what is the current outlook to be a corporate lawyer

by Alana Eichmann 10 min read

Job Outlook
Employment of lawyers is projected to grow 9 percent from 2020 to 2030, about as fast as the average for all occupations. About 46,000 openings for lawyers are projected each year, on average, over the decade.
Apr 18, 2022

Full Answer

What is the job outlook for a lawyer?

Employment of lawyers is projected to grow 4 percent from 2019 to 2029, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Competition for jobs over the next 10 years is expected to be strong because more students graduate from law school each year than there are jobs available. State & Area Data

What is it like to be a corporate lawyer?

This process is lengthy and typically corporate lawyers work extremely long hours. As a deal moves towards its closing, it becomes an exercise in stamina as much as skillful negotiation. As one person observed, “The most important trait a lawyer can have is a leather-ass.

What factors affect the salary of a corporate lawyer?

Another factor that affects the salary of a corporate lawyer is what industry the job is in. Indeed, jobs with professional services, energy, and hospitality companies tend to be the most lucrative option.

Who are the top employers for new lawyers?

Large law firms will continue as the major employers for new law graduates. But major corporations are also hiring more lawyers as they increase staffing for their in-house legal departments to cut costs. The greatest amount of growth is expected in consulting firms, healthcare providers, financial institutions and insurance companies.

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What is the outlook for a lawyer?

4% (2019)6% (2014)Lawyer/Projected 10-year growth

Will corporate lawyers be in demand in the future?

Employment of lawyers is projected to grow 9 percent from 2016 to 2026, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Demand for legal work is expected to continue as individuals, businesses, and all levels of government require legal services in many areas.

Is the lawyer career growing or shrinking?

Increase in Employment Rate The projected growth of employment for the legal profession between 2020 and 2030 is nine percent. In 2022, the legal market will be on fire and hotter than ever. The pandemic saw an increase in the growth of tech companies all over the world.

What type of lawyer is most in demand?

Legal Hotlist TakeawaysInsurance: +2190% (YoY) ... Criminal Law: +1680% (YoY) ... Civil Rights: +1160% (YoY) ... Personal Injury: +660% (YoY) ... Estate Planning: +330% (YoY) ... Bankruptcy: +280% (YoY) ... Employment Law: +190% (YoY) (Top growth area: Wrongful Termination) ... Business Law: +140% (YoY) (Top growth area: Contracts)More items...•

Is the legal profession dying?

Every now and then, or more often, we hear news about how the legal profession is dying. Whether it's robot lawyers, the apocalypse, or the robot lawyer apocalypse, you don't have to worry about the legal profession dying. The profession isn't going anywhere.

Is there a demand for corporate lawyers?

The demand for corporate lawyers will only increase in the near future and there is a great potential for corporate lawyers owing to various new areas of expertise that have emerged in recent years. The kind of transactions we see today are truly global in their nature.

Is law an oversaturated field?

Law has a hugely oversaturated job market. If you can get into one of the T14 (Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Chicago, Columbia, NYU, Northwestern, Berkeley, etc) or the next top ~3 - 5 (Georgetown, UCLA, etc) and graduate in the top half of your class or better then go for it.

Why are lawyers declining?

Fiona Trevelyan Hornblower, president and CEO of the NALP Foundation, said at the time that the decline, in part, is due to firms postponing the start dates for first-year associates, and because fewer existing associates left their jobs last year.

What is the highest paid lawyer?

Highest paid lawyers: salary by practice areaTax attorney (tax law): $122,000.Corporate lawyer: $115,000.Employment lawyer: $87,000.Real Estate attorney: $86,000.Divorce attorney: $84,000.Immigration attorney: $84,000.Estate attorney: $83,000.Public Defender: $63,000.More items...•

What type of lawyers are in demand 2021?

Corporate Lawyers Among the types of lawyers, Corporate Law experts are in great demand due to their specialization in contract law, securities law, bankruptcy, tax law, accounting, intellectual property rights, licensing, zoning laws, etc.

What is the highest paying job in the world?

Here are the highest paying jobs of 2022:Anesthesiologist: $208,000.Surgeon: $208,000.Obstetrician and Gynecologist: $208,000.Orthodontist: $208,000.Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon: $208,000.Physician: $208,000.Psychiatrist: $208,000.

What's the easiest lawyer to become?

Estate Planning Although being a legal clerk is the easiest career path, it is only suited for beginners. Estate planning wins the most stress-free legal practice area when practicing law for lawyers. Many lawyers avoid estate planning as it is a field of law associated with death.

How many hours do lawyers work?

Demanding work hours. Many lawyers, particularly those in corporate law, work more than the standard 40 hours a week. Most attorneys use the "billable hours" style of tracking work time, meaning they bill clients for the work they do specifically on their cases. Often, this alone takes up 40 hours a week, leaving daily responsibilities like ...

How long does it take to become an attorney?

All lawyers must complete a bachelor's degree before going on to law school. At a minimum, lawyers must get seven years of additional schooling after high school to become a lawyer. After law school graduation, presumptive attorneys must take and pass the bar exam, which is a grueling, multi-day test proving they have the necessary knowledge to work as a lawyer.

Is a lawyer stressful?

The job itself is often high stress, depending on the type of law you practice. While contract lawyers or tax attorneys may occasionally have a few stressful days here and there, prosecutors and defenders, the lawyers who argue cases in court, often feel tremendous stress. These lawyers play an enormous role in their client's future, and the stress of that responsibility can be overwhelming.

Do defense attorneys have to protect guilty clients?

Guilty clients. Occasionally, particularly for defense attorneys, you'll have to protect guilty people. Even if you're not working as a trial attorney, you might have clients with whom you fundamentally disagree, but are duty-bound to represent.

Is law a technology?

The field of law is not immune to the ever-changing world of technology. Some lawyers find it's necessary to have a relatively solid understanding of how their client's online data and activity are tracked and stored for trial. This sort of technology changes all the time, so staying aware of the latest information can be a challenge.

Is it hard to be a lawyer?

Working as a lawyer, just like any profession, has its advantages and disadvantages. Some of the challenges that accompany a career in law can be hard to overcome for everyone. Consider all angles, both positive and negative, before deciding if the law profession is right for you.

Is law school expensive?

Law school is prohibitively expensive. Paired with possible debt from earning a bachelor's degree, most law students graduate with an extensive amount of student loan debt. Looking for a job with the stress of student loan debt can cause lawyers to take positions they might not otherwise consider because they know they have to pay off their exorbitant loans.

How long does it take to become a lawyer?

Aspiring lawyers must first receive a bachelor's degree and then complete a three-year program at an accredited law school. After graduation, lawyers are required to pass a bar exam in their state of employment. If a lawyer wants to practice in another state, he has to also pass the bar exam for that state.

How many law school graduates are there in 2013?

Unfortunately, according to the American Bar Association, the number of law school graduates declined from 46,776 in 2013 to around 35,000 for the most recent year.

What is the job of a lawyer?

Job Description. Lawyers help individuals, corporations and governments with their legal matters. They do research and analysis of legal problems and offer advice of strategies to deal with these issues. Lawyers represent clients in courts and communicate with judges and other parties involved in cases.

Is the employment outlook for lawyers positive?

The employment outlook for lawyers should remain positive. The downside is that companies will also try to find ways to reduce their legal expenses by keeping wages down and hiring more paralegals.

Will lawyers increase in 2026?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an eight percent growth in jobs for lawyers through 2026. Large law firms will continue as the major employers for new law graduates. But major corporations are also hiring more lawyers as they increase staffing for their in-house legal departments to cut costs.

What is a corporate lawyer?

A corporate lawyer is an attorney who represents the company they work for. It's common for a larger business, and small companies too, to hire corporate attorneys to make sure it's in compliance for its industry and following all rules and regulations.

Corporate lawyer salary

The national average salary for a corporate lawyer in the United States is $130,857 per year, although your years of experience, education, skill set and geographical location can affect your salary.

Skills for a corporate lawyer

Here are some skills that corporate attorneys possess that help them find success in their career:

Jobs for a corporate lawyer

If working in the law field is something you're passionate about, there are many jobs to consider. Here are 10 jobs similar to a corporate lawyer:

What do corporate lawyers need to do?

To structure a business transaction legally, a corporate lawyer may need to research aspects of contract law, tax law, accounting, securities law, bankruptcy, intellectual property rights, licensing, zoning laws, and other regulations relating to a specific area of business. The lawyer must ensure that a transaction does not conflict with local, ...

Why did one corporate lawyer like this side of the law?

One corporate lawyer remarked that she liked this side of the law precisely because the transactions take place among peers: There is no wronged party, no underdog, and usually no inequity in the financial means of the participants.

What is senior associate?

Senior associates are the primary client contact, and run deals and closings by themselves. They have increased responsibility and are trying to develop a reputation in their specialty. Often they supervise the training of new associates. At the five-year mark associates decide if they want to be on a partner track. Those who do put in very long hours before their review (which usually takes place around seven years). Others leave for a related position in business or become an in-house counsel at a corporation.

How does a new associate work?

New associates spend their days reviewing documents and doing legal research. They gather information on statutes that affect their clients’ transaction to insure that it can be done legally and keep track of the paperwork needed for the closing. The work is hard. Expect to put in long hours and work weekends.

What is the most important trait a lawyer can have?

As one person observed, “The most important trait a lawyer can have is a leather-ass. You’ve got to be able to put your butt in a chair and do the work.”. The upside to this profession is the compensation is good and you usually work with smart people.

How competitive is law school?

Law school admission is extremely competitive-the top twenty-five schools have an admission rate of about 10%. You can get tracked early: The kind of school you attend affects what kind of summer job opportunities you may have, which in turn affects the kind of permanent job you secure.

Is corporate law cushy?

The practice of corporate law is less cushy now; the days of the endless expense account are gone. The state of the economy always shapes the nature of corporate law; changes in the interest rates, the tax code, and other regulations affect the kind of transactions being done and how they are structured.

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What Is A Corporate Lawyer?

Corporate lawyers draft and amend contracts, representing corporate and individual clients in a wide range of transactional and litigation matters. They are involved in initial public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings, joint ventures, acquisition financing, and other complex business transactions.

Corporate Lawyer Job Description

A corporate lawyer specializes in corporate law. They are skilled in business law, finance and mergers, acquisitions, and corporate governance. A corporate lawyer must be comfortable working with businesses and possess excellent communication skills.

What Does The Typical Corporate Lawyer Do?

The typical corporate lawyer has a great job because they save money. The specific corporate lawyer handles legal matters for businesses. Most of the time, you will conduct business transactions for other companies.

What do you need To Know about The Corporate Lawyer Lifestyle?

Because Law firms give corporate lawyers a challenging environment, work-life balance, and high prestige, a corporate lawyer’s salary is also excellent. On the minus side, corporate lawyers have no time to pursue their hobbies. They are under pressure to perform and need to impress partners and clients.

What Does A Corporate Lawyer Lifestyle Look Like?

A corporate lawyer’s lifestyle is very profitable and rewarding. Corporate lawyers work on agreements and contracts. These lawyers take paid well because they are the only ones in a company with enough education and experience to draft, revise and maintain legal documents.

How to Get a Corporate Lawyer Lifestyle?

It would help become a corporate lawyer to reach the corporate lawyer lifestyle. There are two great ways to get a corporate lawyer lifestyle: to work in a corporate law firm and the other is to start your law firm. The first important aspect of it is to get a corporate law background, and today it is a lot easier than ever before.

Ultimate Corporate Lawyer Lifestyle Tool

Eliminates most of the hassle of scheduling, interviewing, and managing a team of corporate lawyers.

What does a corporate lawyer do?

Corporate lawyers are attorneys who specialize in the field of corporate law. The role of a corporate lawyer is to ensure a company’s transactions comply with corporate laws and regulations. In addition, they assist clients during business transactions by conducting research, preparing documents, assessing partnerships, and negotiating deals.

Several factors determine the salary of a corporate lawyer

The salary of a corporate lawyer is determined by the corporation they work for, its size, and how highly it is valued.

In conclusion

To sum up, those interested in becoming a corporate lawyer should assess the several aspects that factor into pay. While there is not much leeway around the educational path one must take to become a corporate lawyer, it has been shown that completing a course in one of the top Ivy League schools will warrant a sizeable increase in starting salary.

What is the starting salary of a corporate lawyer?

In most cases, a corporate lawyers’ salary will start somewhere between $50,000 and $160,000, with the median pay being around $95,000 a year, depending on the corporation’s size, location, and wealth.

What is the income of an experienced corporate lawyer?

Depending on years of experience, a mid to late-career corporate lawyer can expect an annual median salary of around $114,000 to $160,000, with a possibility of $300,000 a year.

What factors play into the salary?

Various factors can determine the salary, including the size and value of the company as well as the industry and location of that corporation—moreover, the level and quality of education and the extent of experience.

What are the tasks of a corporate lawyer?

To ensure that company transactions comply with laws and regulations. Furthermore, developing company policy and position on legal issues to researching and guarding a corporation against legal action/risk.

How many lawyers are there in the US?

The job market for lawyers in the United States. There are currently an estimated 792,500 lawyers in the United States. The lawyer job market is expected to grow by 8.2% between 2016 and 2026.

What are the roles of lawyers?

These roles include managerial, business, and administrative positions with banks; insurance and real estate companies; and government agencies.

What can I do to improve my law school career?

Some graduates may jumpstart their careers by joining legal staffing firms which place lawyers in short-term jobs. Willingness to relocate and take another state’s bar exam, as well as experience in specialty areas such as tax, patent, immigration, or copyright will improve law school graduates’ employment prospects.

What are the areas of legal services?

The growth in population and general business activity is creating more legal transactions and generating increased need for legal services in a wide range of areas including health care, environmental issues, intellectual property, mediation, and antitrust.

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