The PayScale Index (US): Trends in Compensation

2012: Wages for workers in legal jobs were guilty of poor growth in Q1 2012. Earnings in this job category fell 0.3 percent from the previous quarter and 1.9 percent from the previous year, which was the worst annual wage growth of any job category.

2007-2011: Wages for those working in the legal jobs category rose in line with national trends in 2007. However, the recession came early for these workers, with essentially flat wages in 2008. And, like they did for many, wages dropped a little more than 1 percent in 2009. Earnings bounced up and down from quarter to quarter in 2010 then were flat in 2011.

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Legal (SOC Code 23-0000.00 Legal Occupations) jobs focus on understanding and applying the arcane language, rules, and practices of the legal world. This category includes lawyers, paralegals and similar legal professionals. Found most commonly in the professional services industry, legal workers also ply their trade in the information and manufacturing industries (e.g. patent, labor and contract law), and in almost any large organization as in-house counsel. This category does not include legal secretaries, who are categorized with other secretaries and administrative assistants.

The SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) system is used by Federal statistical agencies to classify workers into occupational categories for the purpose of collecting, calculating, or disseminating data. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The PayScale Index tracks quarterly changes in total cash compensation for full-time, private industry employees in the United States. In addition to a national index, it includes separate indices for specific industries, metropolitan areas, job categories, and company sizes. The PayScale Index uses 2006 average total cash compensation as a baseline.

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