Spatial and regression analysis of provision of commercial legal services in Russian cities

Abstract

The article examines the relationship between the number of employees at law firms, or lawyers, and the provision of legal services in Russian cities. It aims to identify whether the increase in the number of lawyers leads to an enhanced level of legal services provision. In addition, it attempts to discern geographical patterns in the provision of legal services in Russia. To achieve these objectives, open data from the Federal Tax Service of Russia is utilized as the primary source of information. Linear regression is employed to estimate the hypothesized relationship, and data plotting and mapping are used to visualize it. The study demonstrates an overall positive square root relationship between the number of lawyers and the provision of legal services in cities, as well as a linear relationship between these variables in distinct city population size groups. It supports a widely held proposition about the pivotal role of the largest cities in the provision of services and also offers partial confirmation of the commonly accepted view about the positive impact of service concentration on their delivery. However, the study argues that there are multiple approaches to achieving a high level of legal services provision, with an increase in the number of lawyers being only one of the potential options. The findings of this research may serve to inform data-driven policymaking decisions of governmental bodies.