London ranks first in inaugural Global Legal Hiring Index, with Washington, Chicago and Los Angeles following. The new index provides a monthly assessment of legal recruitment activity across 336 cities worldwide.
eLawCareers and UOLLB have jointly announced the launch of the first edition of the Global Legal Hiring Index (GLHI), a new international index ranking 336 cities according to the number of advertised legal job vacancies recorded in each location.
The inaugural ranking places London at the top with a rating of 368, considerably ahead of Washington, United States, which ranks second with 126. Chicago takes third place with 121, followed by Los Angeles with 111 and Dallas with 91.
The GLHI has been established to provide a comparative assessment of legal recruitment activity across international markets. Using job advertisement data collected through eLawCareers, the index measures the geographical distribution of advertised legal employment opportunities and provides a consistent basis for comparing recruitment activity between cities.
The first edition covers 336 cities across multiple countries and geographical regions, encompassing major international legal centres, financial hubs, national capitals and smaller regional employment markets.
London leads the global legal hiring rankings
London's first-place position is one of the principal findings of the inaugural index. With a rating of 368, the British capital records almost three times the number of advertised legal vacancies recorded in Washington, the second-ranked city.
The United States has a particularly strong presence in the upper positions, with six cities appearing in the top 10: Washington (2nd), Chicago (3rd), Los Angeles (4th), Dallas (5th), San Francisco (6th), and Atlanta (8th).
The United Kingdom also features prominently, with Manchester ranking seventh and Birmingham ninth, alongside London in first place. Boston completes the top 10 in tenth position.
The top 20 further illustrates the geographical concentration of advertised legal vacancies across several established employment markets. Amsterdam ranks 11th, followed by Frankfurt in 12th. Houston, New York and Sydney occupy positions 13 to 15 respectively, while Seattle, San Diego, Dusseldorf, Toronto and Philadelphia complete the top 20.
The rankings also demonstrate that legal recruitment activity extends well beyond the most internationally recognised legal centres. Cities such as Tampa, Indianapolis, Nashville, Orlando, Leeds, Bristol, Edmonton and Warsaw feature within the top 50.
Global Legal Hiring Index (October 2026)
Rank | City | Country | Rating |
1 | London | United Kingdom | 368 |
2 | Washington | United States | 126 |
3 | Chicago | United States | 121 |
4 | Los Angeles | United States | 111 |
5 | Dallas | United States | 91 |
6 | San Francisco | United States | 88 |
7 | Manchester | United Kingdom | 75 |
8 | Atlanta | United States | 69 |
9 | Birmingham | United Kingdom | 63 |
10 | Boston | United States | 57 |
11 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | 47 |
12 | Frankfurt | Germany | 46 |
13 | Houston | United States | 45 |
14 | New York | United States | 45 |
15 | Sydney | Australia | 45 |
16 | Seattle | United States | 43 |
17 | San Diego | United States | 41 |
18 | Dusseldorf | Germany | 36 |
19 | Toronto | Canada | 36 |
20 | Philadelphia | United States | 35 |
21 | Tampa | United States | 31 |
22 | Berlin | Germany | 29 |
23 | Hamburg | Germany | 27 |
24 | Montreal | Canada | 27 |
25 | Paris | France | 27 |
26 | Melbourne | Australia | 26 |
27 | Indianapolis | United States | 23 |
28 | Munich | Germany | 23 |
29 | Nashville | United States | 23 |
30 | Orlando | United States | 23 |
31 | Palo Alto | United States | 23 |
32 | Phoenix | United States | 23 |
33 | Las Vegas | United States | 22 |
34 | Madrid | Spain | 22 |
35 | Leeds | United Kingdom | 21 |
36 | Miami | United States | 21 |
37 | Bristol | United Kingdom | 20 |
38 | Denver | United States | 20 |
39 | Charlotte | United States | 19 |
40 | Dublin | Ireland | 18 |
41 | Edmonton | Canada | 18 |
42 | Pittsburgh | United States | 18 |
43 | Richmond | United States | 18 |
44 | Brussels | Belgium | 17 |
45 | Columbus | United States | 17 |
46 | Glasgow | United Kingdom | 17 |
47 | Kansas City | United States | 17 |
48 | Warsaw | Poland | 17 |
49 | Fort Lauderdale | United States | 15 |
50 | Perth | Australia | 15 |
51 | Austin | United States | 13 |
52 | Costa Mesa | United States | 13 |
53 | Portland | United States | 13 |
54 | Wilmington | United States | 13 |
55 | Detroit | United States | 12 |
56 | Milan | Italy | 12 |
57 | Raleigh | United States | 12 |
58 | St. Louis | United States | 12 |
59 | Edinburgh | United Kingdom | 11 |
60 | Irvine | United States | 11 |
61 | Minneapolis | United States | 11 |
62 | Sacramento | United States | 11 |
63 | Stockholm | Sweden | 11 |
64 | Auckland | New Zealand | 10 |
65 | Calgary | Canada | 10 |
66 | Cincinnati | United States | 10 |
67 | Salt Lake City | United States | 10 |
68 | Birmingham | United States | 9 |
69 | Cleveland | United States | 9 |
70 | Jacksonville | United States | 9 |
71 | Louisville | United States | 9 |
72 | Oklahoma City | United States | 8 |
73 | Preston | United Kingdom | 8 |
74 | Roseland | United States | 8 |
75 | Southampton | United Kingdom | 8 |
76 | Tunbridge Wells | United Kingdom | 8 |
77 | Walnut Creek | United States | 8 |
78 | Baltimore | United States | 7 |
79 | Belfast | United Kingdom | 7 |
80 | Columbia | United States | 7 |
81 | Exeter | United Kingdom | 7 |
82 | New Orleans | United States | 7 |
83 | West Palm Beach | United States | 7 |
84 | White Plains | United States | 7 |
85 | Harrisburg | United States | 6 |
86 | Hartford | United States | 6 |
87 | Madison | United States | 6 |
88 | Naples | United States | 6 |
89 | Newark | United States | 6 |
90 | Richardson | United States | 6 |
91 | Vienna | Austria | 6 |
92 | Albany | United States | 5 |
93 | Beijing | China | 5 |
94 | Bengaluru | India | 5 |
95 | Blackburn | United Kingdom | 5 |
96 | Bucharest | Romania | 5 |
97 | Carlsbad | United States | 5 |
98 | Guildford | United Kingdom | 5 |
99 | Jersey City | United States | 5 |
100 | Kendal | United Kingdom | 5 |
101 | Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia | 5 |
102 | Macon | United States | 5 |
103 | Ontario | United States | 5 |
104 | Orange | United States | 5 |
105 | Purchase | United States | 5 |
106 | Rome | Italy | 5 |
107 | Sheffield | United Kingdom | 5 |
108 | Valletta | Malta | 5 |
109 | Bangkok | Thailand | 4 |
110 | Boca Raton | United States | 4 |
111 | Boise | United States | 4 |
112 | Bournemouth | United Kingdom | 4 |
113 | Copenhagen | Denmark | 4 |
114 | Fort Myers | United States | 4 |
115 | Greenville | United States | 4 |
116 | Hanoi | Vietnam | 4 |
117 | Jackson | United States | 4 |
118 | Liverpool | United Kingdom | 4 |
119 | Livingston | United States | 4 |
120 | Malmo | Sweden | 4 |
121 | Memphis | United States | 4 |
122 | Newcastle upon Tyne | United Kingdom | 4 |
123 | Oslo | Norway | 4 |
124 | Plano | United States | 4 |
125 | Providence | United States | 4 |
126 | Reno | United States | 4 |
127 | Riverside | United States | 4 |
128 | San Bernardino | United States | 4 |
129 | Sao Paulo | Brazil | 4 |
130 | Tallahassee | United States | 4 |
131 | Akron | United States | 3 |
132 | Bogota | Colombia | 3 |
133 | Bowling Green | United States | 3 |
134 | Brisbane | Australia | 3 |
135 | Buenos Aires | Argentina | 3 |
136 | Charleston | United States | 3 |
137 | Chattanooga | United States | 3 |
138 | Clayton | United States | 3 |
139 | Dover | United States | 3 |
140 | Edwardsville | United States | 3 |
141 | Gainesville | United States | 3 |
142 | Garden City | United States | 3 |
143 | Marietta | United States | 3 |
144 | Newcastle | United Kingdom | 3 |
145 | Norwich | United Kingdom | 3 |
146 | Nottingham | United Kingdom | 3 |
147 | Omaha | United States | 3 |
148 | Oxford | United Kingdom | 3 |
149 | Pensacola | United States | 3 |
150 | Quebec | Canada | 3 |
151 | Reading | United Kingdom | 3 |
152 | Redmond | United States | 3 |
153 | Riyadh | Saudi Arabia | 3 |
154 | Rye Brook | United States | 3 |
155 | Savannah | United States | 3 |
156 | Stoke-on-Trent | United Kingdom | 3 |
157 | Tokyo | Japan | 3 |
158 | Tulsa | United States | 3 |
159 | Aarhus | Denmark | 2 |
160 | Albuquerque | United States | 2 |
161 | Altrincham | United Kingdom | 2 |
162 | Anchorage | United States | 2 |
163 | Arlington | United States | 2 |
164 | Athens | Greece | 2 |
165 | Barcelona | Spain | 2 |
166 | Bastrop | United States | 2 |
167 | Berwyn | United States | 2 |
168 | Budapest | Hungary | 2 |
169 | Buffalo | United States | 2 |
170 | Cambridge | United Kingdom | 2 |
171 | Christchurch | New Zealand | 2 |
172 | Derby | United Kingdom | 2 |
173 | Fresno | United States | 2 |
174 | Gothenburg | Sweden | 2 |
175 | Grand Rapids | United States | 2 |
176 | Hannover | Germany | 2 |
177 | Hawthorne | United States | 2 |
178 | Johannesburg | South Africa | 2 |
179 | Lafayette | United States | 2 |
180 | Lakeland | United States | 2 |
181 | Lexington | United States | 2 |
182 | Livonia | United States | 2 |
183 | Manchester | United States | 2 |
184 | Marlton | United States | 2 |
185 | Melville | United States | 2 |
186 | Menlo Park | United States | 2 |
187 | Milton Keynes | United Kingdom | 2 |
188 | Mississauga | Canada | 2 |
189 | Mumbai | India | 2 |
190 | Myrtle Beach | United States | 2 |
191 | New Haven | United States | 2 |
192 | Newbury | United Kingdom | 2 |
193 | Newport Beach | United States | 2 |
194 | Palm Harbor | United States | 2 |
195 | Peace River | Canada | 2 |
196 | Peterborough | United Kingdom | 2 |
197 | Portsmouth | United States | 2 |
198 | Prague | Czech Republic | 2 |
199 | Quito | Ecuador | 2 |
200 | Redwood City | United States | 2 |
201 | San Jose | United States | 2 |
202 | Scranton | United States | 2 |
203 | Southport | United Kingdom | 2 |
204 | Spokane | United States | 2 |
205 | Vienna | United States | 2 |
206 | Wellington | New Zealand | 2 |
207 | West Chester | United States | 2 |
208 | Wheeling | United States | 2 |
209 | Adelaide | Australia | 1 |
210 | Alpharetta | United States | 1 |
211 | Aspen | United States | 1 |
212 | Basel | Switzerland | 1 |
213 | Basingstoke | United Kingdom | 1 |
214 | Bath | United Kingdom | 1 |
215 | Belen | Costa Rica | 1 |
216 | Berkeley | United States | 1 |
217 | Berkeley Heights | United States | 1 |
218 | Beverly Hills | United States | 1 |
219 | Bloomfield Hills | United States | 1 |
220 | Bluffton | United States | 1 |
221 | Brentwood | United States | 1 |
222 | Bridgetown | Barbados | 1 |
223 | Brownsville | United States | 1 |
224 | Canberra | Australia | 1 |
225 | Chantilly | United States | 1 |
226 | Chelmsford | United Kingdom | 1 |
227 | Chennai | India | 1 |
228 | Dagenham | United Kingdom | 1 |
229 | Dartmouth | Canada | 1 |
230 | Daytona Beach | United States | 1 |
231 | Doha | Qatar | 1 |
232 | Dubai | United Arab Emirates | 1 |
233 | Eindhoven | Netherlands | 1 |
234 | El Segundo | United States | 1 |
235 | Eschborn | Germany | 1 |
236 | Fayetteville | United States | 1 |
237 | Flagstaff | United States | 1 |
238 | Florence | Italy | 1 |
239 | Florence | United States | 1 |
240 | Florham Park | United States | 1 |
241 | Fort Saskatchewan | Canada | 1 |
242 | Frederick | United States | 1 |
243 | General Trias | Philippines | 1 |
244 | Geneva | Switzerland | 1 |
245 | George Town | Cayman Islands | 1 |
246 | Grand-Lancy | Switzerland | 1 |
247 | Grande Prairie | Canada | 1 |
248 | Guayaquil | Ecuador | 1 |
249 | Gurugram | India | 1 |
250 | Helsinki | Finland | 1 |
251 | Henrico | United States | 1 |
252 | Heredia | Costa Rica | 1 |
253 | Highland | United States | 1 |
254 | Honolulu | United States | 1 |
255 | Huntington | United States | 1 |
256 | Hyderabad | India | 1 |
257 | Jaipur | India | 1 |
258 | Jeddah | Saudi Arabia | 1 |
259 | Johnson City | United States | 1 |
260 | Katowice | Poland | 1 |
261 | Knoxville | United States | 1 |
262 | Kolkata | India | 1 |
263 | Kopavogur | Iceland | 1 |
264 | Kosice | Slovakia | 1 |
265 | Kyiv | Ukraine | 1 |
266 | Lancaster | United States | 1 |
267 | Las Palmas de Gran Canaria | Spain | 1 |
268 | Levallois-Perret | France | 1 |
269 | Lima | Peru | 1 |
270 | Linkoping | Sweden | 1 |
271 | Lisbon | Portugal | 1 |
272 | Longwood | United States | 1 |
273 | Macclesfield | United Kingdom | 1 |
274 | Machelen | Belgium | 1 |
275 | Maitland | United States | 1 |
276 | Malvern | United States | 1 |
277 | Mandaluyong | Philippines | 1 |
278 | Manila | Philippines | 1 |
279 | Melbourne | United States | 1 |
280 | Milwaukee | United States | 1 |
281 | Missoula | United States | 1 |
282 | Mobile | United States | 1 |
283 | Morristown | United States | 1 |
284 | Mount Laurel | United States | 1 |
285 | Mountain View | United States | 1 |
286 | Neuilly-sur-Seine | France | 1 |
287 | New Albany | United States | 1 |
288 | Newcastle | Australia | 1 |
289 | Northern Virginia | United States | 1 |
290 | Oakland | United States | 1 |
291 | Ottawa | Canada | 1 |
292 | Owings Mills | United States | 1 |
293 | Panama | Panama | 1 |
294 | Paradise Valley | United States | 1 |
295 | Porto Alegre | Brazil | 1 |
296 | Princeton | United States | 1 |
297 | Quezon City | Philippines | 1 |
298 | Recife | Brazil | 1 |
299 | Rennes | France | 1 |
300 | Reston | United States | 1 |
301 | Ridgeland | United States | 1 |
302 | Road Town | British Virgin Islands | 1 |
303 | Roseville | United States | 1 |
304 | Rotterdam | Netherlands | 1 |
305 | San Antonio | United States | 1 |
306 | Santa Ana | United States | 1 |
307 | Santa Clara | United States | 1 |
308 | Santa Monica | United States | 1 |
309 | Santiago | Chile | 1 |
310 | Sao Bernardo do Campo | Brazil | 1 |
311 | Sarasota | United States | 1 |
312 | Sausalito | United States | 1 |
313 | Scottsdale | United States | 1 |
314 | Seal Beach | United States | 1 |
315 | Shanghai | China | 1 |
316 | South Jordan | United States | 1 |
317 | Stamford | United Kingdom | 1 |
318 | Stavanger | Norway | 1 |
319 | Superior | United States | 1 |
320 | Taipei | Taiwan | 1 |
321 | Tel Aviv-Yafo | Israel | 1 |
322 | The Hague | Netherlands | 1 |
323 | Tucson | United States | 1 |
324 | Tunis | Tunisia | 1 |
325 | Ulaanbaatar | Mongolia | 1 |
326 | Uniondale | United States | 1 |
327 | Vancouver | Canada | 1 |
328 | Ventura | United States | 1 |
329 | Victoria | Canada | 1 |
330 | Warrington | United Kingdom | 1 |
331 | Wayne | United States | 1 |
332 | Weirton | United States | 1 |
333 | Wenatchee | United States | 1 |
334 | Winston-Salem | United States | 1 |
335 | Woodbury | United States | 1 |
336 | Wrexham | United Kingdom | 1 |
A wider geographical picture of legal recruitment
One of the distinguishing features of the GLHI is its geographical coverage. Rather than concentrating exclusively on a small group of established international legal centres, the index includes 336 cities with recorded legal job advertisements.
Beyond the leading markets, the ranking includes cities across Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.
European cities appearing in the ranking include Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris, Berlin, Hamburg, Madrid, Dublin, Brussels, Milan, Stockholm and Copenhagen. In Asia-Pacific, the index includes Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, Singapore's regional counterparts in markets such as Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Beijing, Tokyo and Mumbai. Other locations represented include Johannesburg, Riyadh, Dubai, Buenos Aires, Bogota and Sao Paulo.
The inclusion of smaller cities and regional employment markets provides a broader picture of where legal employers are advertising positions. It also demonstrates that legal recruitment is not confined to the largest international financial and commercial centres.
Measuring legal hiring activity
The GLHI uses a straightforward numerical methodology. Each city's rating corresponds to the number of advertised legal vacancies recorded for that location in the eLawCareers dataset. Cities with higher recorded vacancy numbers receive higher ratings and ranking positions.
The index is specifically designed to measure advertised legal recruitment activity. It does not attempt to measure the total number of practising lawyers, the overall size or value of a city's legal services market, or the number of positions ultimately filled.
Its findings should therefore be understood as a reflection of the vacancies captured by eLawCareers, rather than a complete count of all legal recruitment taking place worldwide.
The index will be updated monthly, allowing changes in recorded recruitment activity to be monitored over successive reporting periods. This will create an evolving dataset through which movements in city rankings and the geographical distribution of advertised legal opportunities can be examined.
Supporting the development of the Global Legal Cities Index
The launch of the GLHI also forms part of the wider initiative by eLawCareers and UOLLB to develop the Global Legal Cities Index (GLCI).
While the GLCI evaluates cities through a broader range of indicators relating to their position as international legal centres, the GLHI focuses specifically on legal recruitment activity.
The GLHI is intended to become one of the component indices underpinning future editions of the GLCI. Its inclusion will introduce a dedicated employment dimension, helping to assess the geographical distribution of legal hiring alongside other indicators of legal and economic activity.
Together, the two indices provide complementary perspectives on the international legal profession: the GLHI examines where legal employers are recruiting, while the GLCI assesses the wider standing of cities as global legal centres.
Building a continuing measure of global legal recruitment
The inaugural Global Legal Hiring Index provides a starting point for the systematic comparison of legal recruitment activity across international markets.
With 336 cities included in its first edition and monthly updates planned, the index will provide an ongoing reference for law firms, legal recruiters, legal professionals, researchers and others interested in the international legal employment market.
As further editions are published, changes in the rankings will help illustrate how advertised legal vacancies are distributed geographically and how recruitment activity develops across different cities.
Jointly established by eLawCareers and UOLLB, the Global Legal Hiring Index represents a new data-based approach to examining the geography of legal employment and contributes to the wider development of research into international legal market