Are you a recent law school graduate or in a job transition looking for a legal sometime before the end of 2013 or into next year? There is good news for you: lawyers are some of the best paid professionals on today’s market. Several recent studies show that attorneys are receiving top pay in several arenas. Here we look at some of the information around different specialties, corporate law, and firms. These are some of things you need to know about attorney salaries that can help you make a decision to direct your job search.
- Among top fields for women. There is a still a wage disparity between men and women in the workplace but in spite of this attorney jobs are some of the top paying for women in 2013. While women still earn only 80% of the salaries that their male counterparts enjoy, the median salary is around $85,000 a year. Only 33% of lawyers in America are women so there may be an advantage if you seek a job where the key hiring criteria is diversity within the corporation or law firm.
- Top specialties for in-house attorneys. If you are looking for a job as a corporate attorney there are some specialties that you may wish to concentrate on. Securities, health, and intellectual properties were the three top industries for in-house legal counsel this year. The median income for all three specialties is in the low $200,000 range. Experts aren’t expecting this to change much over the next year so there is still time to pursue this type of position.
- Firm attorneys make more. However, in-house legal counsel still doesn’t rank as high as lawyers in independent firms. There may be some time to work your way up to partner in a law firm, but in general these attorneys are making closer to $250,000 or more. National firms and small firms that were purchased by some of the larger organizations rank higher than their private practice counterparts.
- Experience does pay. Lawyers with more than 30 years’ experience make significantly more than their less experienced counterparts. Salaries for seasoned counsel can reach $300,000 annually or more. If you are considering making a change in your employment situation this year, now may be the perfect time to make a transition and seek out a company who is willing to pay for your experience.
Are you looking for your next legal position? If you are looking for legal staffing agencies in DC, contact NRI today.
