A Brief Overview Of Salaries In The Legal Field


Many people consider the legal field because of the perception that salaries there are very high. However, the truth is that there is a wide variation in the compensation amounts paid to those in this field. Highly recognized attorneys command high salaries, but lawyers who have not yet achieved partner status in large firms can work very long hours under high pressure at salaries that seem high until they are considered on a per hour basis.

Generally, attorneys who have a law school education and who have passed the State Bar exams can expect to bring in a median salary of more than $110,000. These statistics are applied to those attorneys who are employees rather than self-employed or partners in a firm. Attorneys who are just starting out have a median salary of under $70,000 annually at the end of the first nine months after graduation from law school. Typically, those lawyers who establish their own practice may have to take on part time work in another field in order to pay the bills.

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Just over one quarter of practicing attorneys are self-employed. The rest are employed by businesses, law firms or other corporations, both for-profit and not-for-profit corporations. Many are employed by government entities. These include local, county, state and federal government. Of the attorneys working for government entities, most are paid by local government agencies. In the Federal government positions, most lawyers are employed by the Departments of Justice, Treasury or Defense. The salaries vary depending on the level of responsibility and the location of the position.

At the other end of the spectrum of legal positions are legal assistants and paralegals. These positions may work in law firms or independently. They also work for government entities. For salaried paralegals, the median annual salary in 2008 was $46K. Those who worked in federal government salaried positions received higher compensation, over $59K.

Competition for the jobs remains keen. Those beginning attorneys who can show internships or experience in law firms or government positions are looked upon more favorably. Some areas of specialization are expected to grow much faster than average. These include medical and health care specialties as well as bankruptcy, insurance and banking.

Many variables affect the amount of compensation that those in the legal field can hope to receive. Location, specialization, experience and a portfolio of successes all have an impact on salaries. The economic downturn has resulted in projections of only average growth in the number of positions available in the profession.


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