Despite speculation that lawyers left the Golden State en masse in 2021, data released last week shows that the largest firms with roots in California continued to attract talent to the region.

The number of lawyers at NLJ 500 firms in the state increased nearly 3% to 20,212, and Los Angeles remained the fourth-largest city by head count, with 7,216 lawyers, as reflected in this year’s NLJ 500 that ranks firms based on the previous year’s lawyer head count.