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Role hub · Lawyers

Lawyer: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of lawyers earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$159,670
Hourly
$76.76
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Lawyers represent clients in criminal and civil litigation and other legal proceedings, draw up legal documents, or manage or advise clients on legal transactions. The median pay is $159,670 a year ($76.76 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a doctoral degree (77% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$159,670
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
754,500
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 5 of 5
extensive preparation
Most common education
Doctoral Degree
77% of workers
Explore the role

Every page for Lawyers

SalaryLawyer salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

Open →How to becomeLawyer how to become

Education, training and the skills to build first.

Open →ResumeLawyer resume

Keywords, bullet formulas and the skills to prove.

Open →Interview questionsLawyer interview questions

Questions with what they test, plus practice mode.

Open →Career changeLawyer career change

Where these skills transfer, with skill match and pay change.

Open →Free toolCheck your resume

Parsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.

Open →
The work

What lawyers do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Interpret laws, rulings and regulations for individuals and businesses.
  2. Analyze the probable outcomes of cases, using knowledge of legal precedents.
  3. Gather evidence to formulate defense or to initiate legal actions by such means as interviewing clients and witnesses to ascertain the facts of a case.
  4. Represent clients in court or before government agencies.
  5. Evaluate findings and develop strategies and arguments in preparation for presentation of cases.
  6. Advise clients concerning business transactions, claim liability, advisability of prosecuting or defending lawsuits, or legal rights and obligations.
  7. Examine legal data to determine advisability of defending or prosecuting lawsuit.
  8. Prepare, draft, and review legal documents, such as wills, deeds, patent applications, mortgages, leases, and contracts.
Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

SpeakingcoreReading ComprehensioncoreActive ListeningcoreCritical ThinkingWritingComplex Problem SolvingJudgment and Decision MakingPersuasionNegotiation

Knowledge areas: Law and Government, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Administrative, Computers and Electronics, Communications and Media.

Tools and technology

Software lawyers use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Google AnalyticsData mining softwareHot technology
  • BQE Software BillQuickBilling and invoicing software
  • Convex FactLogicAnalytical or scientific software
  • Direct Hit Systems THREADSAnalytical or scientific software
  • Equative TimeLedgerTime accounting software
  • Fastcase legal softwareInformation retrieval or search software
  • I-many Contract ManagementContent workflow software
  • LexisNexisInformation retrieval or search software
  • LexisNexis Shepard's Citations ServiceInformation retrieval or search software
  • Microsoft PublisherDesktop publishing software
  • SMEsource BillingOrchardBilling and invoicing software
  • Sage TimeslipsTime accounting software

Also called: Attorney, Attorney at Law, Attorney General, Counsel, County Attorney, District Attorney.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).