Lex Machina is part of LexisNexis, a leading global provider of legal, regulatory, and business information and analytics. For more information, please visit www.lexmachina.com.

SOURCE Lex Machina