When considering what type of law you’d like to get into, there is certainly no shame in better understanding the salaries associated with that chosen path! When creating this list of the 23 most popular lawyer salaries, we looked at recent salary data provided by self-reports on PayScale as well as recent job postings on ZipRecruiter.
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1. General Counsel Attorney Salary: $162,000
2. Patent Attorney Salary: $139,000
3. Health Care Attorney Salary: $129,200
4. Trial Attorney Salary: $114,500
5. Corporate Lawyer Salary: $106,000
6. Tax Attorney Salary: $101,600
7. Entertainment Lawyer Salary: $92,000
8. Government Attorney Salary: $89,200
9. Constitutional Lawyer Salary: $89,100
10. Civil Rights Attorney Salary: $86,500
11. Medical Malpractice Attorney Salary: $86,500
12. Employment Lawyer Salary: $84,000
13. Contract Lawyer Salary: $80,400
14. Criminal Defense Lawyer Salary: $79,100
15. Special Education Attorney Salary: $78,700
16. Divorce Lawyer Salary: $78,600
17. Real Estate Attorney Salary: $77,500
18. Toxic Tort Attorney Salary: $72,300
19. Family Law Planning Attorney Salary: $71,300
20. Immigration Lawyer Salary: $67,400
21. Bankruptcy Attorney Salary: $62,600
22. Public Defender Salary: $61,000
23. Public Interest Lawyer Salary: $60,100
1. General Counsel Attorney Salary
Average: $162,000
Top 10%: $254,000
Bottom 10%: $88,000
General Counsel Lawyer Salary by Experience
<1 year: $74,000
1-4 years: $97,000
5-9 years: $132,000
10-19 years: $176,000
20+ years: $195,000
About a Career as a General Counsel Lawyer
A general counsel lawyer advises companies and represents them in court. Oftentimes, a general counsel lawyer is already experienced in the specific industry in which the company operates. For example, if a lawyer were to advise an oil company, he or she may already have experience in environmental law and understand the ins and outs of these policies.
A general counsel lawyer takes on a heavy workload for a company and is often working directly with high-level executives and board of directors of the company. Because of the lofty level of responsibility in this role, a general counsel lawyer is expected to have several years of experience already under his or her belt.
What Qualities do General Counsel Lawyers Have?
Communication skills and strategizing are two skills that are highly sought after for general counsel. Communication skills are required to break down legal jargon to those who operate in the business world. A general counsel may need to speak to an executive one-on-one or present to a room full of directors. In terms of strategizing, a general counsel’s role is interesting, as they can utilize law and policies to help to advance business. This means looking into the future and being able to make decisions that will deliver the best results.
Example of a General Counsel Lawyer Job Description:
2. Patent Attorney Salary
Average: $139,000
Top 10%: $204,000
Lowest 10%: $82,000
Patent Attorney Salary by Experience
<1 year: $96,000
1-4 years: $122,000
5-9 years: $150,000
10-19 years: $161,000
20+ years: $179,000
About a Career as a Patent Attorney
A patent attorney’s main focus is to guarantee that a patent is protected against infringements. This role includes going through client products and making sure that they do not encroach on existing patents. For clients seeking to patent their product or technology, the attorney will apply for the patent, following submission rules. In general, patent attorneys are employed by private practices, government, legal firms, and large organizations.
To become a patent attorney, you must complete an undergraduate degree in a scientific field or equivalent coursework. If you do not have these prerequisites, you may also pass the Fundamentals of Engineering test. Once you have this completed this pre-req, you may then attend law school as well as take the patent bar exam. Note that you do not need a law degree to take the patent bar exam and become a ‘patent agent,’ but a ‘patent attorney’ requires a law degree.
What Qualities do Patent Attorneys Have?
Above all, a patent attorney must have great attention to detail as well as technical and analytical skills. Being able to communicate and simplify technical information is also key to having success in this job.
Example of a Patent Attorney Job Description:
3. Health Care Attorney Salary
Average: $129,166
Top 25%: $176,000
Lowest 25%: $77,500
Health Care Attorney Salary by State:
The 5 highest-paying states to become a health care attorney, according to ZipRecruiter, are in are New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, Connecticut, and California, with salaries averaging over $100,000. The five lowest-paying states for health care attorneys are Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Florida, and North Carolina, with average salaries between $78,000 to $87,000 per year.
About a Career as a Health Care Attorney:
As job growth for many law careers is slowing down, the field of health law continues to expand, leading many to ask what a health care attorney does. Attorneys who specialize in health care work in the regulations and policies of healthcare institutions like hospitals, healthcare providers, insurers, pharmaceutical and device manufacturers, as well as individual practitioners. A health care attorney is usually hired for private law firms, government agencies, legal aid societies, non-profits, social services, as well as healthcare companies.
What Qualities do Health Care Attorneys Have?
The healthcare industry changes at a rapid pace, so to have success in this career, you must be open and willing to learn constantly. You must be curious and excited about learning about your clients’ practice. Per usual for any law career, being detail-oriented is a must, as this is a highly regulated sector to work in and understanding the ins and outs of of the law are key in defending your clients as well as offering sound advice.
Example of a Health Care Attorney Job Description:
4. Trial Attorney Salary
Average: $114,500
Top 25%: $122,500
Lowest 25%: $90,000
Trial Attorney Salary by State
The five highest-paid states for trial attorneys are New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, Hawaii, and Connecticut with salaries ranging from $114,000-$125,000. The five lowest-paid states in terms of average annual salary include North Carolina, Florida, Missouri, Mississippi, and Michigan with salaries between $90,000-$99,900.
About a Career as a Trial Attorney
A trial attorney meets clients and represents them in court. As exciting as dramatic courtroom action may sound, a trial attorney still spends a significant portion of his or her time reviewing documents and files and speaking with witnesses and experts. Another task of the trial attorney is to fill out paperwork related to the trial and filing these works. Some who pursue this field may also be dismayed to find that many cases may never even make it to court, as there is an emphasis to avoid a costly trial if cases can be settled outside of the courtroom..
What Qualities do Trial Attorneys Have?
Being detail-oriented is a strength of a great trial lawyer, as often it’s in the small details that make or break the entire case! In addition, a skilled trial attorney is persuasive and can communicate well with others. This may be communicating with clients, witnesses, experts, as well as with jurors.
Example of a Trial Attorney Job Description:
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5. Corporate Lawyer Salary
Average: $106,000
Top 10%: $247,000
Lowest 10%: $59,000
Corporate Lawyer Salary by Experience
<1 year: $96,000
1-4 years: $99,000
5-9 years: $119,000
10-19 years: $140,000
20+ years: $187,000
About a Career as a Corporate Lawyer
According to Hollywood, the corporate lawyer is a glamorous, high-profile position with lots of corruption and scandal. While we can’t speak for the latter, we can say that the corporate lawyer tends to have higher-profile work and is often a very secure, and high-paying role within a company. On a daily basis, corporate lawyers verify the legality of commercial transactions. What goes into verifying the legality of commercial transactions includes checking local, state, and federal laws. Corporate lawyers work on both sides of a transaction, writing legal documents that lay out the terms of the agreement. This is not nearly as straightforward as it sounds, as the process is long, leading to very long hours for the corporate lawyer.
Corporate law can be a high-paying and rewarding career, but it comes with a tradeoff of long hours and often weekends, especially as you are starting off your legal career as an associate. You must enjoy long hours of advising businesses, drafting documents, and attending meetings just as much as you enjoy making a great salary. A little-known fact – Michelle Obama was working as a corporate lawyer in Chicago when she met Barack, but she quickly left the career upon meeting Barack and carving out her own path.
What Qualities do Corporate Lawyers Have?
In addition to a solid foundation of business law and current trends, a corporate lawyer must be a great team player and have the skills to work with and lead a group of people. Corporate lawyers work with both sides and thrive when all players are successful.
Example of a Corporate Lawyer Job Description:
6. Tax Attorney Salary
Average: $101,600
Top 10%: $196,000
Lowest 10%: $59,000
Tax Attorney Salary by Experience
<1 year: $78,000
1-4 years: $85,000
5-9 years: $125,000
10-19 years: $149,000
20+ years: $153,000
About a Career as a Tax Attorney
A tax attorney works specifically with tax law and can advise clients on how to take advantage of deductions as well as guide clients on various tax laws both locally, state-level, and federally. A tax attorney may take on cases including buying/selling a business, starting a business (such as an LLC, S-Corp, or C-Corp), owning a business abroad, estate planning, or navigating an audit by the IRS.
You may be reading this and wondering what the differences between a CPA and a tax attorney are when it comes to receiving advice on your taxes. Both tax attorneys and CPAs can advise clients on tax deductions and business finances, but a tax attorney is who you must go to if you have trouble with the IRS or if you will need assistance with an audit. Similarly, a tax attorney is almost always necessary in at least part of forming businesses as well as debt collection.
What Qualities do Tax Attorneys Have?
Because tax attorneys are generally advising clients on business and personal finance decisions, being able to communicate in a way that is informative but also comforting is key. The general public is not well-informed on tax law and will require a great tax attorney to communicate their options to them in a way that makes sense.
Example of a Tax Attorney Online Job Description:
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7. Entertainment Lawyer Salary
Average: $92,000
Top 25%: $100,000
Bottom 25%: $89,500
Entertainment Lawyer Salary by State
As with the majority of law careers, where you practice has a great impact on what you’ll be making. The highest-paid entertainment lawyers in the US are located in New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, Connecticut, and California. The five lowest-paid states are North Carolina, Florida, Missouri, Michigan, and Illinois. In general, the average reported salary for entertainment lawyers has little variance, meaning that location as well as experience do not have a great impact on the salary and room for pay growth.
About a Career as an Entertainment Lawyer
Entertainment lawyers represent various types of talent in the entertainment industry, which may include film and television, comedy, music, or print/electronic media. They may be asked to work on their client’s IP rights, disputes, contracts, taxes, or overseeing union/guild memberships. As you may expect, some of the hottest markets for entertainment lawyers are Los Angeles and New York, as many creatives flock to these cities to make it big. That said, with the rising costs of Hollywood, many productions are finding their way outside of these coastal metropolises and moving to smaller cities or towns outside of California and New York.
What Qualities do Entertainment Lawyers Have?
Marketing and business development skills must be quite high to be a successful entertainment lawyer. Being able to market to new clients and build relationships with those in the industry are key in finding new work, especially in down times. Sometimes clients may be in low demand and an entertainment lawyer must find new opportunities for work. Knowing the right people and when to reach out to them is key in finding new high-paying contracts for clients.
Example of an Entertainment Lawyer Job Description:
8. Government Attorney Salary
Average: $89,200
Top 10%: $151,000
Lowest 10%: $50,000
Government Lawyer Salary by Experience
<1 year: $55,000
1-4 years: $64,000
5-9 years: $84,000
10-19 years: $100,000
20+ years: $112,000
About a Career as a Government Attorney
If you already guessed it, a government attorney will usually work for either the local, state, or federal government. Some common job sites include city hall or the state capitol. Federally, a government attorney may work for the FTC, the Department of Justice, or even the Securities and Exchange Commission.
A career in government law is extremely competitive and the hours are likely as long as those working in the corporate field. The pay for a government attorney is much lower than the private sector, but the benefit, however, to working in this field, is having an impact on public policies that can have wide-ranging effects.
What Qualities Do Government Attorneys Have?
Attorneys working for any government body will need to have top research skills, as they will be advising on a wide-range of legal topics. Problem solving is another top skill that is helpful regardless of what type of government body you work for, as you are helping to solve problems that affect populations as small as a city or as large as the United States.
Example of a Government Attorney Job Description:
9. Constitutional Lawyer Salary
Average: $89,100
Top 25%: $101,500
Bottom 25%: $53,500
Constitutional Lawyer Salary by State
Like the majority of law careers, where you decide to work has a pretty large impact on your annual salary. The 5 highest-paid states for average annual salary are New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, Hawaii, and Connecticut with average salaries from $89,200 through $97,400. The 5 lowest-paid states for constitutional lawyers include North Carolina, Florida, Missouri, Mississippi, and Michigan with salaries ranging from $69,800 through $77,630.
About a Career as a Constitutional Lawyer
Specializing in the legal interpretation of the US constitution and constitutions of the 50 states, a constitutional lawyer has the ability to affect decisions that set precent for years to come! How one interprets the words in the constitution has great effect on how they can be applied to society, which makes it of utmost priority that a constitutional lawyer know how to argue a specific angle in which to result in the intended application. Those who practice constitutional law may do so for the federal government, non-profits, or for private law firms. A modern, powerful case brought on by constitutional lawyers include Obergefell v. Hodges, legalizing gay marriage across all 50 states.
What Qualities do Constitutional Lawyers Have?
It is imperative that constitutional lawyers have extremely keen attention to detail. When working with many constitutional law cases, rather than going to court on a daily or weekly basis for cases, a constitutional lawyer may work on one single case for months before making his or her court debut. Oftentimes, answering a single question can make or break the entire case presented in a constitutional law trial. Attention to detail as well as a degree of perfectionism may lead to greater success for a constitutional lawyer. Briefs written by constitutional lawyers may be used in cases for years to come, so choosing words carefully and strategically are key to having a positive impact on society.
Example of a Constitutional Lawyer Job Description:
10. Civil Rights Attorney Salary
Average: $86,494
Top 25%: $100,000
Bottom 25%: $61,000
Civil Rights Lawyer Salary by State
The five highest-paid states, on average, for civil rights lawyers are New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, Hawaii, and Connecticut. The salaries in these states range from $86,600-$94,600. The five lowest-paid states, on average, are North Carolina, Florida, Missouri, Mississippi, and Michigan.
About a Career as a Civil Rights Attorney
A civil rights lawyer spends their time working on cases regarding individuals or groups who are being discriminated against or whose rights are being violated. These civil liberties include freedom of religion, speech, assembly, as well as discrimination against race, gender, or origins, to name a few. Examples of violations of civil rights include discrimination in the workplace, failure to provide public accommodation for the disabled, and discrimination in education. This is certainly not an exhaustive list of types of cases a civil rights lawyer will work on but gives the general understanding that this role is can be an extremely fulfilling and rewarding career for those trying to promote a positive a change in society.
To become competitive in seeking out civil rights attorney roles, it is important that your resume shows a commitment to civil rights issues. This involves taking courses such as employment discrimination, human rights law, disability law, etc. If you intend on working for a civil rights nonprofit upon graduation, it is advisable to become involved in public interest activities as well as seek out research and volunteering for civil rights projects or campaigns. As far as pay is concerned, most civil rights attorneys in urban settings can make the average or above-average salaries mentioned here for civil rights attorneys. This pay is not high, especially compared to those of corporate lawyers. We advise anyone considering a career in civil rights to be realistic about salary and understand the tradeoff for working in a career they are truly passionate about and find personally rewarding.
What Qualities do Civil Rights Lawyers Have?
Civil rights lawyers tend to have soft skills that are not always explicitly stated in a job description. These include empathy for clients and groups that they are representing as well as a real interest and passion for those whose rights have or are being violated. A civil rights lawyer should be motivated by encouraging social change. In addition to these soft skills, a civil rights lawyer still needs to be highly competent in negotiation and mediation, communication, and analyzing information.
Example of a Civil Rights Lawyer Job Description:
11. Medical Malpractice Attorney Salary
Average: $86,500
Top 25%: $100,000
Lowest 25%: $60,000