How Much Does a Lawyer Make a Month? The law tends to attract a lot of people seeking high salaries, competitive jobs, and rewarding work. However, the amount of money a lawyer makes varies greatly and depends on the type of work you do, the organization, or federal government that you work for, your educational experience, and where you are located in the country.
Starting your own family law firm has the potential to bring in much more money than a full lawyer’s salary or an entry-level position at a firm. There are several obstacles to overcome, but if you have the right plan in place and a strategy to succeed, your salary can be whatever you make it.
How Much Does a Lawyer Make a Month?
As of July 2023, the average monthly pay for a lawyer in the United States is as high as $11,667 and as low as $4,125 a month. The average pay range for a lawyer varies greatly, which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location, and years of experience. A Lawyer in your area makes on average $7,643 per month, or $510 (6%) less than the national average monthly salary of $8,153.
In the corporate sector, there are a few industries that provide lawyers with generous wages. Those in scheduled air transportation were the ones who received an average salary of $17,885 per month. Lawyers working in Beer, Wine, and Distilled alcohol were making around $17,125. Another nice-paying industry is cable and Other Subscription programming, which has an average monthly wage of $16,272.
Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Lawyer Jobs
We’ve identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a lawyer’s job is above the national average. Topping the list is Bolinas, CA, with San Francisco, CA, and Fremont, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Fremont, CA, beats the national average by $25,334 (25.9%), and Bolinas, CA, furthers that trend with another $34,316 (35.1% above the average of $95,846).
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Lawyer appear to be exceedingly fruitful. Finally, another factor to consider is that the average salary for these top ten cities varies very little at 12% between Bolinas, CA, and Hayward, CA, reinforcing the limited potential for wage advancement.
The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a lawyer’s role.
Bolinas, CA – $11,013 per month
San Francisco, CA – $10,643 per month
Fremont, CA – $10,265 per month
San Jose, CA – $10,221 per month
Inverness, CA – $10,168 per month
Oakland, CA – $10,083 per month
Antioch, CA – $9,875 per month
Lebanon, NH – $9,813 per month
New York, NY – $9,786 per month
Hayward, CA $9,764 per month
Top Best-Paying Lawyer Jobs in The U.S.
Here are the top best-paying lawyer jobs in the U.S.
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Corporate lawyers
Average salary: $13,866 per month
On average, a corporate lawyer earns $166,400 per year. They work for companies, advising them on legal issues and helping to protect their interests.
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Criminal Lawyers
Average Salary: $11,666 per month
Criminal lawyers are some of the most in-demand attorneys, and as a result, they earn relatively high salaries.
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Patient lawyers
Average salary: $11,000 per month.
Patent lawyers are responsible for helping clients file and protect their patents.
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Intellectual Property Lawyers
Average salary: $10,833
Intellectual property (IP) lawyers defend the rights of their clients to own and use their intellectual property.
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Business Lawyers
Average salary: $10,409 per month
Business lawyers, also known as corporate lawyers, handle legal matters for businesses and ensure that all company transactions occur within the scope of local, state, and federal laws.
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Entertainment Lawyers
Average salary: $8,153 per month
Entertainment lawyers represent athletes, artists, musicians, actors, and other media-related clients or brands. They help to protect the intellectual property of their clients, which can be anything from a singer’s lyrics to a comedian’s comedy routine. Additionally, entertainment lawyers may negotiate contracts and fee arrangements, secure talent releases, act as a liaison between agents or venues, or oversee membership in unions and guilds.
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Medical Lawyers
Average salary: $8,153 per month
People who hire medical malpractice lawyers have most often suffered a personal injury due to an error made by a medical professional. Any harm caused by inappropriate treatment, negligence, botched surgery, or misdiagnosis falls under the practice of these types of attorneys.
Salaries By Law-Related Career
Salaries differ from one specialized position to another. When you eventually decide to look for a job in the legal field, you will have to choose one of the available positions. Here are the law-related careers you can pick from and their average salaries:
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Law clerks
Average salary: $4,166 per month
Law clerks are responsible for aiding a judge in making legal decisions. A law clerk researches cases to see what decisions and legal matters are involved. Then, they will document the legal proceeding and make recommendations to the judge on what decisions to make.
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Court clerks
Average salary: $3,120 per month
Court clerks assist court officers, lawyers, and judges in local and federal courts and also help jurors and witnesses with court appearance documentation, oaths, and legal document receipt tracking. They update court records too but also prepare court agendas and draft dockets.
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Legal secretaries
Average salary: $3,250 per month
Someone working as a legal secretary will support paralegals and lawyers in law offices by offering clerical assistance. They will transcribe legal documents, draft correspondence, and look at deadlines for filing documents for clients and opposing parties. On top of that, they can schedule meetings with clients and opposing parties.
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Paralegals
Average salary: $3,833 per month
They can assist law offices and lawyers in administrative tasks, doing research before the trials, drafting closing documents for cases, and helping with depositions.
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Mediators
Average salary: $4,500 per month.
Mediators are neutral parties, and they help resolve potential legal disputes, helping the parties reach agreements after discussing their problems.
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Judge Advocates
Average salary: $7,717 per month
A judge advocate deals with legal and justice issues related to the military. They are also known as military lawyers for this reason.
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Compliance Officers
Average salary: $5,620 per month
A compliance officer works with companies to make sure that they respect the policies and regulations of the local and federal governments.
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Judges
Average salary: $13,666 per month
Judges are the ones responsible for managing the courtroom’s legal processes. They are the ones having to conduct hearings and trials, listen to defenses and arguments, research legal concerns, and oversee law clerk teams.
Conclusion
If you are planning to become a lawyer and you came here wondering “How much do lawyers make?”, you now have the answer. The salary will depend on the type of law firm you work with, as well as the area you live in and your experience. Becoming a lawyer takes a lot of hard work, but it will pay off for sure.
FAQs
How Much Do Lawyers Cost?
When it comes to the cost of hiring a lawyer, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Lawyers charge by the hour, and the rate varies depending on where you live, the experience of the lawyer, and other factors.
Here are factors that influence the cost of a lawyer:
. The type of lawyer you need
. The area of law you need services in
. The experience and qualifications of the lawyer
. Whether the lawyer is in private practice or works for a firm
. How far the lawyer needs to travel to meet with you
. Whether court appearances are necessary
Can Any Lawyer Practice in Any State?
To practice law in a state outside of one’s original jurisdiction, a lawyer must meet the state’s bar admission requirements. Outside of that, they can appeal to the state’s highest court for a special permit, and they can practice once they receive approval. Additionally, lawyers can appeal for a one-time permit to participate in a specific case.
Do Lawyers Have to Spend a Lot of Time in Court?
Contrary to popular belief, lawyers don’t spend much time in courtrooms. They spend a lot of time in offices collecting evidence, discovering it, or preparing legal documents. Other than that, they also have to interview witnesses and separate facts from fiction.
