No. | Law School | Median Salary Private |
---|---|---|
1 | Harvard University | $180,000 |
1 | New York University | $180,000 |
1 | U. of California-Berkeley | $180,000 |
1 | U. of Texas-Austin | $180,000 |
Annual Salary | Hourly Wage | |
---|---|---|
Top Earners | $129,500 | $62 |
75th Percentile | $96,500 | $46 |
Average | $80,743 | $39 |
25th Percentile | $60,000 | $29 |
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the 2018 median pay for lawyers in the U.S. was $120,910. That comes out to an hourly pay of $58.13, assuming a 40-hour work week. As most lawyers will tell you, though, the typical work week at a law firm tends to be a lot longer than 40 hours.
According to U.S. News, the top-paying state for lawyers isn’t a state – it’s the District of Columbia. There, the annual mean wage for lawyers is $189,560. However, four of the top five highest-paying cities are all in California, with San Jose at the top with $198,100.
As most lawyers will tell you, though, the typical work week at a law firm tends to be a lot longer than 40 hours. According to 2017 data from U.S. New and World Report, the average salary for lawyers in the U.S. is $141,890.
One of the biggest determinant of salary for lawyers is the type of employer they work for. Lawyers who clock in and out for big corporate law firms will command a much higher salary than those who work as public defenders. Not all lawyers represent individual clients in court.
That degree won’t come cheap: The American Bar Association reports that law students rack up an average student debt burden of $84,000 if they graduate from a public school and $122,158 if they graduate from a private school. Some of these graduates have loans from their undergraduate education, too.
According to the BLS, the metro area with the highest concentration of lawyers is the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area. But the city with the second-highest concentration of lawyers might surprise you – it’s Tallahassee, FL. Other metro areas with a high concentration of lawyers are: Philadelphia, PA; San Francisco-Redwood City-South San Francisco, CA and New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ.
Becoming a lawyer is an expensive and time-consuming undertaking, but can lead to a financially and intellectually rewarding career. If you can succeed in law school and get good jobs and internships along the way, you’ll have a good shot at a high salary. After you’ve successfully paid off your student loans, you can start stashing some of that money away for a peaceful retirement.
law firms with 701-plus lawyers rose by $25,000 between 2017 and 2019, increasing from $155,000 to $180,000 . Law offices paying salaries of at least $190,000 were concentrated in a few cities, such as Los Angeles, Dallas, New York City and the District of Columbia. However, $190,000 was the most common starting salary amount for first-year law associates, making up 29.3% of all salaries.
Some of the large law firms matching Milbank's salary include Sullivan & Cromwell LLP and Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, which are both in New York; and Covington & Burling LLP in the District of Columbia.
Law school grads who are hired by leading firms frequently not only get six-figure salaries, but also receive signing bonuses, and they might get annual bonuses.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average pay for a lawyer is $120,910 per year.
Additionally, a lawyer’s annual salary will heavily depend on the years of experience they’ve acquired practicing law , with the payscale steadily increasing as lawyers are able to charge higher premiums for their legal advice. Salary increases at large law firms have outpaced the rest of the legal market.
While there’s no official definition for “Biglaw,” it generally refers to the nation’s largest law firms as well as small- and medium-sized firms that pay at the market rate. Biglaw firms base salary on your law school class using the Cravath scale.
The demanding work environment is one reason Biglaw firms offer summer associate programs. Taking advantage of the program can introduce you to the environment and give you a taste of what you might expect as a new hire. However, much like the field of Biglaw, summer associate spots are highly competitive.
The average rate in the mid to late 1980s was 82.9% .
Public sector jobs and those working for the government tend to have a lower salary average than private-sector jobs.
If you’re drawn to an area of law with higher earnings, keep in mind that the highest-paid lawyers often have more stress and work longer hours.
As shown below, the median annual salary for tax attorneys in 2014 was $99,690. Starting salaries tend to be somewhere between $55,000 and $83,000; lawyers who remain in the field of tax law can expect a steady increase in their annual earnings as their career progresses.
In most cases, a corporate lawyer’s salary will start somewhere between $30,000 and $100,000 a year, depending on the size, location and financial condition of the employer. The best graduates of top law schools can expect much higher salaries and lucrative careers right after they graduate if they have the right skill set and have performed well during their internships. The Forbes website lists several first rate programs, such as Columbia Law School, whose graduates can expect an average starting salary of $165,000.
The average annual pay for a personal injury lawyer is approximately $73,000. Many attorneys in this field do not have a set annual income as they work for contingency fees. This means that they earn a percentage of any compensation settlement the plaintiff receives. As in most cases, lawyers working for non-profit organizations or the government tend to earn the least, while their colleagues in big law firms are the top earners.
Real estate lawyers assist their clients in a variety of ways regarding commercial and residential real estate. Issues regarding tenants, neighbors, zoning and property development also fall under the umbrella of real estate law.
The median annual salary of a family lawyer, according to PayScale.com, is $70,828. In family law, an attorney’s degree of specialization and experience strongly correlates with compensation. Experienced family lawyers in the private sector are the top earners in this group, and have higher earning potential than their counterparts in the public sector.
In case of an accident or injury, personal injury lawyers represent their clients to obtain justice and compensation for any losses or suffering. The vast majority of these cases fall under the area of tort law.
The Forbes website lists several first rate programs, such as Columbia Law School, whose graduates can expect an average starting salary of $165,000. Other institutions that produce top earners in the field include Stanford University, the University of Chicago, Harvard University, and the University of Virginia.
The National Jurist reports that the median salary for first-year associates at law firms with less than 50 employees was $90,000 and for firms with over 75 lawyers, starting salaries ranged from $126,500 to $168,250.
Entry-level attorneys interpret and analyze regulations and rulings to develop arguments and strategies for presentation of cases. They help other attorneys by collecting evidence to initiate legal actions and develop game plans for defense.
Law schools are producing more graduates than there are jobs available, which is reducing median starting salaries for small law firms and for students graduating from lower-ranked law schools. Even after a law school graduate is hired, a new lawyer must advance on a career path within the firm or be forced to leave. This is a common practice known as "up or out."
The National Jurist reports that the median salary for first-year associates at law firms with less than 50 employees was $90,000 and for firms with over 75 lawyers, starting salaries ranged from $126,500 to $168,250.
The median starting income for public jobs was $53,500. These jobs had a salary range of $34,250 on the low side to a high of $71,200.
Some law school graduates have taken temporary assignments because they were unable to find full-time employment. A graduate's willingness to relocate improves the chances of finding a job. But, taking a job in another state requires the graduate to pass the bar exam for that state.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the job market for lawyers will grow 8 percent through 2026. However, competition will stay intense because law schools are graduating more students than the number of jobs coming available. Some law school graduates have taken temporary assignments because they were unable to find full-time employment. A graduate's willingness to relocate improves the chances of finding a job. But, taking a job in another state requires the graduate to pass the bar exam for that state.
Lawyers made a median salary of $122,960 in 2019. The best-paid 25 percent made $186,350 that year, while the lowest-paid 25 percent made $80,950.
The states and districts that pay Lawyers the highest mean salary are District of Columbia ($192,180), California ($173,970), New York ($168,780), Massachusetts ($164,800), and Illinois ($157,010).
The top-paying industries with the highest average annual salaries for this career are cable and other subscription programming ($224,970); motion picture and video industries ($216,800); highway, street and bridge construction ($215,850); computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing ($210,310); and engine, turbine and power transmission equipment manufacturing ($207,880).
Best-Paying States for Lawyers. The states and districts that pay Lawyers the highest mean salary are District of Columbia ($192,180), California ($173,970), New York ($168,780), Massachusetts ($164,800), and Illinois ($157,010).
Assistant City Attorney PURPOSE OF THE CLASSIFICATION: Provides legal advice and representation; drafts and administers a variety of contracts for which the City is a party; conducts significant and ...
The national average annual wage of an lawyer is $144,230, according to the BLS, which is not far from being three-times the average annual salary for all occupations, $51,960. However, that average salary is for the U.S. overall, which hides significant differences depending on geography, such as the state you reside in.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook, the employment of lawyers is projected to increase by 50,100 from 2018 to 2028. That’s a substantial amount of growth for most occupations, but with the current number of lawyer jobs being 823,900, it’s only an increase of 6%, which is about as fast as the average growth for all occupations. So, it’s not exactly a career path that’s on fire, but neither is it declining.
Offices 1st year: $190,000 2nd year: $200,000 3rd year: $220,000 4th year: $255,000 5th year: $280,000 6th year: $305,000 7th year: $325,000 8th year: $340,000 Summer Associate: $3,700/week 1st year: $180,000 2nd year: $190,000 3rd year: $210,000 4th year: $235,000 5th year: $260,000 6th year: $280,000 7th year: $300,000 8th year: $315,000 Summer Associate: $3,500/week *Compensation is based on 2000 billable hour levels (after 1850 billable hours, unlimited pro bono)
Base Salary All offices 1st year: $190,000 2nd year: $200,000 3rd year: $220,000 4th year: $255,000 5th year: $280,000 6th year: $305,000 7th year: $325,000 Summer associate: $3,654/week There is a $105,000 clerkship bonus for Federal judicial clerks. Qualifying double clerkships are eligible for $125,000.
Base Salary All domestic offices 1st year: $190,000 2nd year: $200,000 3rd year: $220,000 4th year: $255,000 5th year: $280,000 6th year: $305,000 7th year: $325,000 8th year: $340,000 Summer associate: $3,700/week