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On average how much money do you make?

I am a senior #lawyer

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Robert’s Answer

As a general rule of thumb, it is safe to say that at the lower end of the salary scale are city/county/state government attorneys (including, as Ann mentioned, public defenders). From there a lot of small firms and federal government employees will likely earn similar salaries. Medium-size firms and in house counsel will be another step up. Large firms are almost inevitably the highest paid, in base salary and potential bonuses.

These answers may be skewed for a couple reasons. First, a small 3-person personal injury firm could win a huge settlement/trial and everyone makes a lot in that year. Second, firms in big cities (NY, LA, etc) are generally going to pay more than those in small or mid-size cities.

One great resource I use to gauge salaries of potential employers is glassdoor.com. These are self-reported salaries, so governments, medium size firms, and large firms will be more likely to have the reports you're looking for. Another similar website is NALP.org.
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Ann’s Answer

Hi Shelby,

This is a great question. Salary will depend greatly on the type of law you end up practicing. For example, a corporate attorney at a large law firm will like make more than a public defender. To give you an idea though, the median salary for lawyers in the US make around $190,000 a year. This is according to onetonline.org. I recommend checking the site out to get more information.
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