I will share with you information about how much lawyers make in United States’ 50 states as an attorney defending people? Their full salaries structure is explained for anyone who wants to choose a career in the judicial or law industry.
Being a lawyer can give you a good job in the legal field. Lawyers can earn different amounts of money based on what they do and where they work. Knowing how much lawyers earn can help you decide if you want to be one. In this article, we talk about lawyer salaries and different types of legal jobs. When you finish reading, you’ll have a better idea of whether being a lawyer could be the right choice for you.
How much do lawyers make?
In the United States, lawyers usually earn about $73,604 per year on average. However, how much a lawyer makes can vary a lot. Some lawyers may start with a yearly salary of $14,000, while others, with more experience and expertise, can earn as much as $204,000 each year.
Several things can affect how much a lawyer earns, such as where they live, how long they’ve been practicing law, and what type of law they specialize in. These factors can make a big difference in a lawyer’s income.
Related: Learn About Being a Lawyer: Average Salary For A Lawyer In a Law Firm in Nigeria.
Lawyer Salaries by State in the US
Typical salaries for lawyers can vary significantly from state to state. The top lawyer salaries include:
- Alabama: $72,797 per year
- Alaska: $78,300 per year
- Arizona: $76,028 per year
- Arkansas: $71,909 per year
- California: $92,409 per year
- Colorado: $112,994 per year
- Connecticut: $80,148 per year
- Delaware: $96,873 per year
- District of Columbia: $84,740 per year
- Georgia: $76,304 per year
- Florida: $71,904 per year
- Hawaii: $74,955 per year
- Idaho: $69,277 per year
- Illinois: $82,837 per year
- Indiana: $72,902 per year
- Iowa: $73,850 per year
- Kansas: $72,558 per year
- Kentucky: $71,343 per year
- Louisiana: $52,857 per year
- Maine: $72,670 per year
- Maryland: $90,568 per year
- Massachusetts: $31.69 per hour
- Michigan: $74,945 per year
- Minnesota: $77,709 per year
- Mississippi: $69,049 per year
- Missouri: $42.69 per hour
- Montana: $13.00 per hour
- Nebraska: $72,677 per year
- Nevada: $56,068 per year
- New Hampshire: $74,376 per year
- New Jersey: $67,802 per year
- New Mexico: $57,475 per year
- New York: $70,463 per year
- North Carolina: $75,439 per year
- North Dakota: $74,566 per year
- Ohio: $74,782 per year
- Oklahoma: $71,892 per year
- Oregon: $77,283 per year
- Pennsylvania: $84,353 per year
- Rhode Island: $75,733 per year
- South Carolina: $73,177 per year
- South Dakota: $71,309 per year
- Tennessee: $73,774 per year
- Texas: $104,416 per year
- Utah: $72,366 per year
- Vermont: $73,193 per year
- Virginia: $60,140 per year
- Washington: $81,142 per year
- West Virginia: $70,136 per year
- Wisconsin: $74,724 per year
- Wyoming: $72,233 per year
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Different law careers
If you’re interested in working in the legal field, there are various specialized jobs you can pick from. Here, we’ll talk about some of the most usual law careers:
Law clerk
National average salary: $16.61 per hour
Primary duties: Law clerks help judges make legal decisions. They look into legal issues and past cases, and they write down what happens in court. After their research, they suggest what the judge should decide. Usually, law clerks are new law school graduates, and the top students often get these important clerk jobs.
Court clerk
National average salary: $16.90 per hour
Primary duties: Court clerks have important jobs in federal and local courts. They help judges, lawyers, and court officers. They also help witnesses and jurors by making them promise to tell the truth, keep records of who’s in court, and keep track of legal papers. Court clerks even update the court’s records. Sometimes, they make schedules and lists for the court’s work.
Legal secretary
National average salary: $47,074 per year
Primary duties: Legal secretaries work in law offices, where they help lawyers and paralegals with paperwork. They write letters to clients and the other side in a case, type up legal papers, make sure everything gets filed on time, and set up meetings with clients and others. Sometimes, they also do simple research for cases.
Paralegal
National average salary: $51,024 per year
Primary duties: Paralegals help lawyers and law offices with office work. They write papers to finish cases, look up information before trials, and help with taking statements from people. Paralegals can also find proof for cases, talk to witnesses, and keep files for cases that are still going on and those that are finished.
Mediator
National average salary: $61,416 per year
Primary duties: Mediators are like fair or neutral parties who help people settle legal problems. They’re experts at getting people who disagree to talk and find solutions that work for everyone. Even though mediators can’t make official decisions or go to court, they must know a lot about the law and rules that matter in the situation.
Immigration lawyer
National average salary: $69,307 per year
Primary duties: Immigration lawyers are like guides for people who move to a new country. They can work with individuals or groups of immigrants. Immigration lawyers help you with the paperwork you need to live in a new place, explain the rules, and even stand up for you in court if needed.
Judge advocate
National average salary: $72,094 per year
Primary duties: Judge advocates, also known or called military lawyers, deal with legal matters related to the military. They are officers in the U.S. Armed Forces and offer special legal guidance. They can prosecute people accused of crimes and also defend military members in court.
Compliance officer
National average salary: $73,382 per year
Primary duties: Compliance officers are like rule enforcers for companies. They make sure that businesses do what the government says they should. They have to understand complicated rules, keep an eye on any changes, and tell the people in charge how to follow the rules. These experts usually work in industries like healthcare and banking where there are lots of strict rules to follow.
Judge
National average salary: $83,882 per year
Primary duties: Judges are like the bosses in courtrooms. They look into legal matters, lead groups of law clerks, listen to arguments and defenses, and run court hearings and trials. Judges also make sure the laws are followed, make legal decisions, and write down their thoughts on cases. They work in all sorts of courts, from local ones to the big Supreme Court.
Litigation lawyer
National average salary: $117,667 per year
The Litigation lawyers, sometimes called trial lawyers, help people with legal battles in civil court. They do investigations, handle finding evidence, speak for clients in court, and handle negotiations to settle cases. These lawyers can work for either the person who starts the lawsuit or the one being sued, and they also help if someone wants to challenge a court decision.
National average salary: $66.56 per hour
Primary duties: Contracts lawyers are experts in dealing with important legal agreements and documents that have legal power. They create legal papers, check and fix existing contracts, and tell clients about what these agreements mean and what might happen because of them. These lawyers really know how to use and understand the special language of the law.
Employment lawyer
National average salary: $146,926 per year
Primary duties: Employment lawyers are like protectors of workers’ rights. They deal with work-related problems, like getting fired or not being paid fairly. Employment lawyers really know the rules and laws that affect workers, depending on where they live and what kind of job they have. They can help one worker, a bunch of workers, or even labor unions with their legal issues.
Corporate lawyer
National average salary: $102 per hour
Primary duties: Corporate lawyers, also called corporate counsels or in-house counsels, work for companies and give them legal advice. They can help with things like contracts and work agreements. They might also give expert advice on patents, trademarks, and government rules. Some corporate lawyers even deal with legal stuff about taxes, property, and unions. They’re like the company’s personal legal experts.
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