what is the top salary for a lawyer

by Jacky Keebler 7 min read

The states and districts that pay Lawyers the highest mean salary are District of Columbia ($197,100), California ($179,470), New York ($174,060), Massachusetts ($169,120), and Connecticut ($158,190). District of Columbia $197,100

Some of the highest-paid lawyers are:
  • Medical Lawyers – Average $138,431. Medical lawyers make one of the highest median wages in the legal field. ...
  • Intellectual Property Attorneys – Average $128,913. ...
  • Trial Attorneys – Average $97,158. ...
  • Tax Attorneys – Average $101,204. ...
  • Corporate Lawyers – $116,361.
Dec 18, 2020

Full Answer

What type of lawyers have the highest salary?

Lawyers made a median salary of $126,930 in 2020. The best-paid 25 percent made $189,520 that year, while the lowest-paid 25 percent made $84,450.

Which lawyer gets paid the most?

Dec 13, 2021 · Salaries estimates are based on 1145 salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor by a Lawyer employees. What is the highest salary for a Lawyer in United States? The highest salary for a Lawyer in United States is $250,338 per year.

What is the highest salary for a lawyer?

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. What about metro areas? The top-paying metro area for lawyers is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, where lawyers earn an annual mean wage of $204,010.

What is the highest paying lawyer?

Jan 20, 2022 · Here are the states with the highest salaries for attorneys: 1. District of Columbia — $192,530 2. California — $171,550 3. New York — $167,110 4. Massachusetts — $165,610 5. Connecticut — $153,640 But pay differs not only between states but between cities as well.

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Nov 18, 2019 · 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 …

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How much does a Lawyer in United States make?

The national average salary for a Lawyer is $121,980 per year in United States. Filter by location to see a Lawyer salaries in your area. Salaries...

What is the highest salary for a Lawyer in United States?

The highest salary for a Lawyer in United States is $250,338 per year.

What is the lowest salary for a Lawyer in United States?

The lowest salary for a Lawyer in United States is $59,436 per year.

What is the a Lawyer career path and salary trajectory?

If you are thinking of becoming a Lawyer or planning the next step in your career, find details about the role, the career path and salary trajecto...

How much does a Lawyer make?

The average annual pay for a Lawyer in Chicago is $80,743 an year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approxima...

What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Lawyer Jobs?

San Francisco, CA($103,354)Fremont, CA($99,046)San Jose, CA($96,326)Oakland, CA($95,244)Tanaina, AK($94,892)Wasilla, AK($94,891)Hayward, CA($93,249...

What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Lawyer Jobs in the U.S.?

Corporate Lawyer($163,166)Vice President Lawyer($141,378)Online Corporate Lawyer($103,066)Flexible Corporate Lawyer($102,021)Technology Lawyer($96,...

How much should you negotiate?

See how your offer stacks up to other pay packages and negotiate confidently.

Recent Salary Reports

Below are the most recent lawyer salary reports. Employer name has been removed to protect anonymity.

How many hours do lawyers work?

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.

How much debt do law students have?

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.

Is being a lawyer a good job?

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.

Top 50 Highest Paying States for Lawyer Jobs in the U.S

We’ve identified seven states where the typical salary for a Lawyer job is above the national average. Topping the list is New York, with New Hampshire and Vermont close behind in second and third. Vermont beats the national average by 7.5%, and New York furthers that trend with another $13,750 (17.0%) above the $80,743.

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How much do corporate lawyers make?

At the low end of the salary scales, some corporate lawyers make less than some schoolteachers–$66,000. The more successful corporate lawyers can earn well into six figures, though.

How much do tax attorneys make?

Tax attorneys make $80,000 on the low side and $105,000 on the high scale, with most practitioners making nearly $100K. This type of attorney represents a company that deals with federal, state, or even local taxing bodies.

What is the median score?

The median represents the middle number in a given sequence of numbers when it’s ordered by rank. For instance, when quiz scores are listed from lowest to highest—30, 56, 65, 70, 84, 90, 90, 91, 92—the median, or middle, score is 84.

How much does a lawyer make in 2021?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average lawyer’s salary is $144,230.

What are the three properties of IP?

These types of lawyers need to keep on top of three distinct properties of intellectual property law: patents, trademarks, and copyrights.

Do trial lawyers make a living?

Some are barely surviving while others are swimming in cash. However, there’s no doubt that a lawyer with a penchant for the courtroom can earn a decent living.

What does an IP lawyer do?

IP lawyers usually deal with patents that protect inventors’ rights and keep copycat competitors at bay during the time period the patent is valid. The stringent patent application process can be challenging even for experienced IP attorneys, so competition for the best, most experienced IP lawyers is high.

How much do civil rights lawyers make?

The average starting salary for a civil rights lawyer is approximately $45,000 a year, but very capable and experienced attorneys in this field can make as much as $200,000.

What is the job of a tax lawyer?

Tax Lawyer Salary. Tax attorneys act as the representatives of a company, organization or an individual in dealing with federal, state, and local tax agencies. On a day-to-day basis, most tax lawyers give advice to businesses and individuals with regard to all aspects of tax legislation.

What are the responsibilities of a criminal lawyer?

Some of the main responsibilities of a criminal lawyer are to investigate the case at hand, interview witnesses, study case law and procedural law, construct a defense, and plan a strategy for the case. Negotiating plea deals in less serious cases is also within a criminal lawyer’s field of expertise.

What is real estate lawyer?

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.

What does a personal injury lawyer do?

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.

What is intellectual property law?

Intellectual property law is a complex field that requires a deep understanding of relevant laws in addition to a creative and analytical way of thinking. Intellectual property lawyers, or copyright lawyers, make sure that new intellectual inventions and innovations created by individuals gain the protection of the law, and are not infringed upon by competitors.

Why is it important to have a criminal lawyer?

It is important for a criminal lawyer to have superior written and oral advocacy skills in order to successfully argue a case in front of a judge and a jury. Creative thinking and analytical skills also play a significant role in the process of developing a strategy and doing the research for complex court cases.

How much does a trial lawyer make?

However, different types of lawyers have different salaries. The average trial lawyer makes $103,712 while the average corporate lawyer makes $111,026. Check out the table and graph above for more information.

How much does a lawyer make in 2021?

Lawyers are compensated very well for all the hard work they put in to become licensed to practice law. The average lawyer salary in 2021 will be $84,771. This is a very good salary, but certain types of lawyers will make more money than this - depending on what they specialize in.

Why do companies need a corporate lawyer?

A corporate lawyer should have business acumen as they may be asked to help make business decisions from time to time. Companies may have one corporate lawyer on staff or may have multiple corporate lawyers on staff – with each one specializing on different aspects of the company.

What is corporate lawyer?

Corporate Lawyer. A corporate lawyer is a lawyer who works with a business or corporation. The sole purpose of a corporate lawyer is to serve the best interests of the business or corporation in which they are working for.

What is a criminal defense lawyer?

A criminal defense lawyer is in charge of representing defendants in court. In the United States, everyone accused of a crime has a right to a lawyer. With that being said, there is no shortage of criminal defense lawyers.

How long does it take to get divorced?

A divorce lawyer must be familiar with laws in their specific state. Depending on how the divorce was filed, fault or no-fault, it can take three to 12 months to finalize the divorce.

What is an immigration lawyer?

An immigration lawyer is a unique type of lawyer. An immigration lawyer works with foreign citizens and immigrants who must interact with United States immigration authorities. An immigration authority will spend significantly less time in court when compared to other types of lawyers.

10 States Where Lawyers Earn the Most Money

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.

10 States Where Lawyers Earn the Least Money

The bottom-10 states where lawyers make the least money tend to be ones less densely populated, and either in the South or the Mountain states of the West. Check them out below, with No. 1 being the lowest-paying state:

How Much Do Lawyers Make in Each State

Below you’ll find the average annual wage for lawyers in all 50 states from 2013 to 2018. Unfortunately, there was no 2018 data available for the average lawyer salary in Delaware from the BLS. The rank is included, as well as the five-year change in average annual wage in percent.

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Corporate Law

  • The primary role of a corporate lawyer in a large law firm is to ensure the legality of company transactions. In most cases, attorneys’ salaries with big law firms 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 legal care…
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Criminal Law

  • Criminal defense lawyers represent individuals under investigation for a crime or who have been arrested for a crime. There is room for a huge difference in salaries depending on the type of criminal cases the attorney handles. The salary trajectory based on the type of criminal lawyer and years of experience is: Public prosecutor 1. Entry-level criminal lawyers with less than five y…
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Bankruptcy Law

  • Attorneys who handle bankruptcy matters assist individuals and companies in filing for bankruptcy relief. They may also work with creditors to file claims in bankruptcy cases. The salaries of Bankruptcy Lawyers in the US range from $13,985 to $377,698, with a median salary of $68,292 . The middle 57% of Bankruptcy Lawyers make between $68,292 and $171,420, with th…
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Family Law

  • Family law is another area of law that is in high demand. It covers all matters related to divorce, including custody, property division, and domestic support. Family law also includes martial agreements and paternity questions. As of August 2022, the average Family Law Attorney salary is $85,716, but the range typically falls between $73,078 and $99,149. Salary ranges can vary wi…
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Immigration Law

  • When it comes to types of private practice lawyers that make the most compensation, immigration lawyers round up the bottom of the list, according to labor statistics. Immigration lawyers are people who work in the field of helping citizens obtain legal documentation of their current status in the United States. On average, a salary for an immigration lawyer rests around …
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Civil Rights Lawyer

  • A person that focuses on cases that revolve around things like equality, social freedom, human rights, and discrimination are civil rights lawyers. Often, they handle cases where citizens are put under scrutiny for things they cannot control—the color of their skin, sexual orientation, etc. These lawyers enforce the freedoms of these people, and their right to exist as who they are. Where the…
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Personal Injury Lawyer

  • How much money personal injury lawyersmade in the United States during 2019 was $122,960 per year, according to the American Bar Association. Personal injury attorneys have a positive job outlook, but the future growth in wages is about the same as other comparable industries. Therefore, a personal injury lawyer can expect to earn somewhere between the low end of the av…
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Salaries For Other Types of Lawyers

  1. Tax Attorneys / Tax Lawyers– The average salary for Tax Lawyers with extensive tax laws knowledge is $88,863 an year.
  2. IP Lawyers, IP Attorneys– The average Intellectual Property Attorney salary is $174,562 as of August 27, 2022, but the range for intellectual property lawyers typically falls between $158,390 and $...
  1. Tax Attorneys / Tax Lawyers– The average salary for Tax Lawyers with extensive tax laws knowledge is $88,863 an year.
  2. IP Lawyers, IP Attorneys– The average Intellectual Property Attorney salary is $174,562 as of August 27, 2022, but the range for intellectual property lawyers typically falls between $158,390 and $...
  3. Medical Lawyers – Salaries as high as $155,331 and as low as $20,154, the majority of Medical Lawyersalaries currently range between $31,950 (25th percentile) to $83,563 (75th percentile) with top...
  4. Real Estate Lawyers– The average Real Estate Attorney salary in the United States is $152,863 as of August 27, 2022, but the range typically falls between $133,300 and $169,371, includin…