highest paying law jobs

Intellectual Property Lawyers

Average: $170,000; depending on your expertise and clients, compensation can reach the millions.Description: Intellectual property law focuses on t...

Employment and Labor Attorneys

Average: $155,000Description: Employment and labor attorneys help workers and/or employers with issues regarding wages, pension and benefits, unlaw...

Immigration and Civil Rights Lawyers

Average: $125,000Description: Immigration lawyers focus on government policies relating to foreign nationals immigrating temporarily or permanently...

Best Paying States For Lawyers

Getting paid well as a lawyer isn’t just about the type of law you study and practice. The highest paid lawyers are often in the states and cities...

What is the highest paid legal profession?

Trial Lawyers. Trial lawyers are among the highest paid legal professionals in the world. Thousands practice across the globe, but civil litigators who handle high-dollar, high-profile and high-stakes cases are the most highly compensated. However, not all lawyers rake in high incomes.

How much do tax attorneys make?

Although this type of work isn’t as flashy as that of trial lawyers, tax attorneys still bring in decent paychecks. The median pay is about $99,000 as of 2018, while some make as much as $200,000 each year.

What is intellectual property law?

Intellectual Property Lawyers. Intellectual property laws protect ideas, such as patents, copyrights, trademarks, and other profitable concepts. This is a fast-growing area of law as technology continues to advance, and it is also statistically among the most lucrative.

What is a CLO?

Chief legal officers (CLOs), also known as general counsel, head the law departments of corporations. Generally, the larger the corporation, the greater the general counsel's salary. Earnings for CLO's heading large, multi-national corporations can reach seven figures.

What is the job of a law firm administrator?

Law firm administrators or chief managing officers oversee the business and administrative aspects of running a law firm. Their duties cover the non-legal aspects of law practice, such as financial management and reporting, business development, human resources, facilities management, technology, marketing, and practice management.

What is labor attorney?

Employment and labor attorneys work to ensure that relationships between employers and employees stay balanced and fair. They represent either the employers and management or the employees. They are compensated well.

How much do judges make?

Judges preside over court proceedings in federal, state, and local courts. Judges and magistrates earn a median annual salary of $66,000 to as much as $148,000. The highest-paid judges are those within the federal court system, while local judges and magistrates earn the least.

What is an employment law associate?

Employment law associates, or employment and labor lawyers, work with both employers and employees to provide support and counsel on the state and federal employment laws. These attorneys typically help employers ensure their workplaces are in compliance with these employment laws and that all employees are treated fairly and consistently. Additionally, employment lawyers will commonly represent employees in discrimination cases.

What is the job of a corporate attorney?

They are responsible for drafting legal documents, structuring transactions, negotiating business deals and ensuring agreement provisions, policies and legal compliance are unambiguous and consistent. Corporate attorneys are typically the legal professionals that ensure companies' operations are in compliance with related laws and regulations and that the implementation of certain business practices are within legal parameters and won't cause legal issues in the future.

What is the job of a personal injury paralegal?

Primary duties: Personal injury paralegals work with practicing attorneys in much the same way as litigation paralegals. They'll typically help prepare legal documents for personal injury cases involving either the plaintiff or the defendant. Personal injury paralegals will work under the supervision of a lawyer, where they'll commonly interview clients, gather medical records, collect insurance information and documents from defendants and assist in organizing and preparing settlement demands.

What is an attorney at law?

An attorney at law or (trial lawyer) is a practicing lawyer who counsels and represents their clients and legal rights in both civil and criminal cases. Attorneys at law are most commonly trial lawyers, where they'll assist clients in pre-trial counsel, prepare legal documents and pleadings and even appear in court to represent their clients.

What is the job of an immigration lawyer?

Primary duties: Immigration attorneys and lawyers provide their clients with guidance and advice concerning immigration matters like green cards, visa applications, naturalization and citizenship, issues regarding deportation and employment for foreign citizens. Many immigration attorneys will also handle cases involving immigration as it relates to criminal laws.

What is a legal manager?

Primary duties: Legal managers provide legal assistance to large companies and the departments within them. These legal professionals typically have backgrounds as practicing attorneys. Much like a patent and intellectual property lawyer, legal managers commonly act as owners of companies' intellectual property assets, including trademarks, copyrights and patents. Legal managers are also responsible for counseling and providing legal advice to the human resources, IT and management areas of a company, where they'll coordinate with these department professionals to ensure the compliance of all legal and regulatory obligations regarding any licensing, data protection and legal document organization.

What are the duties of a civil litigation attorney?

Litigation attorneys will meet with and collect information and documentation from clients, whether plaintiffs or defendants. They'll also work with clients to prepare court and trial documents, draft pleadings and enter pleas. In serious cases, litigation attorneys may also appear in court to testify on behalf of their clients.

How much do law professors make?

They are handsomely rewarded for their hard work, too—the median salary for a law professor is $128,000 with the high end reaching $194,000.

How much do tax lawyers make?

While this type of job isn’t flashy like a trial lawyer, tax lawyers still bring in a decent paycheck—the median pay is $99,000, while some make as much as $189,000 each year.

What is the most lucrative area of law?

Intellectual property laws protect ideas—this encompasses patents, copyrights, and trademarks, among other types of profitable ideas. This is a fast-growing area of law as technology continues to advance, and it is also statistically the most lucrative—the median pay is nearly $139,000, while people on the high end make $250,000 or more per year.

What is the job of a trial lawyer?

Trial Lawyers. Trial lawyers are the ones you see on television and on the silver screen—they stand in courtrooms and argue cases before judges and juries. There are fewer trial lawyers than there are law graduates who want to do this job, so competition is often fierce.

How much does a managing partner make in a law firm?

Managing partners are rewarded for all of their sleepless nights, though—the median salary for a managing partner in a law firm is $139,000, and that can go as high as nearly $400,000 in big cities and prestigious firms.

What does a real estate attorney do?

Real estate attorneys review offers and contracts and make sure that buyers are getting fair deals on the properties they are purchasing. Real estate lawyers also work with sellers to make sure everything is fair on that end, as well.

How much does a CLO make?

The median pay for a CLO is $183,000, with some making as much as $285,000 per year. Getting a CLO position takes time and hard work, though—there are very few of these positions available across the country, and many require at least a decade of experience.