why type of lawyer makes the most money

by Kali Ryan 4 min read

What Type of Lawyer Makes the Most Money: 15 Best Paid

  1. IP Attorneys. IP attorneys are the highest-paid because of the amount of work that has to go into every single step...
  2. Trial Attorney. Trial attorneys specialize in building the defense of a case and taking part in the trial. They spend...
  3. Real Estate Lawyers. Real estate attorneys work to ensure the legal...

Full Answer

Who are the 10 highest paid lawyers in the USA?

Who Are The 10 Highest Paid Lawyers In The USA?

  1. Ana Quincoces - Net Worth: $8 Million. If you combine beauty with brains, the end result is Ana Quincoces. ...
  2. Vernon Jordan - Net Worth: $12 Million. Vernon Jordan kick started his career as a civil rights activist and he has devoted his life and career to bringing about ...
  3. Thomas Mesereau - Net Worth: $ 25 Million. ...

More items...

What is the average starting salary for a lawyer?

  • District of Columbia – $192,530
  • California – $171,550
  • New York – $167,110
  • Massachusetts – $165,610
  • Connecticut – $153,640
  • Illinois – $152,980
  • Texas – $150,250
  • Colorado – $147,560
  • Arizona – $145,750
  • Virginia – $139,180

More items...

What is the the gross monthly income for a lawyer?

As of Nov 22, 2021, the average annual pay for a Corporate Lawyer in the United States is $163,166 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $78.45 an hour. This is the equivalent of $3,138/week or $13,597/month.

How much can a lawyer expect to get paid?

How Much Does a Lawyer Make? 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. The BLS projects ...

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How much do corporate lawyers make?

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.

How much do tax attorneys make?

Tax Attorneys / Tax Lawyers - The average salary for Tax Lawyers with extensive tax laws knowledge is $88,863 an year.

How much do personal injury lawyers make?

Therefore, a personal injury lawyer can expect to earn somewhere between the low end of the average salary for attorneys ($59,670) to the high end of the average salary ($208,000) over the next decade.

How much does a real estate attorney make in 2021?

Real Estate Lawyers - The average Real Estate Attorney salary in the United States is $152,863 as of August 27, 2021, but the range typically falls between $133,300 and $169,371, including insurance settlements.

What does a criminal defense lawyer do?

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:

How much do law school graduates make?

The Forbes website lists several first rate programs, such as Columbia Law School, whose graduates can expect an average starting salary of $165,000.

How much does a family lawyer make in 2021?

As of August 2021, the average Family Law Attorney salary is $85,716, but the range typically falls between $73,078 and $99,149. Salary ranges can vary widely depending on the city and many other important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills, the number of years you have spent in your profession.

What Kind of Lawyer Makes the Most Money?

What type of lawyer makes the most money? The median salary for different specialties differs. Some of the highest-paid types of lawyers and most lucrative specialties include the following.

How much do lawyers make?

Many factors affect how much lawyers earn; however, the salary range for lawyers varies widely. As of 2019, the average lawyer earned $126,930 annually, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

How much does an in-house counsel make?

A company’s in-house counsel is a lawyer who works on behalf of the company instead of representing a variety of clients independently as lawyers at law firms do. Attorneys who work as in-house counsel typically earn a salary the organization sets. In March 2021, Salary.com reported that an in-house counsel’s salary average was $226,689. There was a reported salary range of $192,038 to $263,822 for lawyers working for in-house firms.​

What does a tax attorney do?

Specialized tax attorneys represent organizations in their dealings with federal, state, and local tax agencies. To protect assets and create tax savings plans, corporations and large companies pay a great deal of money to attorneys who specialize in tax laws.

What is IP law?

Attorneys specializing in intellectual property (IP) deal with patents, trademarks, and copyrights. There are high earnings potentials in this field because intellectual property has grown rapidly. Lawyers in this field practice in a fast-paced environment, which requires them to stay abreast of constantly changing laws and procedures. On the frontlines of protecting intellectual property, they work for large private firms and in-house for big tech and big pharma companies.

Why do lawyers choose law?

It is not unusual for lawyers to choose the legal field because they want to help others. Others practice law to serve the greater good. There are populations highly dependent on the expertise of lawyers who are knowledgeable in established laws, to protect their legal rights.

What is corporate law?

Lawyers who specialize in corporate law offer advice on business transactions, acquisitions, and mergers, buying and selling businesses, running corporations, and filing legal documents for the company. The preparation and review of contracts is one hallmark of a corporate lawyer who ensures the paperwork favors the client.

How much does a real estate lawyer make?

When the lawyer is taking so much care of his or her clients, or I should say saving people’s life, it’s the purist duty to give them the highest payment to make their lives also better. $90,000-$120,000 is the expected salary for a real estate lawyer.

How much does a divorce lawyer make?

As this could be a tough & rough case for a lawyer to handle, the salary or payment of a lawyer for this kind of issue can be $74,000-$84,000 at the early stage. But now, it is essential to see how nicely the lawyer can handle the case.

What is personal injury lawyer?

People are supposed to be injured physically, which leads to an incurred loss to their health issues. Personal injury lawyers handle this kind of case. They cover up the reasons for the failures of their client’s perceptible object and how to recover the client’s properties so that the client gets his proper rights.

How much does an immigration lawyer make?

This kind of lawyer often remained the highest-paid lawyers in the law-job-field.$162,000 can be expected for this kind of lawyer.

What is bankruptcy lawyer?

A bankruptcy lawyer finds the most significant point to get rid out of it and stops the company from getting bankrupted. Sometimes, they have many pieces of advice to give their client to handle such a situation primarily.

How does a tax attorney help?

A tax attorney helps his client by taking over all tax-related tasks. He can also suggest his client make his taxes paid smoothly. It’s a very tough-rough job to earn the most money from law-field, of course, one’s capability can bring him with such the highest amount such as $100,000 in a year.

Why do banks do the best?

They do the best so that their client can feel secured of anything related to their lives like properties , bank loans, agreement papers, etc.

How much do lawyers make?

In our last article where we discuss how much lawyers get paid, we can see that lawyers in the United States have a median salary of $120,910, which means lawyers earn around $60 per hour. This is well above the national average salary of $48,672, based on statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, given the time and financial cost of law school, it’s safe to say that there are most likely easier ways to earn money, and those that can thrive in this high-pressured and fast-paced career need to have the talent and skills as a lawyer.

Why do people want to become a lawyer?

Many people enter a law career for many reasons. Some do it because they’ve fallen in love with shows like Suits and How to Get Away with Murder. Others do it because they want that high-pressured career, while others do it because they genuinely want to see justice done.

Why do personal injury lawyers have contingency payments?

Because of the contingency payment plan, personal injury lawyers can pick the cases that are most likely to win. Not all cases will have high settlement amounts like the example above, but what personal injury lawyers earn is more than enough to keep its doors open that it can survive a few loses. So, a personal injury lawyer may earn as low as a family lawyer or way more than an intellectual property lawyer, depending on the cases they take on.

How do personal injury lawyers get paid?

This means that they can only get paid if their client wins the case and receives a settlement. The lawyer takes a percentage of this settlement (usually 1/3 of the total settlement).

What is corporate law?

Corporate lawyers work in private practices, law firms that provide services to corporations, or in-house legal departments or corporations, to ensure that the business is complying with laws and regulations. Every legal aspect a corporation needs (copyright, patenting an employee’s work, libel cases against the corporation, down to making sure advertising and marketing aren’t committing copyright infringement) lies in the hands of their corporate lawyers.

Why do tax lawyers work?

Tax lawyers work with private individuals and businesses to ensure their taxes are properly filed and any tax-related case they have is handled. Because taxes affect nearly everyone, tax lawyers have the option of working for a corporation or to have their own private practice to help multiple clients with their tax cases. Tax lawyers have a comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge on tax laws, so it’s no surprise that many tax lawyers also have accounting licenses. Their knowledge in tax law allows clients to know all their options when making financial and legal decisions.

What do real estate lawyers do?

Real estate lawyers handle anything related to businesses dealing in residential, commercial, and office real estate. They look at the contracts and make sure their client is getting a fair deal with no loopholes that can be exploited. They make sure the rental agreements are fair. They make sure the deeds are in place and that those planning to buy, rent, or sell property are getting whatever is entitled to them. And given that the median home price in the United States is $200,000, it means real estate lawyers handle large assets in terms of property.

How much does a corporate lawyer make?

5. Corporate Lawyer – $98,822 annually. Corporate Layers make an average of $98,000 annually, but some of the more successful ones can make well into the triple digits in their salaries, while some make as low as $66,000. The average is $98,000 per year.

Why is there a high earning potential for intellectual property lawyers?

There is a high earning potential for intellectual property lawyers because there are times when the facts regarding intellectual property are hard to dissect and prove evidentially.

What is IP law?

IP is short for Intellectual Property. These are the second highest paid attorneys in most cases. There are three separate categories within intellectual property law that they must be well-versed in and aware of. These are patents, trademarks, and copyrights. There is a high earning potential for intellectual property lawyers because there are times when the facts regarding intellectual property are hard to dissect and prove evidentially. This type of layer typically deals with patents that protect inventors rights and prevent others from infringing on these rights by making similar products or inventions for the period of time that the patent is in force. The application process for a patent can be quite challenging, even for IP attorneys and their expertise on the matter is in high demand.

What is tax attorney?

This type of attorney represents an organization when they are dealing with government taxing agencies which include federal, state and local entities. Tax attorneys are responsible to their clients for the preparation of legal documents that involve liabilities and for developing plans that help in saving taxes.

What skills do you need to be a trial judge?

They must also possess impeccable verbal and writing skills as they spend a great deal of time divided among speaking and writing to others in matters that pertain to the trial. They must also maintain a sharp memory for remembering significant facts that may come in handy during a trial.

What is corporate lawyer?

A corporate lawyer provides clients with counsel on legal matters pertaining to a variety of different business transactions including the sale of businesses, acquisitions, and mergers.

What is the role of a trial attorney?

The trial attorney must have a strong and comprehensive knowledge of the law. They are also charged with the responsibility of staying abreast of current trends and changes to the law as they occur throughout the length of their careers.

How much do lawyers make?

Nov 18, 2019 — 10 States Where Lawyers Earn the Most Money. The national average annual wage of an lawyer is $144,230, according to the BLS, (14) …

How much will a medical lawyer make in 2021?

Jul 13, 2021 — Which type of law you specialize in · Medical Lawyers – $150,881 per year · IP Attorneys – $140,972 per year · Trial Attorneys – $101,086 per year. (5) …

How much does an attorney make?

Indeed estimates that $94,446 is the average salary for an attorney in the United States. It’s important to remember that a lawyer’s salary depends on numerous factors. Averages take into account extreme highs and extreme lows.

Which city has the highest average salary for lawyers?

Most of the highest paying cities for lawyers are in California. That’s because The Golden State has a higher cost of living. For example, U.S. News reports that in San Jose, lawyers have the highest average income of any city in the United States at $281,420. San Francisco comes in second with $188,910. In, Washington, D.C lawyers make an average of $179,590 annually. Los Angeles ranks fourth with$178,470, followed by Bridgeport, Connecticut at $177,930.

How much do personal injury attorneys make?

According to the American Bar Association Journal, personal injury attorneys can earn a salary that exceeds $250,000 per year. However, the average personal injury salary is only $73,000 per years. Attorneys that specialize in a particular focus, such as offshore injuries, aviation accidents, pedestrian accidents, child-related injury claims, commercial accidents and eighteen wheelers, often make higher than average salaries, along with attorneys that focus a greater portion of their practice on specific complex injuries. Some examples of serious (or "catastrophic") injuries includes concussions, rotator cuff injuries, brain injuries, amputations, fractures, crush injuries, crush syndrome, and birth defects.

How much do lawyers make in 2020?

As of December 28, 2020, the average United States lawyers make $167,059 annually. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates that lawyers earn an average annual income of $145,300 as of May 2019. However, that number immensely by state.

How much does a criminal defense lawyer make?

As of December 28, 2020, the average criminal defense lawyer’s annual salary is $89,103, but the salary range typically falls between $76,613 and $101,307. Typically, criminal defense lawyers charge between $150-$700 hourly, but with this fee structure the legal bill can quickly reach $15,000 or more.

Who is the richest lawyer in the world?

The world's richest lawyers practice corporate or personal injury law. Wachau Tang is the word’s richest lawyer. He is worth $1.8 billion. Tang is a corporate lawyer who amassed most of his wealth with strategic investment holdings.

How much does an anesthesiologist make in 2020?

According to salary.com, as of December 28, 2020, the average Anesthesiologist salary in the United States made $393,800, and typically ranged between $341,200 and $446.500. The second highest paying annual salary are surgeons at $252,040, followed by facial surgeons at $237,570, and gynecologists at $244,610.

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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 h...
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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…