The Career in a Law Firm
What does it mean to be a Lawyer in the Private Sector?
The Practice Environment
Categories of Lawyers include: Public Interest, Solo Practice, and the Law Firm. Working with firms is different from government agency work and offers many additional benefits as well. Some include: well-credited colleagues, sophisticated and challenging work, a diverse client base, more resources, larger support staff, and of course, a higher salary and compensation.
Compensation
Law firms rank among the highest paid practice environments. The median salary of lawyers is $114,300 (data from 2013). Generally lawyers, judges, and management make over $100,000 a year, and even lower levels like paralegals, law clerks, and mediators make between $30,000 and $100,000 per year.
Education and Training
Becoming a Lawyer requires some extensive educational training: (varies by state)
- Four Year Undergrad Degree
- Three years of law school
- Pass the BAR Exam
- Pass ethics examination
Yale, Harvard, and Stanford rank in top three of law schools in the counrty