Market data
Criminal defense in Alabama: market data
What public records say about the market for criminal defense in Alabama: how much demand the courts and agencies count, how many law offices serve it, how many people need help in Spanish, and the ad rules that apply. Every number links to the record it comes from.
Demand: what courts and agencies count
Counts of filings, crashes, complaints and enforcement in the records each agency keeps. A count shows where problems were recorded, not how many people will hire a lawyer.
| Measure | Value | Period | Place | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal criminal defendants charged | 1,124 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Alabama state | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:state-AL:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal drug defendants | 286 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Alabama state | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:state-AL:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal fraud defendants | 130 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Alabama state | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:state-AL:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal immigration-offense defendants | 143 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Alabama state | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:state-AL:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal criminal defendants charged | 247 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Middle District of Alabama federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:ALM:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal drug defendants | 58 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Middle District of Alabama federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:ALM:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal fraud defendants | 23 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Middle District of Alabama federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:ALM:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal immigration-offense defendants | 12 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Middle District of Alabama federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:ALM:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal criminal defendants charged | 606 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Northern District of Alabama federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:ALN:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal drug defendants | 187 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Northern District of Alabama federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:ALN:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal fraud defendants | 50 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Northern District of Alabama federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:ALN:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal immigration-offense defendants | 63 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Northern District of Alabama federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:ALN:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal criminal defendants charged | 271 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Southern District of Alabama federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:ALS:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal drug defendants | 41 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Southern District of Alabama federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:ALS:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal fraud defendants | 57 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Southern District of Alabama federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:ALS:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal immigration-offense defendants | 68 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Southern District of Alabama federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:ALS:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
Rising or falling
The change between the last two periods each source publishes. No threshold and no smoothing.
| Measure | Before | Latest | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal criminal defendants charged Alabama · record criminal-filings:state-AL:2026-06-30 | 1,376 2025-12-31 | 1,124 2026-06-30 | falling (-18.3%) |
| Federal drug defendants Alabama · record criminal-filings:state-AL:2026-06-30 | 319 2025-12-31 | 286 2026-06-30 | falling (-10.3%) |
| Federal fraud defendants Alabama · record criminal-filings:state-AL:2026-06-30 | 141 2025-12-31 | 130 2026-06-30 | falling (-7.8%) |
| Federal immigration-offense defendants Alabama · record criminal-filings:state-AL:2026-06-30 | 233 2025-12-31 | 143 2026-06-30 | falling (-38.6%) |
Lawyer supply
How many law offices and lawyers the federal statistics count here.
| Measure | Value | Period | Place | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New lawyers admitted | 557 lawyers a year | 2025 | Alabama state | bar-pipeline v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721443 record al-bar-pipeline · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Counties under 1 law office per 10,000 residents | 1 counties | 2026-Q1 | Alabama state | deserts v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721430 record deserts-01 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Counties with no law office | 0 counties | 2026-Q1 | Alabama state | deserts v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721430 record deserts-01 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Residents living in those low-office counties | 0.4 percent of residents | 2026-Q1 | Alabama state | deserts v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721430 record deserts-01 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Employer law firms | 2,172 firms | 2022 | Alabama state | law-firm-economy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739997 record lfe-al-all · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Receipts of employer law firms | 2,882,395,000 US dollars | 2022 | Alabama state | law-firm-economy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739997 record lfe-al-all · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Law offices per 10,000 residents | 5.45 per 10,000 residents | 2026-Q1 | Alabama state | law-offices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721415 record law-offices-01 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Self-employed lawyers (nonemployer firms) | 3,636 firms | latest Nonemployer Statistics year | Alabama state | law-offices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721415 record law-offices-01 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Private law offices | 2,830 establishments | 2026-Q1 | Alabama state | law-offices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721415 record law-offices-01 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Lawyers employed (wage-earning, BLS OEWS) | 6,730 jobs | May 2025 | Alabama state | lawyer-wages v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734840 record lawyer-wages:AL:231011:2025 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Median annual wage of employed lawyers | 131,970 US dollars a year | May 2025 | Alabama state | lawyer-wages v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734840 record lawyer-wages:AL:231011:2025 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
Spanish-language demand
People who speak Spanish and speak English less than very well, and the lawyers who speak Spanish, from the Census Bureau survey (with margins of error).
| Measure | Value | Period | Place | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish speakers with limited English (ACS) | 80,254 ±3,068 people age 5+ | 2020-2024 | Alabama state | language v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23656758 record language:state:AL:spanish-lep · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Spanish speakers with limited English | 80,254 ±2,912 people age 5+ | 2020-2024 | Alabama state | legal-need v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23741886 record legal-need-al · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
Ad rules that apply
The rules a law firm's ads in Alabama have to meet, summarized from the official texts. The full rules, with quotes, are on the state page.
| Topic | Status | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Ad filing or review | P primary source | None. Since January 1, 2026 the rules have no filing or pre-approval. The lawyer keeps a copy of each communication, with its date, recipient and how it was sent, for six years, and gives it promptly to the Bar's Office of General Counsel on request (7.2(a)). official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Required content | P primary source | No general disclaimer since January 1, 2026. A communication must say clearly if a lawyer shown is not licensed in Alabama or the firm has no bona fide Alabama office (7.2(b)(1)-(2)). official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Waiting periods for contact | P primary source | 21 days after the accident, event or disaster for solicitation about a personal-injury or wrongful-death matter (7.3(b)(1)). In a pending civil or administrative proceeding, not until service of process is obtained and filed (7.3(b)(2)). official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Claims and results | P primary source | A communication may not promise a specific result (7.2(i)). A stated result needs a description of the type of case, must be objectively verifiable, and must not mislead (7.2(m)). official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Paying for referrals | P primary source | A lawyer must not compensate, give or promise anything of value to a person for recommending the lawyer's services (7.2(h)). Allowed: the usual costs of permitted communications; the usual charges of a not-for-profit lawyer-referral service or legal-aid… official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Call recording | P primary source | One-party consent: eavesdropping is defined as recording others' private communication without the consent of at least one of the people in it (Ala. Code § 13A-11-30). official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Texting | P primary source | A person who receives more than one telephone solicitation in 12 months from or for the same person or entity, in violation of Alabama's do-not-call rule (§ 8-19C-2(a)) or § 8-19C-5, may sue to stop the violation (Ala. Code § 8-19C-7). official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Ad filing or review | P primary source | Alabama: no filing or review of lawyer ads is required. official source · filing v1.2.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721409 · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Paying for referrals | P primary source | Lawyers in different firms, including a referring lawyer, may split a fee if the split is in proportion to the work each does, or each takes joint responsibility under a written agreement with the client, or (in a contingency case) the split is between the… official source · referral v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23747113 · checked 2026-10-27 |
Prices and pay (national)
| Measure | Value | Period | Place | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jobs in legal services (seasonally adjusted) | 1,249 thousand jobs | 2026-09 | United States United States | legal-prices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734854 record legal-prices:CES6054110001:2026-09 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| CPI-U: legal services | 230 index | 2026-09 | United States United States | legal-prices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734854 record legal-prices:CUUR0000SEGC01:2026-09 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| PPI: offices of lawyers | 338 index | 2026-09 | United States United States | legal-prices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734854 record legal-prices:PCU541110541110:2026-09 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| PPI: criminal legal services | 102 index | 2023-03 | United States United States | legal-prices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734854 record legal-prices:PCU541110541110B:2023-03 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
Download and cite
The rows behind this page, with every dataset, version, DOI, record id and check date.
Cite as: Probative Growth, The new-lawyer pipeline by jurisdiction: bar exam pass rates and new admissions, 2025 v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721443); Federal criminal cases by offense and district (U.S. Courts Tables D-1, D-2 and D-3) v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206); Legal deserts: law offices and lawyers per resident in every U.S. county v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721430); Spanish-speaking demand vs Spanish-speaking lawyer supply, by state and metro v1.1.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23656758); Law firm size, solos and receipts, by state: Census SUSB 2022, Nonemployer Statistics 2024 and Economic Census 2022 v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739997); Law offices, jobs and pay by county, with solo-practice counts: BLS QCEW, Census CBP and Nonemployer Statistics v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721415); Lawyer, paralegal and legal-staff pay by state and metro (BLS OEWS) v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734840); Legal need by county: who may need a lawyer, from the American Community Survey v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23741886); Legal-services prices and jobs, monthly (BLS CPI, PPI and CES) v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734854); CC BY 4.0. https://probativegrowth.com/markets/alabama/criminal-defense/
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How this page is built
Each figure is copied from one record of the dataset named with it, joined to this state and practice through the open practice and place crosswalk. Nothing is estimated. Methods, inputs and limits.