How Many Lawyer Jobs Are There in the US?
Lawyers are professionals who provide legal advice and representation to their clients. Lawyers may be found working in law firms, corporations or government agencies.
Lawyers are commonly known by multiple titles: attorney, solicitor or barrister. Sometimes these professionals may also be known by nicknames such as ambulance chaser.
Number of Law School Graduates
Law school graduates still face an extremely competitive job market after graduation, although overall employment rates have improved slightly over recent years (but remain well below what was seen pre-recession). Many recent graduates are finding more options available to them such as private practice, the public sector or corporate positions than ever before.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most newly graduated lawyers find employment in the legal industry. This was true again in 2022, when new lawyer jobs totaled 366,700 – including 174,000 leaving and 193,000 transitioning from another occupation – while individual careers often focused on law enforcement or justice administration as opposed to business and finance.
Entry-level positions at large law firms remain the preferred employment options for new graduates; however, the number of such jobs has significantly diminished since their peak for the class of 2008. As a result, more graduates are looking at other areas for work; 29.5 percent of jobs taken by graduates in 2016 included public service roles (such as government jobs or judicial clerkships).
Jobs at smaller law firms (1-10 attorneys) are becoming increasingly attractive to recent graduates. NALP has found over multiple economic cycles that as opportunities in larger law firms decline, more new lawyers opt to join smaller law firms to create their own opportunities. Furthermore, graduates may seek short-term legal work through staffing agencies offering temporary placement.
Jobs in the business sector (excluding small firms) made up 16 percent of total jobs for graduates of 2016. This was an increase from previous years but far less than before the recession. Graduates will find opportunities within business such as compliance roles, health care positions and legal and nonlegal technology positions (legal as well as nonlegal). They may also encounter increased opportunities at e-discovery firms and legal departments.
Number of Lawyers in Private Practice
In the US, approximately 75 percent of lawyers are engaged in private practice, either as partners of a law firm with multiple partners or operating solo practices. Alongside attorneys, private practices often employ paralegals and assistants, IT personnel, law clerks and marketing staff – in addition to attorneys.
Lawyer jobs are in high demand, particularly among specialists in finance, insurance and business. Unfortunately, however, many graduates from law school cannot secure the type of position they desire due to too many graduates for too few open positions; this shortage has put pressure on existing law firms as well as increased competition between existing ones.
As is evident by their positive job outlook and an 8.2 percent average annual growth rate from 2021-2026, lawyers can look forward to an optimistic job market in terms of employment. Furthermore, New York stands out as having particularly strong demand for attorneys given its proximity to major financial, insurance and corporate businesses; additionally there is high demand for patent litigation attorneys and those that specialize in insurance litigation services.
New York is one of the best cities to launch your legal career, providing more opportunities than any other major city. Additionally, New York boasts a diverse population, creating more opportunities for lawyers of color to excel as attorneys. Finally, its lower cost of living than major cities makes New York an accessible option for prospective attorneys.
Attorneys working in the private sector should expect long hours and may even need to work weekends – those not ready or willing to devote the extra hours needed by this profession should not pursue it as a profession.
The United States boasts more attorneys than any other country in the world, with 1.35 million practicing attorneys currently operating within its borders. This number is anticipated to grow with economic development leading more and more companies to hire legal professionals as demand continues to increase.
Average Lawyer Salary in New York
Lawyers typically earn a decent income; the exact figure will depend on where they work and which practice areas they specialize in. Understanding what the average lawyer salary in New York is can provide potential legal professionals an idea of their career prospects and provide benchmark figures for those already practicing law.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, lawyers earned an annual median wage of $126,930 in May 2021. Law school graduates in large firms typically earned the highest wages at around an average annual average salary of approximately $1688,000 while small firm practitioners made between $56,500 and $82,000 yearly; other graduates may take on judicial clerkships, public interest jobs or government roles as their source of employment.
Though there may be high-paying law jobs available, many attorneys find that their salaries don’t provide them with enough income to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle in their local area. They need enough to pay off student loans and other debts as well as set money aside for emergencies or retirement; in order to do this, their income needs to increase substantially.
Change can come in various forms: switching employers or furthering education can both increase earning potential and the size of salary packages. An advanced degree can open doors to higher earnings potential while managerial experience often yields increased pay checks.
One way to increase your attorney salary is to tailor the type of clients you work with. While certain cases require greater consideration and detail than others, this will affect how much time each client requires from you and thus, increase overall income.
Attorney jobs in the United States are in high demand and have seen an annual growth rate of 4% between 2019-2029. Of all states, District of Columbia boasts the highest-paying average annual salaries with attorneys making on average around $168,200, followed by Massachusetts and New York – Rhode Island is where these jobs tend to make less – earning on average an annual average annual salary of just $142,400 for attorneys.
Number of Lawyers in the U.S.
Legal business sector of economy accounts for $160 billion and employs nearly 1.3 million people, so it is no surprise that aspiring attorneys and current legal professionals want to get a good understanding of its state. 2020 ABA Profile of Legal Profession provides some interesting statistics regarding lawyers such as numbers in each county as well as nationwide opportunities.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a moderate employment outlook for lawyers through 2026, though competition will likely remain fierce as more students graduate law school each year than there are jobs available. Entry-level jobs that require a JD exist; moreover, careers such as paralegals, contact representatives, policy analysts hearing and appeal specialists and estate tax examiners also make up this field of law.
Litigation, advising and regulatory roles are common within the legal profession. Litigation involves preparing for and conducting trials, depositions and other court proceedings; advisory roles involve serving as counselors to clients or providing analysis to agencies like FDA; while regulatory positions help ensure federal laws and regulations are upheld.
Based on their area of specialization, attorneys may enjoy higher earning niches than others in the industry. Medical attorneys average an annual median salary of $152,881. Other lucrative specializations for attorneys include handling high-profile cases that can generate six-figure earnings.
Some states have lower attorney density than others, with some counties lacking any attorneys at all – an area referred to as “legal deserts.” Yet some of these states have seen recent growth in practicing attorneys – North Dakota saw an 18 percent increase over 10 years alone!
Some attorneys work in the public sector while others may choose self-employment or large private firms as employers. Still, public service employment remains an attractive opportunity for attorneys with many internship and fellowship positions available for recent law graduates – not to mention providing a foundation for future practice.
