Contracts from the federal government are a financial staple for plenty of industries, and it turns out that law is no exception. During the past five years, the government has awarded $3.3 billion to more than 4,700 vendors for legal work, according to data compiled by The National Law Journal, a sibling publication of The American Lawyer. Much of the money was spent by the U.S. Department of Justice to help administer the federal program that confiscates property from criminals; for law enforcement training in countries like Afghanistan and Iraq; and for technical support in litigation, including cases involving Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Of that sum, $391.4 million was awarded to more than 1,200 law firms and solo practitionersabout 12 percent of the total legal-related funds awarded by the federal government. Seven Am Law 200 firms were among the 10 biggest award recipients.
