Cold email software for law firms
Acqro gives corporate and commercial law firms cold email that researches each prospect's company before writing. Below: verified federal data on the industry across all 50 states, the buyers it sells to, and a playbook for outreach that earns replies.
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How many law firms are in the United States?
The United States had 165,491 establishments in NAICS 541110, offices of lawyers, in 2023, employing 1,093,331 people. The largest markets by establishments were California, Florida and Texas. Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns.
Law firms in the US by the numbers
- US establishments
- 165,491−0.9% vs 2022Census CBP 2023, NAICS 541110
- Paid employees
- 1,093,331Census CBP 2023
- Average annual pay
- $125,580Census CBP 2023
- Firms under 10 employees
- 86.8%Census CBP 2023
- Largest state
- CaliforniaBy establishments, CBP 2023
Census does not publish a separate category for corporate and commercial law firms; figures use NAICS 541110, Offices of Lawyers, the closest official industry. 86.8% of establishments have fewer than 10 employees, so most firms in the industry run outbound with a founder or a very small sales team. The 21,559 firms with 10 to 249 employees are the ones most likely to be building a repeatable outbound process.
The five largest states hold 43.9% of all establishments. Among states with at least 100 establishments, the fastest growth between 2022 and 2023 was in South Carolina (+1.0%), Idaho (+0.9%) and Texas (+0.5%). Growing markets bring new competitors and new buyers at the same time, which rewards outreach that is specific rather than volume-driven.
Law firms by state
All states and DC ranked by number of establishments, with the change since 2022.
| Rank | State | Establishments | Employees | Change vs 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 22,821 | 148,867 | +0.3% |
| 2 | Florida | 17,261 | 97,156 | 0.0% |
| 3 | Texas | 13,833 | 87,363 | +0.5% |
| 4 | New York | 11,745 | 114,660 | −2.1% |
| 5 | Illinois | 6,918 | 52,434 | −2.1% |
| 6 | Georgia | 5,944 | 35,560 | −0.7% |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | 5,131 | 42,329 | −1.9% |
| 8 | New Jersey | 4,788 | 32,680 | −2.8% |
| 9 | Ohio | 4,067 | 27,760 | −1.8% |
| 10 | North Carolina | 4,025 | 25,471 | −0.4% |
| 11 | Massachusetts | 3,920 | 28,550 | −2.3% |
| 12 | Michigan | 3,750 | 23,789 | −0.9% |
| 13 | Washington | 3,489 | 21,105 | −1.3% |
| 14 | Colorado | 3,431 | 18,443 | −3.3% |
| 15 | Virginia | 3,425 | 23,495 | −0.6% |
| 16 | Louisiana | 3,217 | 17,533 | −0.3% |
| 17 | Arizona | 3,088 | 17,342 | +0.1% |
| 18 | Missouri | 2,759 | 18,479 | −1.4% |
| 19 | Maryland | 2,615 | 16,849 | −1.4% |
| 20 | South Carolina | 2,590 | 16,264 | +1.0% |
| 21 | Tennessee | 2,260 | 13,523 | −1.6% |
| 22 | Indiana | 2,237 | 12,541 | −1.4% |
| 23 | Oklahoma | 2,234 | 9,881 | −0.9% |
| 24 | Alabama | 2,217 | 12,095 | −1.2% |
| 25 | Oregon | 2,211 | 11,920 | +0.3% |
| 26 | Minnesota | 2,052 | 15,663 | −1.3% |
| 27 | Connecticut | 1,953 | 11,903 | −2.3% |
| 28 | Kentucky | 1,812 | 9,603 | −2.9% |
| 29 | Wisconsin | 1,716 | 11,967 | −0.6% |
| 30 | Nevada | 1,710 | 9,575 | −0.1% |
| 31 | Utah | 1,448 | 8,074 | −0.2% |
| 32 | Arkansas | 1,291 | 4,929 | −2.9% |
| 33 | Mississippi | 1,283 | 6,187 | −1.2% |
| 34 | Iowa | 1,212 | 6,216 | −2.1% |
| 35 | District of Columbia | 1,197 | 31,104 | −1.0% |
| 36 | Kansas | 1,139 | 5,586 | −2.6% |
| 37 | New Mexico | 983 | 4,697 | −1.6% |
| 38 | Idaho | 871 | 3,468 | +0.9% |
| 39 | Nebraska | 817 | 4,983 | +0.5% |
| 40 | West Virginia | 775 | 4,733 | 0.0% |
| 41 | Rhode Island | 681 | 3,807 | −2.7% |
| 42 | Montana | 678 | 2,673 | +0.4% |
| 43 | Maine | 587 | 3,670 | −2.3% |
| 44 | Hawaii | 563 | 2,665 | −0.5% |
| 45 | New Hampshire | 530 | 3,319 | −5.0% |
| 46 | Wyoming | 472 | 1,295 | −1.3% |
| 47 | Delaware | 430 | 4,914 | −0.2% |
| 48 | South Dakota | 365 | 1,554 | −0.5% |
| 49 | Vermont | 344 | 1,712 | −4.2% |
| 50 | North Dakota | 305 | 1,541 | −0.7% |
| 51 | Alaska | 301 | 1,404 | −2.9% |
Who law firms sell to
Common buyer industries for corporate and commercial law firms, with US establishment counts and how many have 10 to 249 employees.
| Buyer industry | Establishments | 10–249 employees | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Publishers | 18,425 | 5,923 | 1,011,187 |
| Manufacturing | 284,452 | 123,720 | 12,335,234 |
| Construction | 814,557 | 147,964 | 7,659,459 |
| Offices of Physicians | 218,066 | 58,939 | 2,771,935 |
How law firms should run cold email
Corporate and commercial law firms sell corporate, commercial, employment and regulatory legal services to businesses. These are the contacts, triggers and messages that make a first email relevant rather than generic.
Who to email
- General counsel at companies with an in-house team
- CEO or founder at smaller companies
- CFO or COO
- HR director for employment matters
Signals worth researching
- Funding rounds, acquisitions or corporate restructuring
- Expansion into new states or countries
- New regulations affecting the prospect's industry
- Rapid hiring that raises employment law questions
What to say
- Keep messages factual and informational
- Reference the business event and the legal questions it typically raises
- Offer a short briefing rather than a pitch
What to avoid
- Anything that could be read as guaranteed outcomes
- Referring to confidential matters or litigation you learned about indirectly
Cold email for law firms, answered
How many law firms are there in the US?
There were 165,491 establishments in NAICS 541110 (Offices of Lawyers) in 2023, employing 1,093,331 people. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023.
Which states have the most law firms?
By establishments in 2023: California (22,821), Florida (17,261), Texas (13,833), New York (11,745) and Illinois (6,918). Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023.
Can law firms use cold email for business development?
Yes, subject to the professional conduct rules in each jurisdiction on lawyer solicitation and advertising. Business-to-business email that is factual, identifies the firm and avoids outcome promises is common. Firms should confirm their state's rules before launching outreach.
What makes legal cold email effective?
Timing and relevance. A message tied to a funding round, acquisition, expansion or regulatory change, offering a short and useful briefing, is received very differently from a general practice-area introduction.
Is cold email legal in the United States?
Yes. The federal CAN-SPAM Act permits commercial email to business contacts without prior consent, provided the message identifies the sender accurately, uses a truthful subject line, includes a valid physical postal address and a working opt-out, and honours opt-out requests promptly. CAN-SPAM applies in every state and preempts most state commercial email laws, except provisions aimed at falsity or deception. This is general information, not legal advice.
Explore related pages
Law Firms by state
Other industries
Sources and methodology
Every figure on this page comes from a federal statistical release and is shown with its source and reference year. Figures the agencies withhold or publish with high noise are left out rather than estimated. Page updated September 17, 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 and 2022: establishments, paid employment for the pay period including March 12, annual payroll, and establishments by employment size. Industries use NAICS 2017 codes.
- Industry definition: NAICS 541110, Offices of Lawyers, used as the closest official category for corporate and commercial law firms.
Built for law firms who sell to a finite list
Acqro researches every account on your list and writes the first email from what it finds.
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