Senior Attorney Salary

A great deal of legal work, including both civil and criminal litigation, is done with teams of lawyers. A senior attorney is the person who helps to manage such teams. He or she is normally a partner in a firm or a high-level specialist retained by one. The senior attorney typically directs the preparations of the team in representing a client. The senior attorney also represents the team when meeting with the legal representatives from the adversarial side of a case. Should the case be argued in court, typically the senior attorney takes the lead in presenting his or her team's information and arguments.

The senior attorney is typically the first conduit for the client being represented. In the case of civil litigation, this lawyer will work with the client to understand the goals of any lawsuits or court orders being sought. In criminal cases, the senior attorney will normally conduct preliminary interviews with the client to help assess how the legal team should proceed. The senior attorney will then direct other lawyers on the team to comb through evidence and report on progress. The attorney will also outline and assess the strength and evidence of the case he or she can present and begin to work towards a resolution.

A senior attorney must possess a law degree from an accredited university law school. He or she also must be a member in good standing of the bar association or accrediting organization with jurisdiction in the area. A senior attorney typically works in an office environment, but he or she should expect that long hours, field work, and travel are an integral aspect of this job. (Copyright 2017 PayScale.com)

Senior Attorney Tasks

• Advise clients in business transactions, claim liability, advisability of prosecuting or defending lawsuits or legal rights and obligations.
• Select jurors, argue motions, meet with judges, and question witnesses during the course of a trial.
• Analyze and interpret laws, rulings, and regulations with probable case outcomes for individuals and businesses.
• Represent clients in court or before government agencies, present and summarize cases to judges and juries.
• Gather evidence to formulate defense or to initiate legal actions; evaluate findings and develop strategies and arguments for presentation of cases.

For Senior Attorneys, working in the bustling city of San Francisco has its advantages, including an above-average pay rate. Senior Attorneys will also find cushy salaries in Houston (+19 percent), Minneapolis (+19 percent), Boston (+14 percent), and Portland (+12 percent). Senior Attorneys in Los Angeles earn salaries far below the national average by 33 percent, proving that geography overwhelmingly affects the pay scale for those in this field. Miami and New York are a couple other places where companies are known to pay below the median — salaries are 12 percent lower and 10 percent lower, respectively.