According to data released by the Ministry of Justice, of the 40,065 lawyers registered in Portugal in 2023, the majority are female, totalling around 57%, or 22,852 lawyers, another record. Male lawyers accounted for 17,213, or around 43% of the total.

Regarding the number of interns, in 2023 there were 3,431, that is, around 8.6% of registered lawyers. A slight increase compared to 2023, in which 3,372 were registered. Also among interns, females predominate with 2,248 lawyers compared to 1,183 lawyers.

Over the last few years this number has been growing, with only seven drops in the number of lawyers registered in the years 1988, 1991, 1996, 2002, 2007, 2009, and 2020. The biggest drop was in 2007, when there were 22,345 lawyers registered compared to 25,716 in 2006, that is, a decrease of 3,371. But this decline had a reason: Marinho and Pinto's tenure was taking place and for a few months of that year there was a suspension of the registration of trainee lawyers.

Regarding gender, it was in 2006 that for the first time more women than men practiced law. That year there were 12,996 female lawyers compared to 12,720 male professionals. Since then, females have dominated the profession, with the exception of 2008. It should be remembered that the legal profession was restricted to women for several years and it was only in 1918 that their right to access the profession was assured.