Legal professions are well-known for having higher paying salaries on average, and if you’re considering working as a lawyer, you may be wondering how much exactly you could expect to make yearly. Our guide helps you understand some of the most important factors that affect a lawyer’s salary and gives you an average range that you might expect to make as you begin work in this profession.

Factors That Determine a Lawyer’s Salary

The following factors are all essential in determining a lawyer’s salary, as they all affect the starting salary and any chances of salary increases over the years.

Location

Location is one of the most prominent factors that determine a lawyer’s salary, and any opportunities for wage increases as a lawyer works with the same firm or organization over the years. In higher-cost-of-living cities such as New York City, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, lawyers may expect to have starting salaries that are in the six figures and increase each year. Maximum salaries for these higher cost of living areas may end up being around 400,000 each year, depending on experience and firm.

Specialization

Your specialization as a lawyer is the type of law you are practicing, and this may also determine the type of workplace you are in, such as a firm, courthouse, or government organization. In general, corporate practice and transactional or business law specialization tend to pay more, and lawyers that work for large national firms will have a higher average salary than lawyers that work for local state government, non-profit organizations, or courthouses. 

Experience

How much experience you have in your field of practice is another major determining factor of your lawyer salary. Starting salaries for any type of law will be lower than those of lawyers that have been practicing for years. Corporate practice and large firms, especially those in high cost of living areas, are the most likely to raise your salary over the years until you are making a significant amount more than when you started at the firm.

Education

While you can obtain your legal education from anywhere in the United States, certain law schools that are top ranked are associated with higher starting salaries and overall higher pay once students graduate and enter the workforce. This isn’t to say that any one school provides a significantly different legal education than others, but that certain schools have location advantages and varying programs set up to help students enter their chosen legal profession.

If you are interested in pursuing a legal career and you are having a hard time choosing which law school to apply to, you can take time to browse through graduating class statistics for information on the generally expected career and salary outcomes after attending that specific school.

What Is the Average Lawyer's Salary?

On average, lawyers make between $81,620 and $194,580 each year, with the average being $127,990, according to the U.S. News and World Report. You can expect most lawyers to make around six figures each year, but lawyers who live in low-cost-of-living areas and those that work for non-profit organizations or smaller firms may have a starting salary of around half of this. 

However, one of the benefits of being a legal professional is the range of jobs that you might be eligible for and the high chance of salary increases each year. If you are not happy with your salary at one business or firm, you can search for another that helps you achieve the annual salary you desire.

How Do I Become a Lawyer?

When looking over the average salaries that lawyers make, many individuals may decide that this is the career for them. After all, there is a high degree of job availability and a decent salary to accompany this position. If you are interested in becoming a lawyer, you will first need to graduate from law school – the application process for this can be arduous, and you will need to complete the LSAT before you are able to apply. More information about this process and expert LSAT tutoring can be found on the LSATMax website.

Pursuing Your Legal Career Dreams

Working as a lawyer or another legal professional is a dream to many individuals, though it might be a dream that takes several years to achieve due to the lengthy process of applying for law school, graduating with your degree, and securing a job. However, with hard work and lots of preparation, you can pursue your legal career dreams and the salary that goes along with them.