On average, lawyers make an average salary of $135,740 a year and an average hourly wage of $65.26 an hour.
What Do Lawyers Do?
Lawyers can also be called attorneys. They are people who have gone to law school, passed the bar exam in their state, and now practice law. They advise their clients on legal matters and represent their clients during court and other legal proceedings.
Lawyers work for many kinds of clients. Sometimes they work as private attorneys to represent and counsel individuals, companies, or organizations. Some lawyers work for the government as prosecutors who go up against individuals and organizations that have broken the law. They can also be public defense attorneys who represent the people who can't afford their own lawyer.
Lawyers are your counsel and representation in front of the law. They help you handle legal disputes, lawsuits, appeals, wills, contracts, and other matters regarding you and the law.
How to Become a Lawyer
Many professions that offer higher salaries include a bachelor's degree and some kind of graduate level of education.
Becoming a well-paid lawyer is no different, but of all the high-paying jobs, the number of years it takes to become a lawyer is arguably less than other professions like becoming a surgeon.
1. Get a Bachelor's Degree (4 years)
The first step to becoming a lawyer is completing the traditional 4 years of college. You'll need to complete your undergraduate in order to get a bachelor's degree so you can go to law school. Many prospective lawyers major in English, public speaking, government history, economics, or math for their bachelor's degree.
2. Pass the LSAT
3. Go to Law School (3 years)
Once you've been admitted into a law school you can start earning your official law degree. First of all, you'll want to apply for law schools that are accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). Then you can go on to complete your Juris Doctor degree (JD).
While in law school you will study topics like constitutional law, contracts, property law, civil procedure, and legal writing. But you can also specialize in subjects like tax law, labor laws, and corporate law. Law school generally takes about 3 years to complete.
4. Pass the Bar Exam
Now that you have completed all the necessary education, it's time to take the bar exam. You have to pass the bar exam for any state you wish to practice law in.
Once you pass the bar exam you will officially be a practicing lawyer. Depending on your state you might be required to participate in continued education every year or every 3 years.
How long does it take to become a lawyer?
Considering all of the education required to become a lawyer, it takes a minimum of 7 years to become a lawyer.
Skills Lawyers Need
Lawyers need many skills to be successful at their job. If you’re thinking about whether being a lawyer is the right career choice for you or not, then consider whether or not you have these skills.
Analytical Skills
Lawyers deal with a great amount of information in all of their cases. There are many facets of the law to consider and all the individual details of each case. Because of this, lawyers need to be able to analyze large amounts of information in order to effectively argue their case and find solutions to complex legal problems.
Social Skills
Lawyers need to be able to communicate and work with many other people all the time. They have to work alongside other lawyers, other workers within the law, and their clients. Because of this lawyers need to be able to work well with others and gain the trust of their clients and fellow colleagues.
Research Skills
The job of a lawyer involves lots and lots of research. They need to know how to search databases to find all the laws and regulations that apply to their case. They also need to know how to research similar cases.
Public Speaking
Another big part of a lawyer's job is public speaking. Lawyers address judges, juries, the court, and conference rooms full of individuals involved in the case. They have to be comfortable and prepared public speakers in order to communicate with both small and large groups of people.
Technical Writing
Lawyers also need the ability to write technical documents full of legal jargon. They need to be precise, specific, and clear in their writing in order to accurately communicate in all their writing.
How Much Do Lawyers Make?
How Much Do Lawyers Make a Year?
The lowest 10% of lawyers make $69,760 a year, the median annual wage for lawyers is $145,760 a year, and the highest 10% of lawyers make $239,200 a year.
How much you earn as a lawyer can also depend on where you work. For instance, lawyers who work for the federal government make an average annual salary of $166,030, lawyers who work in legal services make $137,350, and lawyers who work in local government make $117,070 while lawyers working for the state government make an average of $100,670 a year.
How Much Do Lawyers Make in a Month?
On average, lawyers in the lower 10% of their earning potential can expect to make about $5,813 a month, lawyers on average make about $12,146 a month, and lawyers in the highest 10% make an average of $19,933 a month.
How Much Do Lawyers Make in a Week?
On average, lawyers make about $70.08 an hour, meaning that if a lawyer works a regular 40-hour workweek, they can make about $2,803.20 a week.
This means that lawyers in the lower 10% can expect to make about $915 a week, lawyers in the median pay range can make about $2,183 a week, and lawyers in the highest 10% make about $11,422 a week.
Lawyers Pay by Location
Lawyers Pay by Experience
Lawyers with more experience can also make more than lawyers with less experience. For example, lawyers with less than 1 year of experience can make about $73,151, 1 to 4 years of experience make $85,906, 5 to 9 years of experience make $109,138, 10 to 19 years of experience make $123,904, and lawyers with 20 years or more make about $142,120 a year.
