"It was a very good year for law firms" is an evaluation of 2021 that we've been hearing for months now, and it largely holds true for the firms making up the New Jersey Top 40.

But there's always a catch. The definition of "a very good year" has changed. A prime indicator: the second hundred of the Am Law 200 collectively increased revenue by 9.1% last year, and grew revenue per lawyer (RPL) by 7.7%. And even those impressive numbers trailed what the first hundred firms achieved.