Here's the bad news for litigators coping with business fall-out from COVID-19: New civil filings in U.S. district courts continue to be in a trough compared to pre-pandemic levels. 

Now, here's some better news: New data show the slide is slowing, and maybe reversing.

Using the same data that powers Law.com's Legal Radar, we're monitoring the volume of new commercial litigation in U.S. district courts. Our first report—you can see our last snapshot here—showed a 22 percent drop-off in the first four weeks of the coronavirus pandemic compared to the same period in 2019.

This week, we take a look at how case volume has changed since early March. As you can see below, there are signs that the momentum may be shifting.

The same trend can be detected in the year-over-year data, although the slight recovery in filing volume seems to track 2019 numbers. In New York, New Jersey and Seattle, three areas hard hit by the pandemic, litigation volume has seen a more pronounced rebound. (This analysis excludes counts of repetitious mass tort cases and certain non-commercial litigation, such as social security claims and immigration cases; criminal cases also are not counted).

As with the last time we checked in, the picture is uneven across practice areas. The litigation areas that are bucking the overall slump include patent, securities and, not surprisingly, insurance, where the surge of litigation over business loss claims is expected to swell. We'll continue updating this analysis as things unfold, so keep checking back.

Infographic design by David Palmer.

Previous Snapshots:

• Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, a Slump in Federal Commercial Litigation

You can follow COVID-19 on Legal Radar to keep up with the latest news and lawsuits.

Set up your free news feed today.