As an aspiring lawyer, you may be wondering how much you can expect to earn in your profession. Salaries for lawyers can vary greatly depending on experience, location, getting into the best law schools, and the type of law practiced. In this article, we will provide an overview of lawyer salaries by field so that you can get a better idea of what to expect from your legal profession.
Corporate Lawyers
Corporate lawyers are responsible for providing legal advice to businesses and representing clients in business transactions. They may work for private law firms, corporations, or government agencies. Corporate lawyers typically earn higher salaries than other types of lawyers.
What Is the Starting Salary of a Corporate Lawyer?
The starting salary of a corporate lawyer can vary depending on the employer and the location. However, most corporate lawyers earn an annual salary in the range of $60,000 to $160,000.
What Is the Average Salary of a Corporate Lawyer?
The average lawyer salary of a corporate lawyer is $113,500. It’s important to keep in mind that the more knowledge and experience you gain, the higher your salary will be.
Environmental Lawyers
Environmental lawyers specialize in the field of environmental law, which is the legal practice of protecting the environment. They may work for government agencies, private companies, or non-profit organizations.
Furthermore, environmental lawyers may perform a variety of tasks, such as advising clients on how to comply with environmental regulations, representing clients in civil and criminal litigation involving environmental issues, or negotiating settlements in environmental cases.
What Is the Starting Salary of an Environmental Lawyer?
The starting salary for an environmental lawyer can vary depending on factors such as the lawyer’s location, experience, and type of law practiced.
For instance, environmental lawyers who work in large cities or a prestigious law firm may earn higher salaries than those who work in smaller towns or for less well-known firms.
Additionally, environmental lawyers who have several years of experience may earn more than those who are just starting out in their careers.
According to the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics), the average yearly salary for environmental lawyers is around $148,000. However, most environmental lawyers earn annual starting salaries in the range of $50,000 to $140,000.
What Is the Average Salary of an Environmental Lawyer?
The average salary of an environmental lawyer is around $99,500. It’s important to note, though, that your location can significantly affect your salary. For example, environmental lawyer salaries in California are nearly twice the national average.
Thus, it’s not uncommon for California lawyer salaries to surpass $270,000. Conversely, New York lawyer salaries are around $150,000 annually.
Defense Lawyers
Defense lawyers are attorneys who represent people who are accused of crimes. They work to protect the rights of their clients and help them to receive a fair trial. Defense lawyers may also be involved in plea bargaining negotiations with prosecutors.
What Is the Starting Salary of a Defense Lawyer?
The starting salary of a defense lawyer can vary greatly depending on the location, law firm, and type of practice. In general, defense lawyers who are just starting out can expect to earn a salary of $54,000 to $100,000 per year.
Experienced defense lawyers who work in large law firms can earn salaries of $200,000 or more per year.
What Is the Average Salary of a Defense Lawyer?
Average defense lawyer salaries range from $60,000 to $130,000 per year.
Public Defenders
Public defenders are lawyers who work for the government to represent people who cannot afford to hire a private attorney. Public defenders typically have more experience than entry-level defense lawyers.
What Is the Starting Salary of a Public Defender?
The starting salary for a public defender is $45,000. Experienced public defenders can earn up to $70,000 per year.
What Is the Average Salary of a Public Defender?
Once a public defender has gained the experience and reputation necessary to be successful, they can expect to make significantly more. The average lawyer salary in this legal field is between $60,000 and $210,000 annually.
Tax Attorneys
Tax attorneys are responsible for representing clients in tax-related matters. They may work for the government or for private companies, and their duties can include advising clients on tax law, preparing tax returns, and representing clients in audits.
What Is the Starting Salary of a Tax Attorney?
The starting salary of a tax attorney can vary depending on factors such as the lawyer’s experience, education, and location. The median starting salary for a tax attorney is typically around $80,000.
What Is the Average Salary of a Tax Attorney?
After several years of experience, tax attorneys can expect to see their salaries increase. The median salary for a tax attorney with experience is over $110,000.
Intellectual Property Lawyer
Intellectual property lawyers advise clients to protect their inventions, designs, and other creative works. This can involve working with patents, copyrights, and trademarks. Your work may also involve licensing agreements and other contracts related to intellectual property.
What Is the Starting Salary of an Intellectual Property Lawyer?
The average starting salary for an intellectual property lawyer is $100,000.
What Is the Average Salary of an Intellectual Property Lawyer?
Average intellectual property lawyer salaries are typically around $120,000.
FAQs on Lawyer Salaries
Average salaries for lawyers vary greatly depending on a number of factors, including the type of law they practice, their geographic location, and the size and financial health of their law firm.
That said, according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual salary for all lawyers is close to $128,000.
Top lawyer salaries can be significantly more than national average lawyer salaries, especially in states like California.
Medical lawyers are some of the highest-paid lawyers. Their salaries can range from $100,000 to over $1 million.
Lawyer starting salaries can vary depending on the type of law they practice and the location of their job. However, the average starting salary for a lawyer is $61,000.
Corporate lawyers earn an average salary of $98,000. However, salaries can range from $75,000 to $1 million depending on the lawyer’s experience and the size of the corporation they work for.
The median salary of a lawyer is $118,160. This means that half of all lawyers earn more than this amount, and half earn less.
The average mid-career salary for a lawyer is $143,000. Salaries can range from $100,000 to over $1 million at this stage in a lawyer’s career.
The salary range for a lawyer can vary widely depending on the type of law they practice, the size of the firm they work for, and their location. However, the average salary for a lawyer is between $61,000 and $98,000.
For example, first-year lawyer salaries generally pale in comparison to those of medical or trial lawyer salaries.
Conclusion
As you can see, lawyer salaries have a wide range depending on what type of lawyer you are, how much experience you have, and where you live. If you’re considering a career as a lawyer and need to pass the bar exam, you have a long way to go. If you’re looking to increase your current salary, use this guide to help you determine if you should be making more as a lawyer and what you need to do to get that salary.
