Lawyers

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$159,670

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$102,990 – $221,370

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

754,500

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

+4.7%

At or above the all-jobs rate (3.5% to under 7%)

Openings a year (projected)

28,700

New jobs plus replacing people who leave

Typical education to enter

Doctoral or professional degree

BLS

• All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
• Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
• Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

Represent clients in criminal and civil litigation and other legal proceedings, draw up legal documents, or manage or advise clients on legal transactions. May specialize in a single area or may practice broadly in many areas of law.

Main tasks

• Interpret laws, rulings and regulations for individuals and businesses.
• Analyze the probable outcomes of cases, using knowledge of legal precedents.
• Gather evidence to formulate defense or to initiate legal actions by such means as interviewing clients and witnesses to ascertain the facts of a case.
• Represent clients in court or before government agencies.
• Evaluate findings and develop strategies and arguments in preparation for presentation of cases.
• Advise clients concerning business transactions, claim liability, advisability of prosecuting or defending lawsuits, or legal rights and obligations.
• Examine legal data to determine advisability of defending or prosecuting lawsuit.
• Prepare, draft, and review legal documents, such as wills, deeds, patent applications, mortgages, leases, and contracts.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

Doctoral or professional degree

O*NET Job Zone 5

Extensive preparation

Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 26 programmes to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

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