Salary by Practice Area for Attorney / Lawyer Jobs

Salary Range of Lawyers

You've passed the LSAT, you're working your way through law school and gearing up to pass the Bar Exam. Now it's time to determine what area of law you want to pursue. Many law students will work or intern at a law firm in order to gain experience, build their resumes, and possibly get offered a permanent position. Before choosing a career path, it's a good idea to research the salary range of lawyers based on practice area, location and other factors. Not only will this give you an idea of what to expect, it will also prepare you for the task of negotiating salary offers. Not surprisingly, the Lawyer Salary by Practice Area chart above shows that the top lawyer salary goes to corporate lawyers. Litigators are also some of the highest paid lawyers, but they also face some of the most demanding positions. If you're planning to practice real estate or insurance law, you're in luck; while lower than the salary range of corporate lawyers, a real estate or insurance lawyer can still potentially earn a top notch lawyer salary. To expand your inquiry into the salary range of lawyers, check out PayScale's data on Associate Lawyer Salaries and Patent Lawyer Salaries.

Average Annual Salary of a Lawyer

Lawyers know first-hand the importance of conducting accurate research and collecting vital information. With so many types of law to choose from, researching the salary range of lawyers could get confusing. To streamline your salary investigation, first find out why asking, "what is the median annual salary of a lawyer" will produce better results than, "what is the average annual salary of a lawyer" by reading the Dr. Salary article, "Why is Median Better than Mean for a Typical Salary?"