Are lawyers working harder than ever? Recent figures in the legal industry show only a slight increase last year in the number of average hours billed per lawyer. The numbers were actually higher before the Great Recession and immediately after.

Yet analysts and firm leaders say the total amount of hours worked—not just billed—is likely higher, and that incredible demand in transactional work, new technology that allows (or forces) attorneys to pack more work into less time, and stressors brought about by COVID-19 bolster the conclusion that lawyers have never been busier.