In May 2025, job activity among a tracked subset of law firms showed a mixed performance compared to the same period last year, reflecting broader signs of a cooling labor market.

Job openings for the month totaled 25, down from 37 in May 2024—a 32% year-over-year decrease. Job closures also declined, from 42 last year to 33 this year.

Despite fewer openings, the total number of open jobs rose to 180, up from 147 a year ago, suggesting some slowdown in hiring velocity but continued demand for legal talent in certain areas.

Among U.S.-based firms in the dataset, job openings fell 25%, from 20 in May 2024 to 15 in May 2025, while closures dropped from 23 to 19.

The total number of open roles increased to 135, compared to 116 at the same time last year, indicating cautious but sustained recruitment activity.

Wider Economic Context

These trends align with the broader economic slowdown reported by ADP. According to their latest release, private-sector job creation nearly stalled in May, with only 37,000 jobs added—the weakest result since March 2023. This marks a significant slowdown from April’s downwardly revised 60,000 jobs and falls far short of the 110,000 forecast.

The legal sector appears to be tracking this broader softening, with hiring slowing in pace but not reversing altogether—particularly in the U.S., where open positions continue to accumulate despite fewer new postings.

For deeper insights, custom firm-to-firm comparisons, or lateral hiring trends, contact Leopard Solutions at sales@leopardsolutions.com.

Methodology Note

Leopard Solutions is continuously expanding, adding new firms to our Leopard List and Jobs platforms. To ensure accuracy in year-over-year comparisons, this report is based on a consistent cohort of over 1,100 B2B, U.S.-centric firms tracked since the beginning of the reporting period. This method ensures that the trends reflect true market shifts, not database growth.

For more insights on legal job trends and hiring activity, visit Leopard Jobs.