Work Environment In May 2006, the Bureau of Labor Statistics OES survey esti-
Salaried lawyers usually have structured work schedules. mated the median annual earnings of all wage-and-salaried lawyers
Lawyers who are in private practice may work irregular hours while at $106,120. The middle half of the occupation earned between
conducting research, conferring with clients, or preparing briefs dur- $69,910 and $145,600.
ing non office hours. Lawyers often work long hours; of those who Median annual earnings in industries employing the largest num-
work full time, about 37 percent work 50 hours or more per week. bers of lawyers were:
Private practice lawyers may also spend a lot of time traveling while Management of companies and enterprises $128,610
working on a case. Federal Government 119,240
They may also face particularly heavy pressure when a case is Legal services 108,100
being tried. Preparation for court includes keeping up to date and Local government 78,810
understanding the latest laws and judicial decisions. State government 75,840
Lawyers increasingly use technology to perform more efficiently.
Most now supplement law libraries and conventional printed sources Most salaried lawyers are provided health and life insurance,
with the Internet and legal databases. Special software is used to and contributions are made to retirement plans on their behalf.
search this legal literature automatically and to identify legal texts rel- Lawyers who practice independently are covered only if they
evant to a specific case. In litigation involving many supporting doc- arrange and pay for such benefits themselves. Top paying States for
uments, lawyers may use computers to organize and index material. this occupation: District of Columbia, California, New York,
Lawyers might use electronic filing, web and videoconferencing, and Delaware, and Georgia.
voice-recognition technology to share information more effectively. Salaries grow with experience, but even entry level positions
pay well. Median salaries of lawyers 9 months after graduation from
law school in 2005 vary by type of work:
All graduates $60,000
Private practice $85,000
Business $60,000
Government $46,158
Academic/judicial clerkships $45,000
Source: National Association of Law Placement
Information on law schools and a career in law may be obtained from
the following organizations:
American Bar Association
www.abanet.org
Job Outlook
National Association for Law Placement,
www.nalp.org
Employment of lawyers is expected to grow 11 percent between
2006 and 2016, even though businesses are increasingly using large
Information on the LSAT, the Law School Data Assembly
accounting firms and paralegals to perform some of the same func-
Service, the law school application process, and financial aid avail-
tions that lawyers do.
able may be obtained from
Competition for job openings should continue to be keen but
Law School Admission Council,
www.lsac.org
graduates with superior academic records from highly regarded law
Information on job opportunities with the Federal Government is
schools will have the best job opportunities. Bilingual and/or bicul-
available from the Office of Personnel Management through
tural lawyers are also in demand. Lawyers with good work experi-
USAJOBS, the Federal Government’s official
ence and willingness to travel or relocate are also highly sought after.
employment information system.
www.usajobs.opm.gov
Lawyers are also increasingly finding work in less traditional
areas for which legal training is an asset, but not normally a require- For advice on how to find and apply for Federal jobs, see
ment—for example, administrative, managerial, and business posi-
www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2004/summer/art01.pdf.
tions in banks, insurance firms, real estate companies, government
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. DOL, Occupational Outlook
agencies, and other organizations. Employment opportunities are
Handbook, 2008-09 Ed., on the Internet at
expected to grow in these organizations. Temporary staffing firms
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos053.htm
that place attorneys in short-term jobs are another way to find
employment.
The Hispanic National Bar Association (HBNA) is a non-profit,
nationwide association representing Hispanic persons in the legal
Salaries
profession—attorneys, judges, law educators and law students.
Salaries of experienced attorneys vary widely according to the
www.hnba.com
type, size, and location of their employer. Lawyers who own their
own practices usually earn less than those who are partners in law
Other Hispanic organizations include:
firms. Lawyers starting their own practice may need to work part
California La Raza Lawyers
www.larazalawyers.net
time in other occupations to supplement their income until their
Mexican American Bar Association of Los Angeles County
practice is well established.
www.mabalawyers.org
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