A good survey participation rate for US law firms is 75% or higher. At that level, attorneys trust the process and believe their responses are both confidential and acted on. A rate below 60% is a warning in itself: in our experience it usually means people don't trust where the data goes, not that they were too busy. The participation rate isn't just an administrative number — it's the first piece of data your survey produces, and often the most honest.
We're Survey Research Associates (SRA), and we've run confidential surveys exclusively for US law firms since 1987. Participation rate is the metric we read as a trust signal before we look at a single answer.
What counts as a good, average and poor participation rate at a US law firm?
Here is the practical 2026 benchmark we use for US law firm surveys:
The threshold sits higher for US law firms than for general corporate surveys because of hierarchy. Associates asked to evaluate the partners who control their work and bonus only respond in numbers if they genuinely believe the responses are confidential. High participation is, in effect, attorneys voting that they trust the system.
Why is participation lower when associates at US law firms don't trust the process?
Because the people being evaluated often control the careers of the people responding. If an associate suspects a comment about a supervising partner could be traced back to them, the safest move is to not respond — or to respond blandly. We see low participation and soft, diplomatic answers appear together, and both point to the same root cause: a confidentiality design people don't believe in.
This is why where the raw data is held matters more than the word "anonymous" on the intro screen. If responses sit inside a system the firm administers, a reasonable associate assumes someone could, in principle, trace them. Holding raw responses externally — outside the firm's systems — is what moves participation from acceptable to strong. We explain the mechanism in How to Make Feedback Anonymous at a Law Firm and What Is Structural Anonymity in Performance Reviews?.
What drives a low participation rate at US law firms, and how do you fix it?
In our 38 years running these programs for US law firms, five issues account for most low-participation surveys:
The confidentiality design is the one we're most often brought in to fix, and it's the reason participation in the programs we run for US law firms tends to land at the upper end of the benchmark. → SRA Firm Engagement Survey
Does AI or new software fix low participation at US law firms?
No — and this is worth being clear about, because a lot of 2026 software is sold as if it does. AI can analyze and summarize responses beautifully, but it can only work with the answers people chose to give. According to the NALP Foundation's Performance Evaluations Study (a study of 106 leading US law firms; NALP Foundation, November 2025), 76% of firms already use an external or third-party vendor to collect evaluation feedback, yet reported only moderate satisfaction with those tools. More technology hasn't solved the candor problem, because candor is a function of trust and data-handling, not features. We make this case in full in Can Generic HR Software Handle Upward Reviews at Law Firms?.
Where confidential upward feedback is the priority, this is exactly why we run it as a managed service for US law firms rather than sell software a firm administers. → SRA Upward Reviews
Frequently asked questions
What is a good response rate for an employee engagement survey generally?
For general corporate engagement surveys, 70–80% is considered strong. US law firms should aim for the upper end — 75%+ — because the partner-associate dynamic raises the bar for trust.
Is a 100% participation rate a good sign at a US law firm?
Not necessarily. Near-total participation can suggest the survey wasn't truly voluntary or that anonymity is in doubt, both of which compromise honesty. Genuinely confidential surveys rarely hit 100%, and that's healthy.
How do you calculate a survey participation rate?
Divide responses submitted by people invited, then multiply by 100. Track it by class year, practice group and office — a strong firm-wide average can still hide a group that didn't respond at all.
What participation rate do US law firms need for the data to be reliable?
Above 75%, you can act with confidence, including at practice-group level. Between 60% and 75%, read firm-wide trends but be cautious about small segments. Below 60%, treat the low rate itself as the headline finding.
Why does participation matter more at a US law firm than elsewhere?
Because the survey is often measuring the very hierarchy that makes people cautious. In that setting, participation is a direct read on whether attorneys trust the firm's confidentiality — which is exactly what the survey depends on.
Sources: NALP Foundation, Performance Evaluations Study (106 US law firms), NALP Foundation, Nov 2025. Participation benchmarks reflect SRA's program experience across US law firms since 1987.
SRA designs and runs confidential performance reviews, partner evaluations, upward review programs, 360-degree feedback, and firm engagement surveys exclusively for US law firms. We are not a legal AI vendor. We are the people-side partner that helps firms get performance, development, and retention right — which matters more, not less, as AI reshapes the work. Built for US law firms since 1987.
Performance Reviews | Upward Reviews | 360-Degree Feedback | Firm Engagement Survey | Schedule a Consultation
Exclusively serving United States law firms since 1987.
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