How much money do a lawyer make a year?

Hi Kris-

Prior to my career in finance, I worked as an attorney for 6 years. Attorney salaries can vary widely depending on the geography and sector you work in. I can speak to the San Francisco Bay Area: in the public interest realm, they can be in the $40K to $60K range. Govenment is $70K to $120K (depending on experience). Private practice varies, but goes from ~$75K starting out to some salaries as high as $170K for first year associates (these are the elite private firms).

<span style="color: rgb(67, 58, 83);">You should know that not every lawyer is rich. Becoming an attorney is not a silver bullet (like not every star athlete in college makes it in professional sports). I am not saying that you will not be successful. Things that work in your favor would be going to a good law school and making it on law review. Law review members usually get the best internships while in law school which usually lead to full time offers upon graduation. Are there successful lawyers who didn't do this? Yes. Plenty. These lawyers are either great trial attorneys or great entrepreneurs, meaning they know how to hustle and get the job done on their own. So I would suggest taking trail classes/clinics in law school so you can take cases on your own regardless if you intend to be a trail attorney or not. Also take classes/clinics on setting up your own law firm and what that will require. Law school is not a guarantee, so make sure it is what you really want to do.</span>

<span style="color: rgb(67, 58, 83);"> </span>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_school_rankings_in_the_United_States