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Becoming a lawyer can be an financially rewarding career; however, it requires years of education and hard work before achieving this status.

Your salary depends heavily upon where and when you practice law; New York, California and Washington DC tend to offer higher pay than others states for lawyers; certain metropolitan areas also boast even higher earnings potential.

The Average Lawyer’s Salary

As legal education can be costly, you want to make sure your career choices will bear fruit in terms of both earnings potential and affordability. Finding this balance may prove challenging given all the variables at play including where and what kind of legal practice you pursue.

Typically speaking, attorneys in large firms tend to make more than those working at small firms or public interest organizations; however, even large law firm salary increases haven’t always kept pace with inflation, creating a bimodal salary distribution for new graduates and associates – those at the top can expect six-figure salaries; however it takes some time before those gains filter down through to junior associates and all others in the profession.

Law degrees aren’t the only path to lucrative jobs; many lawyers have made names for themselves in fields as diverse as sports, entertainment and bankruptcy law – though these often tend to pay less than typical law practices.

California and Washington DC offer some of the highest annual mean salaries for lawyers; their respective annual mean salaries stand at approximately $179,470 and $158,190, respectively. But don’t assume California or DC are your only options: New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut offer top-tier salaries as well.

Salary estimates vary dramatically and depend on multiple factors, from location and law firm size to your field of law. But these numbers can provide a baseline when making decisions about law school – especially when taking the LSAT and finding work post graduation, provided you perform well enough on both these exams to earn sufficient income to comfortably support yourself while paying off student loans and saving for emergencies or retirement. Good luck! NerdWallet’s law school loan repayment calculator will assist with estimating monthly payments; simply register with your email address now to start planning!

Lawyers in Large Firms

People tend to think of lawyers in terms of those seen on television shows such as Suits (if that applies, please raise your hands). Sure, these prestigious lawyers do work long hours and make good money; but what exactly do they earn?

Big Law salaries tend to be tied directly to seniority and performance: first-year associates typically earn $215,000 while senior associates can expect up to $386,000 per year. Some law firms also provide bonuses based on revenue growth or client wins for associates working at their firm.

Above the Law has released data compiled by Above the Law that shows the top five highest-paid attorneys for 2023 were corporate attorneys with average annual earnings of an estimated $196,000; intellectual property attorneys earned $159,000; labor and employment attorneys made 141,000; real estate and tax lawyers followed closely behind with an average salary of an estimated $141,000 each.

Recent years have seen average starting attorney salaries remain steady while top salaries at large law firms continue to increase. A 2015 survey conducted by the National Association for Law Placement revealed that 39% of large firms offered first-year lawyers salaries of $160,000 or greater during their first year of practice.

However, high salaries aren’t typical of law graduates upon their initial employment; most law grads find work in midsize and small firms or public interest organizations as public interest lawyers or as solo practitioners.

Robert Half Legal’s 2017 salary report highlighted modest increases in new attorney salaries at both small and midsize law firms, with small firm salaries increasing 2.6 percent while medium-sized law firm salaries increasing 3.5 percent.

Large firms also experienced an average salary increase for first-year associates at large firms of 3.6 percent, due to the implementation of Cravath scale compensation from powerhouse New York firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore and widely adopted by Big Law firms.

Morgan Lewis & Bockius, Faegre Baker Daniels and K&L Gates are three of the largest law firms in the US. At Morgan Lewis & Bockius lawyers earn an annual average salary including cash bonuses of $287,002, while average lawyers at Faegre Baker Daniels earn $256,484. Both law firms specialize in labor and employment practice while Morgan Lewis excels at complex litigation matters and financial services while Faegre Baker Daniels excels in aviation, insurance, energy as well as defending public and private companies before federal and state courts.

Lawyers in Small Firms

People tend to associate high-earning lawyers with Big Law firms because these are known for offering lucrative compensation packages for associates. But small law firms and even solo practices also boast highly compensated attorneys.

These attorneys typically charge clients either a flat fee or hourly rate; some may accept contingency fees in certain types of cases. As small firms don’t incur the overhead associated with larger firms, their fees tend to remain more reasonable for clients.

Small firm attorneys tend to enjoy more flexible working hours than those at larger firms, which can be especially advantageous when traveling frequently or working on complex cases. This flexibility can save time and money in travel expenses while creating more work/life balance.

An advantage of working for a smaller law firm is their ability to provide more personalized service than their larger counterparts, meaning clients can expect direct lines of communication with their attorney and quick responses for any questions or concerns raised by clients.

There are a few cities with higher lawyer salaries than the national average. These cities include San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California (second place on this list), and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV (third). These regions tend to experience greater demand for legal services which helps increase salary figures there.

While most lawyers work in private practice, some also serve the government. Lawyers working for this sector are paid according to the General Schedule (GS) scale based on federal job titles and levels; attorneys in this category can expect annual earnings between $60k to 110k.

Kokomo, IN; Lima, OH; and Johnstown, PA round out the bottom five cities on this list for highest lawyer salaries. These cities boast lower median lawyer salaries with employment expected to decrease over time.

Lawyers in Public Interest

Many law students seek public interest jobs, which tend to be much less lucrative than private firm jobs. It’s important to recognize that choosing this path can be both financially and emotionally draining; whether or not you can survive on such low salaries will depend heavily upon your personal life situation, lifestyle preferences and geographic location.

When working for a non-profit organization, salaries typically begin in the mid to low five figures at entry-level and may increase with experience. According to the NALP Public Sector & Attorney Salary Report for 2006 (an addendum to Jobs & JD’s for this class of JDs), attorneys employed in civil legal services organizations typically make between $36,000 to $51,000 at entry level and over $71,000 with 11-15 years experience.

Starting salaries vary among federal employees depending on which agency they join; lawyers at the Department of Justice can expect an initial starting salary of at least $168,000 and additional GS-15 steps could add as much as an extra $10,000 or so; those working at the Department of Education could expect a starting pay rate around 111,000 with additional compensation paid out for special assignments.

If you decide to join a private civil rights firm, your starting salary could start off nearer the higher end of this range, depending on your employer and firm size. But it is safe to assume that your earnings will likely fall significantly below those offered by government and large corporate employers; to compensate, other means will need to be employed in order to make up any differences.

Some lawyers, particularly those known for championing particular causes, have discovered it’s possible to earn six figure income in public interest law. Unfortunately, most have discovered this is not sustainable over the long haul, leading them to pursue other careers that allow their work to continue more sustainably.