As a long-time attorney in Phoenix, Arizona, I am sometimes amazed at how small the legal community seems, considering how large the community at large is. I recently discovered that this is only true in the isolated world of my own practice, which does not encompass the myriad of different legal issues that individuals and businesses face on a daily basis. Fortunately, there seem to be many Phoenix attorneys out there to accommodate any need you may have.

Despite what I admit were some pretty feeble research attempts, I couldn’t find any statistics on the number of attorneys practicing in the city of Phoenix, but a search function available on the Phoenix State Bar website Arizona reveals that there are more than 12,000 attorneys in Maricopa County, Arizona, which is basically the Phoenix metropolitan area. Frankly, that sounds like a lot of lawyers.

Maybe too many.

Twelve thousand lawyers is enough people (if you can call lawyers people) to make up a nice little town, or a significant percentage of the population of many state capitals.

So why do I seem to keep bumping into the same few lawyers and why, when looking for a referral for a practice area I don’t work in, does it sometimes seem so difficult to find the right lawyer?

I believe that part of the answer lies in the growing number of specialized practices born in part from the increasing complexity of many legal practices. If you only handle aviation accident cases, you will probably be primarily interacting with the small number of other attorneys who handle similar cases. And there are many such specialized practices if you need a specialized doctor.

Of course, many of the more than 12,000 Phoenix attorneys work in capacities that are virtually invisible to most of us in our daily lives, yet are vital to the effective functioning of society at large. Many of them, perhaps half or more, work for the State, the Federal Government, a City or the County in a civil or criminal practice. Unfortunately, due to a variety of social truths that are beyond the scope of this article, it takes a lot of lawyers to keep the government running.

Many of the remaining attorneys are directly employed by large or mid-sized companies or work for larger law firms that serve the important legal needs of larger companies. Again, many of these attorneys are virtually invisible to most of us (even other attorneys) and it would never be a realistic consideration if the average person or business needed to hire a Phoenix attorney.

So, at the end of the day, I think there is a surprisingly limited supply of Phoenix attorneys available to help most people and businesses when they find themselves in need. These attorneys work in small to medium sized law firms or often practice alone, typically limiting their practice areas to a limited scope of issues with which they have some familiarity. People looking for a Phoenix attorney should spend some time searching for an attorney or law firm that fits their needs and personality.

The best way to find a Phoenix attorney today, in my opinion, is to do a little research online, where many attorneys offer profiles of themselves and their practices. It’s also always a good idea to ask for references from trusted sources. If you have a trusted attorney who doesn’t handle the type of case you’re looking for, they can also be a great resource for a referral.