businessman pours out coins from his wallet onto a table Photo: Ivan Bliznetsov/iStockphoto.com

The economic disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic have hit lawyers by decreasing their incomes.

ALM Media, which publishes law.com, conducted a lawyer-income survey between April 1 to 23 to ask how the coronavirus outbreak has impacted attorneys' income or revenue, how their new case filings have changed, and what's been happening with new clients seeking representation.

We received responses from 292 lawyers hailing from Texas, Georgia, Florida, Connecticut, California, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., and other states.

The results are drastic. Here is a listing of articles that reported the survey results.

The Numbers Are in: Attorney Income Nosedived Nationwide in Last 2 Months

Business man drawing decline graph. Photo: enciktepstudio/Shutterstock.com

Lawyers have taken a hit to the pocketbook as case filings nosedived and new clients quit seeking representation during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new survey of attorneys nationwide. Cuts to income were reported by 59% of the 292 respondents. Among the 129 total respondents who reported losing earnings, half of them had lost 30% or less of their income. However, one-quarter of respondents had lost amounts ranging from 50-100% of their earnings.

Family Lawyers and Criminal Law Attorneys Are Hurting Worst in the COVID-19 Economy

businessman pulling out empty pocket Photo: Stock

Some attorneys have lost 80% or more of their income during the COVID-19 pandemic, and family lawyers and criminal law attorneys are hurting the most.

Among 33 family attorneys who responded, 91% said their income has decreased. Among 18 respondents who reported a drop and quantified it, one-quarter of them had lost 80% or more of their earnings.

Among 30 criminal lawyers who responded, 80% reported a drop in income. More than half the 13 criminal attorneys who had reported income decreases quantified the loss as 80% or more of their income.

Recession Proof? Debt and Contract Lawyers Weathering Coronavirus Storm Better Than Others

Woman giving check of office worker. Photo: Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock.com

A select group of U.S. lawyers who seem to be weathering the COVID-19 economic disruptions better than others. Aside from debt counsel, contract attorneys also seem to be the best off, compared to other practice areas.

As for consumer and commercial debt attorneys, 47% of the 17 respondents said their income has stayed the same, while 41% reported a decrease and 6% said they had seen increased income.

Among 25 contract attorneys who responded, 48% said their income had stayed the same, while 40% reported a decrease and 4% reported an increase.

COVID-19 Hasn't Wrecked Auto Accident Lawyers' Earnings Yet. But a Crash Is Coming

woman in pain holding her neck at a car crash scene Photo: tommaso79/Shutterstock.com

People stay at home. Highways with no cars. One result? Fewer auto collisions. That means fewer lawsuits. Although they're still making money now even as other lawyers lose big from COVID-19 disruptions, car wreck attorneys are bracing for a hit to their pocketbooks in the future.

In our survey, 58% of the 45 motor vehicle attorneys who responded said their income has stayed the same during the pandemic—the largest rate of any practice area that we polled. However, that figure flipped on its head when we asked these attorneys to predict their future income: 71% of the lawyers said they are expecting a future income decrease.

Florida Criminal Defense Lawyers Eyeing Civil Work? How COVID-19 is Affecting Attorney Income

businessman with umbrella in the rain Photo: Brian Jackson/Fotolia

COVID-19 has already taken money from the pockets of Florida lawyers, who, according to an anonymous survey, expect things to get worse before they get better.

With narcotics, white-collar and fraud cases down as police make fewer arrests and federal agents have stopped convening grand juries, some criminal defense lawyers are looking to civil law to supplement lost income, according to Bruce Lehr of Lehr Levi & Mendez in Miami. Lehr said it's been a bit like having the rug pulled out from under him, and it's already having a financial effect.

Connecticut Lawyers Brace for Sharp Drop in Income This Year

one hundred dollar bills Photo: Lane V. Erickson/Shutterstock.com

With few new cases reaching their offices amid stay-at-home orders and mandated lockdowns, Connecticut personal injury attorneys expect a significant drop in income, according to new data from a national survey.

For Stewart M. Casper, a partner at Casper de Toledo in Stamford, three recent cases he has been litigating have just brought in "substantial fees." But with courthouses closed, a key revenue driver for Casper's personal injury practice is the pressure that the offer-of-compromise statute puts on insurance companies to settle.

For Georgia Solos and Small Firms, COVID-19 Impairs Business Across Range of Practices

Richard Kopelman, Jackie Patterson, Lani Skipper and Mark Hershovitz Richard Kopelman of Kopelman Sitton, Jackie Patterson of The Patterson Firm, Lani SKipper of Skipper Law and Marc Hershovitz, also a solo. Courtesy photos.

Just over half of Georgia lawyers responding to an ALM Media survey reported a decline in their law practice's income because of the novel coronavirus pandemic—and most expected a further drop in new business.

The survey results signal that the pandemic could have long-lasting economic consequences for their practices. Fully 51% of the lawyers said income was down, and almost 61% expected reduced income in the near future. New case volume had diminished for 69% of respondents, and 45% expected fewer calls going forward from prospective clients, due to court closures and other effects of the pandemic.