Law offices are a kind of institution of law, and they exist all around the world and United States. In general there are two basic types of lawyers employed by law firms: partners and associates. Most are run by partners, who own the company. In such a firm the employees and lawyers of lesser echelons have relatively little power in the company, and for this reason becoming a partner is something of significant importance in the life of a lawyer. The advancement of any lawyer?and any law office'is dependent on whether or not they win cases. A poor lawyer is likely to find that fewer and fewer individuals come to him for help in legal affairs, whereas a good attorney can expect in many cases to ride through hard times even based on his name alone?and the same goes with the office he or she works for. As in most businesses, success breeds success. The better a lawyer's track record, the more clients he or she attracts ? bringing more attractive cases, which further surround the firm with an aura of success.

Of course, like all companies law firms come in all shapes and sizes, from a small company owned by a single lawyer who works tirelessly at the sides of defendants and plaintiffs, to gigantic firms with thousands of lawyers headed by small partnership. It can be expected in general that the size of the town or city an organization is proportionally based in determines the probable size of the law office based out of it. A small town might have one or two offices, each with maybe a handful of attorneys. A large city might have hundreds of law firms, some with hundreds or thousands of professional legal advisors, and on the other hand you'll find those with a few, just like firms in smaller towns. Like most sorts of businesses, it's usually best for a firm to operate out of a larger city, as the availability of clientele is likely to be far greater than in less peopled areas.

Historically, the United States and the United Kingdom have had the greatest numbers of law firms, as a great deal of business is conducted in these two powerhouse nations, and some of the most prominent companies in the business are based out of London, New York, and other major cities. In general, the most prestigious law schools are also found in the United States and the United Kingdom.