Water fountain at rear of the Pennsylvania State Capitol building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Welcome to PaLaw 2018—our 25th annual report on the legal profession, as we celebrate our 175th year at The Legal Intelligencer.

It's pretty amazing to think that The Legal has been around to document changes in the legal profession for the better part of two centuries. Even more amazing is the fact that many of the most drastic and landscape-altering developments have occurred only within the past 10 years.

In addition to all the great content you've come to expect from this magazine—including the 100 Largest Law Firms and Largest Verdicts & Settlements lists, and the results of our 23rd Annual Managing Partners Survey—this year we asked some of Pennsylvania's longest-running law firms to write about their histories, their relationship with The Legal over the years and the changes they've observed in the profession over the course of decades. We've also asked Tianna Kalogerakis, president of the Barristers' Association of Philadelphia, to write about the important contributions of black attorneys in Pennsylvania throughout history, as well as the strides that have been made and, most importantly, that still need to be made with regard to diversity in the profession.

As always, I want to thank the people who worked so hard to make this project a reality.

Kristie Rearick, our magazines and supplements editor, and Brian Harris, our director of information and technology, worked tirelessly throughout the year to gather, sort and distill much of the data that forms the basis of the charts and articles in this magazine.

And, of course, I also want to thank you, the reader, for providing us with the feedback, insights and intelligence that form the basis of everything we do.

With that in mind, please feel free to share your input on this year's edition with us so that we can continue to work toward improving the reader experience.

Here's to the next 175 years!

Zack Needles

Managing Editor