Market data
Mass torts in California: market data
What public records say about the market for mass torts in California: 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 civil cases filed by county of the plaintiff: cases in a multidistrict litigation | 346 cases filed, fiscal year | FY2025 | California state | federal-filings-county v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750628 record federal-filings-county:CA · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal civil cases filed by county of the plaintiff: product liability | 3,541 cases filed, fiscal year | FY2025 | California state | federal-filings-county v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750628 record federal-filings-county:CA · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal civil filings: private other personal injury (includes product liability, drug and device cases) | 857 cases filed, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Central District of California federal district | civil-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23720009 record cf-cac-priv-other-pi · status P · checked 2026-10-27 |
| Federal civil cases filed: cases in a multidistrict litigation (mdl) | 73 cases filed, three fiscal years | FY2023-2025 | Central District of California federal district | idb-civil v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739969 record idb-cac-mdl · status P · checked 2026-10-27 |
| Federal civil cases filed: product liability and mass tort | 730 cases filed, three fiscal years | FY2023-2025 | Central District of California federal district | idb-civil v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739969 record idb-cac-product-liability · status P · checked 2026-10-27 |
| Federal civil filings: private other personal injury (includes product liability, drug and device cases) | 190 cases filed, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Eastern District of California federal district | civil-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23720009 record cf-cae-priv-other-pi · status P · checked 2026-10-27 |
| Federal civil cases filed: cases in a multidistrict litigation (mdl) | 14 cases filed, three fiscal years | FY2023-2025 | Eastern District of California federal district | idb-civil v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739969 record idb-cae-mdl · status P · checked 2026-10-27 |
| Federal civil cases filed: product liability and mass tort | 181 cases filed, three fiscal years | FY2023-2025 | Eastern District of California federal district | idb-civil v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739969 record idb-cae-product-liability · status P · checked 2026-10-27 |
| Federal civil filings: private other personal injury (includes product liability, drug and device cases) | 4,241 cases filed, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Northern District of California federal district | civil-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23720009 record cf-can-priv-other-pi · status P · checked 2026-10-27 |
| Federal civil cases filed: cases in a multidistrict litigation (mdl) | 334 cases filed, three fiscal years | FY2023-2025 | Northern District of California federal district | idb-civil v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739969 record idb-can-mdl · status P · checked 2026-10-27 |
| Federal civil cases filed: product liability and mass tort | 7,339 cases filed, three fiscal years | FY2023-2025 | Northern District of California federal district | idb-civil v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739969 record idb-can-product-liability · status P · checked 2026-10-27 |
| Federal civil filings: private other personal injury (includes product liability, drug and device cases) | 385 cases filed, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Southern District of California federal district | civil-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23720009 record cf-cas-priv-other-pi · status P · checked 2026-10-27 |
| Federal civil cases filed: cases in a multidistrict litigation (mdl) | 356 cases filed, three fiscal years | FY2023-2025 | Southern District of California federal district | idb-civil v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739969 record idb-cas-mdl · status P · checked 2026-10-27 |
| Federal civil cases filed: product liability and mass tort | 201 cases filed, three fiscal years | FY2023-2025 | Southern District of California federal district | idb-civil v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739969 record idb-cas-product-liability · status P · checked 2026-10-27 |
| Pending actions in MDL 2570: Cook Medical, Inc., IVC Filters Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability… | 6,470 pending actions | as of 2026-10-01 | United States United States | mdl v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23720737 record mdl-2570 · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Pending actions in MDL 2666: Bair Hugger Forced Air Warming Devices Products Liability Litigation | 8,424 pending actions | as of 2026-10-01 | United States United States | mdl v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23720737 record mdl-2666 · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Pending actions in MDL 2738: Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Products Marketing, Sales Practices and Products… | 69,340 pending actions | as of 2026-10-01 | United States United States | mdl v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23720737 record mdl-2738 · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Pending actions in MDL 2789: Proton-Pump Inhibitor Products Liability Litigation (No. II) | 11,404 pending actions | as of 2026-10-01 | United States United States | mdl v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23720737 record mdl-2789 · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Pending actions in MDL 2846: Davol, Inc./C.R. Bard, Inc., Polypropylene Hernia Mesh Products Liability Litigation | 23,324 pending actions | as of 2026-10-01 | United States United States | mdl v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23720737 record mdl-2846 · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Pending actions in MDL 2873: Aqueous Film-Forming Foams Products Liability Litigation | 15,264 pending actions | as of 2026-10-01 | United States United States | mdl v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23720737 record mdl-2873 · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Pending actions in MDL 2974: Paragard IUD Products Liability Litigation | 4,224 pending actions | as of 2026-10-01 | United States United States | mdl v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23720737 record mdl-2974 · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Pending actions in MDL 3004: Paraquat Products Liability Litigation | 6,602 pending actions | as of 2026-10-01 | United States United States | mdl v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23720737 record mdl-3004 · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Pending actions in MDL 3060: Hair Relaxer Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation | 12,381 pending actions | as of 2026-10-01 | United States United States | mdl v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23720737 record mdl-3060 · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Pending actions in MDL 3081: Bard Implanted Port Catheter Products Liability Litigation | 4,140 pending actions | as of 2026-10-01 | United States United States | mdl v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23720737 record mdl-3081 · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Pending actions in MDL 3094: Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists (GLP-1 RAs) Products Liability Litigation | 4,025 pending actions | as of 2026-10-01 | United States United States | mdl v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23720737 record mdl-3094 · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Pending actions in MDL 3140: Depo-Provera (Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate) Products Liability Litigation | 6,412 pending actions | as of 2026-10-01 | United States United States | mdl v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23720737 record mdl-3140 · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
Rising or falling
The change between the last two periods each source publishes. No threshold and no smoothing.
| Measure | Before | Latest | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal civil cases filed by county of the plaintiff: cases in a multidistrict litigation California · record federal-filings-county:CA | 69 FY2024 | 346 FY2025 | rising (+401.4%) |
| Federal civil cases filed by county of the plaintiff: product liability California · record federal-filings-county:CA | 2,184 FY2024 | 3,541 FY2025 | rising (+62.1%) |
Lawyer supply
How many law offices and lawyers the federal statistics count here.
| Measure | Value | Period | Place | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New lawyers admitted | 7,101 lawyers a year | 2025 | California state | bar-pipeline v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721443 record ca-bar-pipeline · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Counties under 1 law office per 10,000 residents | 4 counties | 2026-Q1 | California state | deserts v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721430 record deserts-06 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Counties with no law office | 3 counties | 2026-Q1 | California state | deserts v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721430 record deserts-06 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Residents living in those low-office counties | 0.5 percent of residents | 2026-Q1 | California state | deserts v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721430 record deserts-06 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Employer law firms | 21,612 firms | 2022 | California state | law-firm-economy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739997 record lfe-ca-all · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Receipts of employer law firms | 55,695,078,000 US dollars | 2022 | California state | law-firm-economy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739997 record lfe-ca-all · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Law offices per 10,000 residents | 6.3 per 10,000 residents | 2026-Q1 | California state | law-offices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721415 record law-offices-06 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Self-employed lawyers (nonemployer firms) | 40,308 firms | latest Nonemployer Statistics year | California state | law-offices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721415 record law-offices-06 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Private law offices | 24,803 establishments | 2026-Q1 | California state | law-offices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721415 record law-offices-06 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Lawyers employed (wage-earning, BLS OEWS) | 95,770 jobs | May 2025 | California state | lawyer-wages v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734840 record lawyer-wages:CA:231011:2025 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Median annual wage of employed lawyers | 195,080 US dollars a year | May 2025 | California state | lawyer-wages v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734840 record lawyer-wages:CA:231011:2025 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
Counties with the most demand per law office
Of the 25 counties in California with the most federal civil cases filed by county of the plaintiff: cases in a multidistrict litigation, the ten with the most per private law office. Both counts are shown with their records.
| County | Demand | Law offices | Per office |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego County, CA | 40 record federal-filings-county:06073 | 2,581 record law-offices-06073 | 0.02 |
| San Bernardino County, CA | 3 record federal-filings-county:06071 | 448 record law-offices-06071 | 0.01 |
| Kern County, CA | 2 record federal-filings-county:06029 | 197 record law-offices-06029 | 0.01 |
| Tulare County, CA | 1 record federal-filings-county:06107 | 75 record law-offices-06107 | 0.01 |
| Contra Costa County, CA | 2 record federal-filings-county:06013 | 558 record law-offices-06013 | 0 |
| Fresno County, CA | 1 record federal-filings-county:06019 | 386 record law-offices-06019 | 0 |
| Los Angeles County, CA | 1 record federal-filings-county:06037 | 9,009 record law-offices-06037 | 0 |
| Orange County, CA | 1 record federal-filings-county:06059 | 3,058 record law-offices-06059 | 0 |
| Riverside County, CA | 1 record federal-filings-county:06065 | 562 record law-offices-06065 | 0 |
| Sacramento County, CA | 1 record federal-filings-county:06067 | 886 record law-offices-06067 | 0 |
Federal civil cases filed by county of the plaintiff: cases in a multidistrict litigation (federal-filings-county v1.0.0, FY2025) ÷ Private law offices (law-offices v1.0.0, 2026-Q1). ratio = federal-filings-county.ffc.mdl / law-offices.qcew_estabs, rounded to 2 decimals; ranked highest first, among the 25 units with the most demand. Units with zero supply are listed apart (ratio undefined); units without a published value are listed as missing.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawyers who speak Spanish at home (ACS) | 11,996 ±1,027 lawyers | 2020-2024 | California state | language v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23656758 record language:state:CA:lawyers-spanish · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Spanish speakers with limited English per Spanish-speaking lawyer | 342 ±29.4 people per lawyer | 2020-2024 | California state | language v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23656758 record language:state:CA:lep-per-spanish-lawyer · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Spanish speakers with limited English (ACS) | 4,107,223 ±27,003 people age 5+ | 2020-2024 | California state | language v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23656758 record language:state:CA:spanish-lep · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Spanish speakers with limited English | 4,107,223 ±24,348 people age 5+ | 2020-2024 | California state | legal-need v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23741886 record legal-need-ca · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
Ad rules that apply
The rules a law firm's ads in California 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 | No filing or pre-approval of ads is required. The person who pays for an ad keeps a true and correct copy for one year (B&P 6159.1). official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Required content | P primary source | An ad must conspicuously show the name of at least one California-licensed lawyer, the law firm, the certified lawyer referral service or the joint advertiser responsible for it, and the city, town or county of at least one bona fide office or the address of… official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Waiting periods for contact | P primary source | The rules and the State Bar Act set no waiting period. In-person, live-telephone and real-time electronic solicitation is barred where pecuniary gain is a significant motive, unless the person is a lawyer or has a family, close personal or prior professional… official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Claims and results | P primary source | An ad may not contain a guarantee or warranty of success, a claim of immediate cash or quick settlement, an impersonation, an undisclosed dramatization, a spokesperson without a disclosed title, misleading statements about skills, experience or record, or an… official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Paying for referrals | P primary source | A lawyer may not compensate, promise or give anything of value to a person to recommend or secure the lawyer's services, except to pay reasonable ad costs, the usual charges of a legal services plan or a qualified lawyer referral service (one run under the… official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Call recording | P primary source | Recording a confidential communication without the consent of all parties to it is an offense (Penal Code § 632). official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Texting | P primary source | Automatic dialing-announcing devices may place calls only under a prior agreement in which the called person consents to receive such calls (Public Utilities Code § 2873). official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Drug and device injury ads (state statute) | D default rule | [object Object] |
| Ad filing or review | P primary source | California: 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 may split a fee if they sign a written agreement to divide it, the client consents in writing after full written disclosure, and the division does not raise the total fee; there is no proportion or joint-responsibility test. official source · referral v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23747113 · checked 2026-10-27 |
| Limitation period | P primary source | California, personal injury: 2 years, under Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1, as read in the official code on 2026-10-28. official source · limitations v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23743673 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Limitation period | U open or withheld | California, product liability: not verified in the official code (U). official source · limitations v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23743673 · checked 2026-10-28 |
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: civil negligence legal services | 257 index | 2026-09 | United States United States | legal-prices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734854 record legal-prices:PCU5411105411103:2026-09 · 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 civil filings by nature of suit and district, 12-month periods since 2018 v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23720009); Legal deserts: law offices and lawyers per resident in every U.S. county v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721430); Federal civil cases filed, by county of the plaintiff's residence, case type and year (Federal Judicial Center) v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750628); How long federal civil cases take: outcomes, class actions and pro se share by district, nature of suit and year v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739969); 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); Mass-tort docket tracker, federal MDL pending actions by month since 2019 v1.1.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23720737); CC BY 4.0. https://probativegrowth.com/markets/california/mass-tort/
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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.