Lawyers play an important role in many different areas within many communities and states across the US. With approximately 1.1 million licensed attorneys, it’s clear that this particular profession makes up a large part of the American workforce. Whenever there are a large number of people working in a particular industry or market, there also comes a higher rate of energy that is required to support that group.

Total Number of Licensed Attorneys in the U.S.: 1.1 million
Approximate Total U.S. Revenue: $170.8 billion
Total Number of Law Firms: 47,563
Percentage of Licensed Attorneys in Private Practice: 74%
Percentage of Licensed Attorneys in Government: 8%
Percentage of Licensed Attorneys in Private Industry: 8%
Percentage of Licensed Attorneys in Judiciary: 3%
Percentage of Licensed Attorneys in Education: 1%
Percentage of Licensed Attorneys in Legal Aid: 1%
Percentage of Licensed Attorneys in Private Associations: 1%
Percentage of Licensed Attorneys Not Working/Retired: 4%
Average Annual Salary: $110,520

Law Offices and Energy

Depending on the number of lawyers, a law firm or office could potentially require a small office space with only a few rooms, to entire buildings. This doesn’t include the desktops, laptops and other equipment attorney and their employees require to complete their daily tasks.

With around 47,563 law firms established in America, one can also assume that there are many law offices set up around the country to help them get their work done. In fact, about 73% of the total law firms have five or less attorneys, while approximately 13% have six to ten. There are only around one thousand offices that have hired more than 40 attorneys.

There are, of course, many other employees at a law firm. These employees can include:

• Partners
• Associates
• Contact Lawyers
• Law Clerks
• Paralegals
• Legal Assistants
• Legal Secretaries
• Receptionists
• Investigators

Part of opening and running any business in most states across the U.S. require the office to set up utilities such as electricity, water and so on. When it comes to electricity, it is important for the law firm to explore their options, as energy bills can be quite costly. The good news is, for many states, energy deregulation is a huge benefit for consumers like law firms.

In energy deregulated states, utilities are still required to manage, maintain and charge for the delivery of electricity. However, energy deregulation laws opened the supply market up to competition. This paved the way for retail energy suppliers to set up shop and offer rates and pricing that is highly competitive in order to catch and maintain customers. Overall, energy deregulation allows residents within the state to choose the company that supplies their energy.

Lawyers and Energy

Electric power is heavily regulated within the United States. The Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) has regulated the transmission of electricity between utilities at the federal level. When it comes to energy transmission, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). By law, Independent Power Producers (IPPs) are allowed to connect with energy utility grids. PURPA also sets rates and protects IPPs from paying huge amounts for backup power from utilities.

To settle disputes that arise, some attorneys in the United States are employed at law offices or firms that work with or for different energy companies and government departments. Many of these attorneys represent clients before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for a broad range of energy regulations and related cases including:

• Fluctuating Market Conditions
• Regulatory Uncertainty
• Government Investigations
• Advances in Clean Energy Technologies

These types of attorneys tend to take on or represent clients in the energy industry including:

• Power Project Developers
• Independent Power Producers
• Financial Institutions
• Electric Transmission Providers
• Power Marketers
• Regional Transmission Providers