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How people become Lawyers: training, timelines, and first-year pay
$159,328
Lawyers earn a $159,328 median wage (BLS 2025). Here is the 7-year path, first-year pay by sector, and employment outlook through 2034.
Lawyers in the US earn a median of $159,328 (BLS OES 2025). Reaching that number takes 7 years of post-secondary education minimum, a bar exam, and usually 2-3 years of associate-level work before compensation stabilizes.
TL;DR
- Median annual wage for Lawyers (SOC 23-1011): $159,328 (BLS OES 2025)
- Total time from college enrollment to first licensed job: 7 years minimum (4-year bachelor's + 3-year JD)
- First-year associate pay ranges widely: $80k–$215k+ depending on firm size and market
- 754,500 lawyers were employed nationally as of the 2025 survey
- Employment growth projected at 4.2% from 2024 to 2034, classified as average
Next step: Use our lawyer salary explorer to find the median in your target state before you accept an offer.
The Number
Lawyers (SOC 23-1011) earned a median annual wage of $159,328 in the May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (BLS OES, retrieved 2026).
From here we shorten to $159k for readability.
The mean wage was $185,844, which is $26,516 above the median. A spread that large between median and mean signals a right-skewed distribution: a relatively small group of partners and senior counsel at large firms pulls the average up significantly.
Total employment counted in the survey: 754,500 lawyers across all sectors.
What the Number Does Not Say
BLS OES reports wages for employed workers who responded to the survey. It does not capture:
- Solo practitioners who file as self-employed and do not appear in the payroll sample
- Partners at law firms whose income is drawn as profit distributions, not wages
- Lawyers working in roles classified under other SOC codes (judges, compliance officers, law professors)
The $159k median reflects the employed, wage-earning majority, not the highest earners at the top of the equity ladder. New graduates with no experience will almost certainly start below this number. The median is a mid-career benchmark, not a first-year promise.
BLS also suppresses data for (role, area) pairs where the sample is too small to report reliably. If you are researching a low-population state, check the BLS OES state detail page directly for suppression flags.
The Path: Training and Timeline
Becoming a licensed lawyer in the US is a fixed sequence. There is no shortcut through the mandatory steps.
Step 1: Undergraduate Degree (4 years)
No specific major is required for law school admission. Pre-law students commonly choose political science, history, philosophy, or English. What matters is GPA and the LSAT score.
The LSAT is a standardized test of logical reasoning and reading comprehension. Most competitive law schools expect a score above 160 (75th percentile). Students spend 3–6 months preparing, many taking the exam during junior year.
Step 2: Law School (3 years)
A Juris Doctor (JD) is the entry credential. O*NET classifies this occupation at Job Zone 5, the highest level, requiring a doctoral or professional degree with no substitution by experience.
Law school runs 3 academic years full-time. The first year (1L) covers core subjects:
- Contracts
- Torts
- Civil Procedure
- Constitutional Law
- Criminal Law
- Legal Writing
Second and third years allow specialization: tax, corporate, criminal defense, immigration, intellectual property.
Total post-secondary time at this point: 7 years.
Step 3: The Bar Exam
After graduating, candidates must pass the bar exam in the state where they intend to practice. Most states now use the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE). The pass rate on the first attempt averages roughly 55–65% nationally, depending on the jurisdiction.
Exam prep typically takes 8–10 weeks of full-time study using commercial bar prep courses.
Step 4: First Job
Most law school graduates enter one of four tracks:
- BigLaw associate (100+ attorney firm): highest base pay, longest hours
- Government or public interest: lower base, defined hours, loan forgiveness eligibility
- Judicial clerkship (1-2 years): modest pay, substantial career value
- Small or mid-size firm: pay varies sharply by geography and practice area
First-Year Pay: What New Lawyers Actually Earn
This is where the $159k median becomes misleading for someone just starting out.
The BigLaw Scale
Large firms that follow the Cravath scale paid first-year associates $215,000 in base salary in 2024-2025. That figure covers a small fraction of the total lawyer population. Firms at this level typically recruit exclusively from top-14 law schools.
The Broader Market
For the majority of new graduates, first-year salaries fall in a wide range. The distribution is famously bimodal: a cluster near $80k–$90k for small firm and public sector work, and a separate cluster near $215k for BigLaw.
The $159k median sits between these two clusters and is therefore not representative of any single starting point. It reflects the full employed population, including mid-career attorneys.
Public Sector and Loan Forgiveness
Federal government attorney positions (GS-11 to GS-13 for entry-level) pay roughly $73k–$107k in 2025, depending on location and step. State and local government pay is lower.
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program cancels remaining federal student loan balances after 10 years of qualifying public sector payments. For graduates with $150k–$250k in law school debt, this changes the effective compensation math significantly.
Career Trajectory
| Stage | Typical Years of Experience | Approximate Pay Range |
|---|---|---|
| New associate (small/public) | 0–2 | $70k–$100k |
| New associate (BigLaw) | 0–2 | $215k |
| Senior associate | 3–6 | $120k–$280k |
| Counsel / Of Counsel | 6–10 | $150k–$350k |
| Partner (equity) | 10+ | $300k–$1M+ |
These ranges are market estimates derived from publicly disclosed salary scales and law firm recruiting data. They are not from the BLS OES file, which does not break out by experience level.
The $159,328 national median reflects the full employed population. A new lawyer at a small firm should model $75k–$90k. A BigLaw first-year should model $215k. The median is a career midpoint, not a starting line.
Employment Outlook
BLS projects 4.2% growth for lawyers between 2024 and 2034 (BLS Employment Projections). The base employment figure in the projection dataset is 865,000 (in thousands: 865 units), projected to reach 901,000 by 2034.
This growth rate is classified as average, matching the economy-wide rate across all occupations.
Factors shaping demand:
- Corporate legal work tied to merger and regulatory activity
- Immigration and asylum caseloads
- Technology sector IP litigation
- State budget cycles affecting public defender and prosecutor offices
- Legal technology (document review automation) reducing demand for junior associate hours in large firms
The outlook is stable but not fast-growing. The barrier to entry remains the credential, not the volume of openings.
Comparing Paths: Full-Time JD vs. Part-Time / Online Options
Some accredited law schools offer part-time evening programs that extend the JD to 4 years instead of 3. This allows students to keep working during school.
| Path | Duration | Cost Range | Bar Eligibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-time JD (ABA accredited) | 3 years | $120k–$260k total | All US jurisdictions |
| Part-time JD (ABA accredited) | 4 years | $90k–$180k total | All US jurisdictions |
| California-accredited (non-ABA) | 4 years | $40k–$80k total | California only |
| Online JD (ABA accredited) | 3–4 years | $50k–$130k total | Most jurisdictions |
Only ABA-accredited degrees are accepted for bar admission in all 50 states. California accredits some non-ABA schools, but graduates can only sit for the California bar. Research ABA accreditation status before enrolling in any program.
Sources and Methodology
| Source | Observation Date | How We Used It |
|---|---|---|
| BLS OES 23-1011 | May 2025 | National median and mean wage, total employment |
| O*NET 23-1011.00 | 2025 | Education requirement, Job Zone classification, experience requirement |
| BLS Employment Projections | 2024–2034 cycle | 10-year growth rate and projected employment count |
The national median ($159,328) is sourced from BLS OES May 2025 data as provided in the RateOrchard fact bundle derived from the BLS release. We did not round this figure. The mean ($185,844) is reported verbatim from the same source.
Bar exam pass rates and first-year salary ranges (BigLaw scale, government GS schedule) are drawn from publicly available sources including NALP, the UBE score release data, and federal pay tables. These figures are not from BLS OES and are noted as estimates where applicable.
FAQ
How long does it take to become a lawyer?
At minimum, 7 years after high school: 4 years for a bachelor's degree and 3 years for a full-time JD program. Add 8–10 weeks for bar prep before you can practice. Students who take gap years, pursue part-time law school (4 years), or clerk after graduation typically enter active practice 8–10 years after starting college. The clock starts at the bachelor's degree, and there is no accredited shortcut in the US for a traditional law license.
What is the median salary for a lawyer in the US?
The BLS OES May 2025 survey puts the national median at $159,328 for Lawyers (SOC 23-1011). The mean is $185,844. The gap between median and mean reflects a skewed distribution: most lawyers earn below $185k, but a smaller group of senior partners and high-volume litigation attorneys pulls the average up. Use the median as the realistic benchmark. For state-level figures, see our lawyer salary page.
Do you need a specific undergraduate major to get into law school?
No. Law schools do not require a specific major. Admissions decisions weight GPA and LSAT score most heavily, followed by personal statement and recommendation letters. Philosophy, English, and history are common pre-law majors because they build the analytical writing skills tested in law school, but a STEM major with a strong GPA and LSAT score is equally competitive.
What is BigLaw and does it pay more?
"BigLaw" refers to law firms with roughly 100 or more attorneys, concentrated in major markets like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C. These firms pay first-year associates on a lockstep salary scale. In 2024-2025, that scale starts at $215,000 base. Not counting bonuses. This is significantly above the $159k national median. The trade-off is typically 2,000+ billable hours per year, intense deadline pressure, and highly selective hiring from top law school graduating classes.
Is the job market for lawyers growing?
BLS projects 4.2% employment growth for lawyers from 2024 to 2034, which it classifies as average, matching the projected growth rate for all occupations combined. Absolute employment is projected to grow from roughly 865,000 to 901,000. The market is not shrinking, but it is not a fast-growth field. Specific practice areas (immigration, cybersecurity law, healthcare regulation) are growing faster than the average; document review roles face pressure from legal automation tools.
What licenses or certifications do lawyers need?
Every lawyer must pass the bar exam in the state where they practice and complete a character and fitness review by the state bar. Lawyers who practice before federal agencies or courts need separate federal admissions. Some specialties have voluntary certifications (board certification in tax law, criminal law, etc.) from state bar associations. Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits are required annually or biannually in most states to maintain an active license.
For more detail on state-by-state pay differences, visit our lawyer salary page. If you are earlier in the research process, our how to become a lawyer guide covers the application process, LSAT prep, and law school selection in full.