SBA size standard
$15.5 million
Measured by average annual receipts over the last 5 fiscal years
SBA table effective March 2023
Official definition
This industry comprises offices of legal practitioners known as lawyers or attorneys (i.e., counselors-at-law) primarily engaged in the practice of law. Establishments in this industry may provide expertise in a range or in specific areas of law, such as criminal law, corporate law, family and estate law, patent law, real estate law, or tax law.
FY2025 federal spending
The Department of the Interior bought 45% of the $327.4M obligated under 541110 in FY2025.
- Contract awards
- 1,226
- Contract vehicles (IDVs)
- 159
Top buying agencies
- Department of the Interior$147.9M
- Department of Health and Human Services$108.2M
- Department of Veterans Affairs$18.5M
- U.S. International Development Finance Corporation$16.2M
- Department of the Treasury$13.2M
FY2025 federal contract obligations, USAspending.gov
NAICS 541110 obligated $327 million in FY2025 across 1,226 contract awards, and the buyer list is the most unusual in this reference set: Interior at $148 million, HHS at $108 million, VA at $19 million, the Development Finance Corporation at $16 million, Treasury at $13 million. DoD is absent from the top five entirely, which happens in almost no other code. Interior's share is trust, land, water rights, and tribal litigation support, where outside counsel with specific subject matter depth is genuinely irreplaceable.
What belongs here
Offices of lawyers and attorneys primarily engaged in the practice of law, including firms specializing in a specific area such as environmental, real estate, tax, or patent law.
- Paralegal, court reporting, e-discovery, and other specialized legal services from non-attorney establishments are 541199.
- Court interpretation and document translation is 541930.
- Regulatory and policy advisory that is not the practice of law is 541611.
Competing in this code
The code had 159 IDVs alongside 1,226 awards in FY2025, and the $15.5 million size standard is low enough that a genuinely small firm can hold small business status. The market rewards specialization to an extreme degree. Agencies retain outside counsel precisely when the internal office lacks a niche, so the winning credential is a named attorney with a documented record in Indian trust law, healthcare fraud, international finance, or whatever the requirement names. Broad commercial litigation credentials do not compete here.
NAICS 541110 FAQ
What is the SBA size standard for NAICS 541110?
SBA sets it at $15.5 million in average annual receipts, averaged over your last five completed fiscal years. Come in at or under that and you are small on every NAICS 541110 solicitation, including the set-asides.
Which agencies retain outside counsel under NAICS 541110?
FY2025 obligations: Interior ($148 million), HHS ($108 million), VA ($19 million), DFC ($16 million), Treasury ($13 million). DoD does not appear at all, and Interior's lead reflects trust, land, and water rights matters that require specialized outside counsel.
Why is Interior the largest buyer of legal services in NAICS 541110?
Because Indian trust, land, and water rights litigation requires niche expertise that the department's internal counsel does not hold at the volume needed. Interior obligated $148 million in FY2025, ahead of every other agency, and those matters run for years, which produces recurring outside counsel requirements.
Do large firms dominate NAICS 541110?
Less than you would expect. The size standard is $15.5 million in average annual receipts, and agencies retain outside counsel specifically for expertise their internal office lacks. Awards turn on a named attorney's documented record in the exact subject matter, which favors small specialist practices over general litigation capacity.