City report · November 2026
SF Bay Area legal talent market
Supply of attorneys at private firms vs open roles, pay bands and net moves in SF Bay Area. Aggregate figures only.
19,301attorneys at private firms
390open attorney roles
49.5attorneys per opening
67moves (12 mo)
-1net moves for firms here
Los AngelesOrange CountySan DiegoSF Bay AreaSacramentoInland EmpireCentral ValleyCentral Coast & Ventura
Supply vs demand by practice
| Practice | Attorneys at firms | Open roles | Per opening |
|---|---|---|---|
| Litigation (general civil) | 4,743 | 107 | 44.3 |
| Corporate, M&A & finance | 4,335 | 53 | 81.8 |
| Real estate & land use | 2,515 | 32 | 78.6 |
| IP, tech & media | 2,278 | 28 | 81.4 |
| Government & regulatory | 2,238 | 20 | 111.9 |
| Trusts, estates & elder | 2,156 | 32 | 67.4 |
| Employment & labor | 2,073 | 61 | 34.0 |
| Personal injury & med-mal | 1,827 | 17 | 107.5 |
| Family law | 1,401 | 16 | 87.6 |
| Criminal & white collar | 1,054 | 8 | 131.8 |
| Insurance & insurance defense | 881 | 15 | 58.7 |
| Immigration | 798 | 11 | 72.5 |
| Tax | 632 | 8 | 79.0 |
| ADR / mediation | 535 | 0 | — |
| Bankruptcy & creditor | 483 | 4 | 120.8 |
| Workers' compensation | 394 | 9 | 43.8 |
By experience band
| Experience | Attorneys at firms | Open roles | Est. base pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–2 yrs | 1,411 | 324 | $122k–$176k |
| 3–4 yrs | 1,252 | 349 | $138k–$199k |
| 5–8 yrs | 1,928 | 365 | $150k–$216k |
| 9–14 yrs | 2,810 | 350 | $145k–$210k |
| 15+ yrs | 11,900 | 359 | $145k–$210k |
Moves by practice
| Practice | Moves | Joins | Exits | Net | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate, M&A & finance | 25 | 24 | 25 | -1 | Balanced |
| Litigation (general civil) | 22 | 20 | 22 | -2 | Balanced |
| Real estate & land use | 20 | 20 | 20 | 0 | Balanced |
| Personal injury & med-mal | 17 | 17 | 17 | 0 | Balanced |
| Insurance & insurance defense | 12 | 12 | 12 | 0 | Balanced |
| Family law | 7 | 6 | 7 | -1 | Balanced |
| Employment & labor | 6 | 5 | 6 | -1 | Balanced |
| IP, tech & media | 6 | 5 | 6 | -1 | Balanced |
| Government & regulatory | 6 | 5 | 6 | -1 | Balanced |
| Tax | 4 | 3 | 4 | -1 | Balanced |
| Trusts, estates & elder | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | Balanced |
| Immigration | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | Balanced |
| ADR / mediation | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | Balanced |
| Workers' compensation | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Too few moves to call |
| Criminal & white collar | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Too few moves to call |
Firms gaining the most
| Firm | Joins | Exits | Net |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani | 7 | 0 | +7 |
| Womble Bond Dickinson | 2 | 0 | +2 |
| Stinson LLP | 2 | 0 | +2 |
| Cooley LLP | 2 | 1 | +1 |
Firms losing the most
| Firm | Joins | Exits | Net |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silicon Legal Strategy | 0 | 3 | -3 |
Pay: estimated base salary for a mid-size firm in this market (government wage surveys calibrated to posted pay ranges); not an offer.
About this data
- Experience is inferred from years since California bar admission, not from titles.
- A move is counted when public licensing records or a firm's own website show an attorney at a new employer. Licensing records update when attorneys file address changes, so moves can surface weeks or months after they happen; each move is dated when it was detected.
- Joins and exits count moves into and out of private law firms. A move between two firms counts as one exit and one join; moves to or from in-house and government roles change the net.
- Practice areas are self-reported on licensing records; an attorney who lists several practices counts under each.
- Figures cover the trailing 12 months and are refreshed as new records arrive. Small counts are noisy; tags need at least 3 moves.
Aggregate figures only; no individual attorney is named.