Are there too many lawyers? Upon doing some research I have been able to find out that Japan has 1 lawyer for every 1,240 people, Germany has 1 lawyer for every 2,400 people, Sweden has 1 lawyer for every 5,200 people, and the United States has 1 lawyer for every 320 people.

That is a very subjective question.  Some would argue that there are not enough attorneys, because there are many valid claims that go neglected due to the fact that the individual is unable to afford an attorney.  More attorneys would drive down the cost of legal representation, and therefore make representation more affordable to indigent clients. With respect to the countries you reference, most countries function on a civil law basis where laws are codified.  The US and England operate on the common law where rules of law can be based on previous cases or are codified.  There is less need of attorneys in civil law countries because the law is codified and not left to judicial interpretation which makes the practice of law simpler, and therefore less attorneys are needed to practise law.  This is not intended to be legal advice, and is general in its nature. No attorney-client relationship exists or is formed by this information. Furthermore, this does not represent the views or opinions of LexisNexis or its affiliated companies.