For the first time since the 2008 financial crisis, law firm head count declined nationally in 2020. That's no surprise after COVID-19 shut down courts across the nation and paused litigation for a chunk of the year.

But law firm leaders have broadly said things could have been worse. Overall, head count was only down 0.1% last year, with equity partners and associates hit the hardest.

Within the plaintiffs bar, some of the largest firms managed to increase their head count and continued to bring in new cases, while others further down the list saw drastic decreases in size. Many plaintiffs firms are optimistic about their work returning to normal heading into the end of the year, but a few lawyers are bracing for a delayed financial impact since their firms are reliant on contingency fees for income.