Lawyers

Median salary

$159,670

Average salary

$185,840

Employment

754,500

Projected growth

4.1% growth

Annual openings

31,500

Typical entry education

Doctoral or professional degree

What Lawyers Do

Represent clients in criminal and civil litigation and other legal proceedings, draw up legal documents, or manage or advise clients on legal transactions. May specialize in a single area or may practice broadly in many areas of law.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: None
Self-employed: 11.9%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 5 of 5

Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed

Experience: Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience.
Education: Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Job training: Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Law and Governmentimportance 5.0/5
English Languageimportance 4.7/5
Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.0/5
Administrativeimportance 3.2/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.1/5
Communications and Mediaimportance 3.0/5
Administration and Managementimportance 2.8/5
Education and Trainingimportance 2.6/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

E-Mail5.0/5
Telephone Conversations4.9/5
Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals4.8/5
Contact With Others4.8/5
Freedom to Make Decisions4.7/5
Spend Time Sitting4.5/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Labor Relations Specialists98% skill match
Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes97% skill match
Public Relations Specialists97% skill match
Fundraisers97% skill match
Insurance Underwriters97% skill match
Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists96% skill match
Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers96% skill match
Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates96% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Complex Problem Solvingimportance 4.1/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 4.1/5
Persuasionimportance 4.0/5
Negotiationimportance 4.0/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.8/5
Time Managementimportance 3.6/5
Coordinationimportance 3.5/5
Systems Analysisimportance 3.4/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

ADC Legal Systems Perfect Practice
ADERANT Expert Matter Center
Abacus Data Systems AbacusLaw
AbacusNext HotDocs
Advanced Technologies Class Act
AdvantageLaw WinVantage
Anacomp CaseLogistix
Argosy Legal Systems Power Closer

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Integrity
Attention to Detail
Dependability
Intellectual Curiosity
Achievement Orientation
Cautiousness
Stress Tolerance

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

EnterprisingHigh
ConventionalMedium
InvestigativeMedium
SocialMedium
ArtisticLow
RealisticLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.