Types of Lawyers and their Salaries According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is a 10 percent growth rate for lawyers from the year 2012 to 2022. The 2012 median pay was USD 113,530 per year or USD 54.58 per hour. The profession of a lawyer is considered to be of crucial importance in the society, especially as it involves dealing with crucial legal matters that arise in different walks of life. Matters related to business, family, or even social conflicts including animal rights, employment rights, racialism, sexual harassment, injury, etc., need to be taken to the court. A family lawyer job description qualified and legit lawyer is the one who is lawyer near me appointed to help the victim/accused deal with the legalities involved in the process to achieve justice. While the Bureau of Labor Statistics gives a generalized salary information of this profession, in truth, the salary varies greatly depending upon the kind of lawyer. A lawyer may attain specialty in certain areas such as crime, animal welfare, bankruptcy, insurance, and the like. According to the website Chron, "Corporate lawyers are generally the highest-paid attorneys in the United States." LIST OF TYPES OF LAWYERS AND THEIR SALARY INFORMATION Lawyers provide services for a particular fee from the client, and take necessary steps to resolve court matters in their client's favor. The issues of clients may include anything from divorce, property rights, criminal matters, tax payments, insurance reimbursements, and so on. The following list will inform you regarding what kind of lawyers are there and how much do they earn.* Note:The following tables consist of the state-wise average salaries. These median salaries are calculated after evaluating more than 50 million job postings from thousands of sources over the past one year, as stated by the website Indeed. All figures are as of June 2014 and are in US Dollars. All figures are average annual salaries and may vary based on education, experience, location, type of employer, and so on. 1. FAMILY LAWYER A family or divorce lawyer is hired to carry out legal formalities regarding family matters such as divorce, child adoption, child custody, child support, and the like. The salary range for a family lawyer varies depending upon the level of experience, education, qualification, reputation, and the area of living. According to the website, PayScale, their salary range is USD 48,366 - USD 118,644, annually. After including added earnings such as profit sharing and bonus, they may earn up to USD 145,437. The following table consists of the state-wise median salary information of family lawyers, as obtained from the website, Indeed. Average Salary by State Alabama $79,000 Alaska
$58,000 Arizona $64,000 Arkansas $78,000 California $84,000 Colorado $69,000 Connecticut $90,000 Delaware $68,000 Florida $72,000 Georgia $89,000 Hawaii $48,000 Idaho $53,000 Illinois $88,000 Indiana $75,000 Iowa
$76,000 Kansas $71,000 Kentucky $67,000 Louisiana $68,000 Maine $69,000 Maryland $80,000 Massachusetts $93,000 Michigan $79,000 Minnesota $68,000 Mississippi $81,000 Missouri $76,000 Montana $69,000 Nebraska $57,000 Nevada
$60,000 New Hampshire $77,000 New Jersey $84,000 New Mexico $68,000 New York $94,000 North Carolina $74,000 North Dakota $69,000 Ohio $74,000 Oklahoma $72,000 Oregon $75,000 Pennsylvania $75,000 Rhode Island $71,000 South Carolina $76,000 South Dakota
$59,000 Tennessee $72,000 Texas $75,000 Utah $61,000 Vermont $69,000 Virginia $78,000 Washington $80,000 West Virginia $74,000 Wisconsin $69,000 Wyoming $64,000 2. BANKRUPTCY LAWYER The whole process of declaring and filing for bankruptcy can be quite complicated without professional assistance. You may require the services of a bankruptcy lawyer to get the formalities done smoothly. The salary website PayScale states that a bankruptcy attorney typically earns between USD 58,537 - USD 105,151 annually. The following table consists of the state-wise median salary information of these lawyers, as mentioned on the website, Indeed. Average Salary by State Alabama $83,000
Alaska $61,000 Arizona $68,000 Arkansas $83,000 California $88,000 Colorado $73,000 Connecticut $95,000 Delaware $72,000 Florida $77,000 Georgia $94,000 Hawaii $51,000 Idaho $56,000 Illinois $93,000 Indiana $79,000
Iowa $80,000 Kansas $75,000 Kentucky $71,000 Louisiana $72,000 Maine $73,000 Maryland $85,000 Massachusetts $99,000 Michigan $83,000 Minnesota $72,000 Mississippi $86,000 Missouri $81,000 Montana $73,000 Nebraska $60,000
Nevada $63,000 New Hampshire $81,000 New Jersey $89,000 New Mexico $72,000 New York $99,000 North Carolina $79,000 North Dakota $73,000 Ohio $79,000 Oklahoma $76,000 Oregon $79,000 Pennsylvania $79,000 Rhode Island $75,000 South Carolina $80,000
South Dakota $62,000 Tennessee $76,000 Texas $80,000 Utah $65,000 Vermont $73,000 Virginia $83,000 Washington $84,000 West Virginia $78,000 Wisconsin $73,000 Wyoming $68,000 3. CORPORATE LAWYER The corporate world is ruled by many customs, codes, regulations, and laws. These may be related to the commencement of a business, registration, dissolution, amalgamation, or any other process(es) that are a part of running a corporation successfully. A corporate lawyer works for companies, assisting them in getting all these formalities done, and saving their millions of dollars in return. This is the reason these lawyers are paid handsomely, if employed in huge corporations, and are considered to be the highest paid among their peers in the United States. The yearly salary of a corporate lawyer falls in range of USD 49,579 to USD 210,000, according to the website PayScale. When the earnings are calculated with bonus, profit sharing, and other benefits, they range within USD 49,761 to USD 287,250. Have a look at what their median salaries look like.
Average Salary by State Alabama $103,000 Alaska $76,000 Arizona $84,000 Arkansas $103,000 California $110,000 Colorado $91,000 Connecticut $117,000 Delaware $90,000 Florida $95,000 Georgia $116,000 Hawaii $64,000 Idaho $69,000 Illinois
$116,000 Indiana $98,000 Iowa $100,000 Kansas $93,000 Kentucky $88,000 Louisiana $90,000 Maine $90,000 Maryland $105,000 Massachusetts $122,000
Michigan $103,000 Minnesota $89,000 Mississippi $106,000 Missouri $100,000
Montana $90,000 Nebraska $75,000 Nevada $79,000 New Hampshire $101,000 New Jersey $110,000 New Mexico $89,000 New York $123,000 North Carolina $97,000 North Dakota $91,000 Ohio $98,000 Oklahoma $94,000 Oregon $98,000 Pennsylvania $98,000
Rhode Island $93,000 South Carolina $100,000 South Dakota $77,000 Tennessee $94,000 Texas $99,000 Utah $80,000 Vermont $90,000 Virginia $103,000 Washington $105,000 West Virginia $96,000 Wisconsin $91,000 Wyoming $85,000 4. LIFE INSURANCE LAWYER The services of a life insurance lawyer are required for executing life insurance formalities, and also
to make sure that life insurance payment is received duly from the insurance company. The usual pay range of these lawyers, according to the website, THE RICHEST, is believed to be within USD 49,616 to USD 157,215, however, the amounts may vary depending upon the location and state. Listed below are their state-wise median earnings of this professional, annually. Average Salary by State Alabama $65,000 Alaska $48,000 Arizona $53,000 Arkansas $65,000 California $69,000 Colorado $57,000 Connecticut $74,000 Delaware $57,000 Florida $60,000 Georgia $74,000 Hawaii $40,000
Idaho $44,000 Illinois $73,000 Indiana $62,000 Iowa $63,000 Kansas $59,000 Kentucky $55,000 Louisiana $57,000 Maine $57,000 Maryland $66,000 Massachusetts $77,000 Michigan $65,000 Minnesota $56,000 Mississippi $67,000
Missouri $63,000 Montana $57,000 Nebraska $47,000 Nevada $50,000 New Hampshire $64,000 New Jersey $70,000 New Mexico $56,000 New York $78,000 North Carolina $62,000 North Dakota $57,000 Ohio $62,000 Oklahoma $59,000 Oregon $62,000
Pennsylvania $62,000 Rhode Island $59,000 South Carolina $63,000 South Dakota $49,000 Tennessee $60,000 Texas $63,000 Utah $51,000 Vermont $57,000 Virginia $65,000 Washington $66,000 West Virginia $61,000 Wisconsin $57,000 Wyoming $53,000
5. CRIMINAL LAWYER A criminal lawyer is needed for the defense of an individual accused of a crime which may include murder, robbery, rape, etc. Criminal defense lawyers can earn between the range of USD 39,911 USD 140,939 per annum, according to the website, PayScale. The earning may increase up to USD 207,128 after adding bonus and profit sharing. Listed below are the salaries of a criminal lawyer according to the state of earning. Average Salary by State Alabama $60,000 Alaska $44,000 Arizona $49,000 Arkansas $59,000 California $63,000 Colorado $52,000 Connecticut $68,000 Delaware $52,000 Florida $55,000 Georgia $67,000 Hawaii
$37,000 Idaho $40,000 Illinois $67,000 Indiana $57,000 Iowa $58,000 Kansas $54,000 Kentucky $51,000 Louisiana $52,000 Maine $52,000 Maryland $61,000 Massachusetts $71,000 Michigan $60,000 Minnesota $52,000 Mississippi
$61,000 Missouri $58,000 Montana $52,000 Nebraska $43,000 Nevada $45,000 New Hampshire $58,000 New Jersey $64,000 New Mexico $52,000 New York $71,000 North Carolina $56,000 North Dakota $53,000 Ohio $56,000 Oklahoma $54,000 Oregon
$57,000 Pennsylvania $57,000 Rhode Island $54,000 South Carolina $58,000 South Dakota $45,000 Tennessee $55,000 Texas $57,000 Utah $46,000 Vermont $52,000 Virginia $59,000 Washington $60,000 West Virginia $56,000 Wisconsin $53,000 Wyoming
$49,000 6. TAX LAWYER Tax lawyers are specialists in the field of tax law and are hired by businesses and individuals for the purpose of filing tax returns or carrying out other tax formalities. These attorneys may draw annual salaries between USD 57,647 to USD 174,606 (without bonus and profit sharing) and USD 58,072 to USD 211,384 (with bonus and profit sharing), according to the website PayScale. The state-wise salaries of these lawyers are mentioned as under. Average Salary by State Alabama $89,000 Alaska $66,000 Arizona $73,000 Arkansas $89,000 California $95,000 Colorado $78,000 Connecticut $101,000 Delaware $78,000 Florida $82,000 Georgia $100,000
Hawaii $55,000 Idaho $60,000 Illinois $100,000 Indiana $85,000 Iowa $86,000 Kansas $80,000 Kentucky $76,000 Louisiana $78,000 Maine $78,000 Maryland $91,000 Massachusetts $106,000 Michigan $89,000 Minnesota $77,000
Mississippi $92,000 Missouri $86,000 Montana $78,000 Nebraska $65,000 Nevada $68,000 New Hampshire $87,000 New Jersey $95,000 New Mexico $77,000 New York $106,000 North Carolina $84,000 North Dakota $78,000 Ohio $84,000 Oklahoma $81,000
Oregon $85,000 Pennsylvania $85,000 Rhode Island $81,000 South Carolina $86,000 South Dakota $67,000 Tennessee $82,000 Texas $85,000 Utah $69,000 Vermont $78,000 Virginia $89,000 Washington $90,000 West Virginia $83,000 Wisconsin $79,000
Wyoming $73,000 7. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAWYER Intellectual property consists of patents, trademarks, copyrights on original work of art, poems, novels, publishing, and entities of similar nature. These lawyers safeguard the owner's right to the original signs, content, products, or logos. The salary range of these lawyers vary between USD 78,760 to USD 195,772 per year. When including the benefits such as profit sharing and bonuses, the earnings may range within USD 79,189 to USD 226,592, according to the website PayScale. Average Salary by State Alabama $103,000 Alaska $76,000 Arizona $84,000 Arkansas $103,000 California $110,000 Colorado $91,000 Connecticut $117,000 Delaware $90,000 Florida $95,000 Georgia
$116,000 Hawaii $64,000 Idaho $69,000 Illinois $116,000 Indiana $98,000 Iowa $100,000 Kansas $93,000 Kentucky $88,000 Louisiana $90,000 Maine $90,000 Maryland $105,000 Massachusetts $122,000 Michigan $103,000 Minnesota
$89,000 Mississippi $106,000 Missouri $100,000 Montana $90,000 Nebraska $75,000 Nevada $79,000 New Hampshire $101,000 New Jersey $110,000 New Mexico $89,000 New York $123,000 North Carolina $97,000 North Dakota $91,000 Ohio $98,000 Oklahoma
$94,000 Oregon $98,000 Pennsylvania $98,000 Rhode Island $93,000 South Carolina $100,000 South Dakota $77,000 Tennessee $94,000 Texas $99,000 Utah $80,000 Vermont $90,000 Virginia $103,000 Washington $105,000 West Virginia $96,000 Wisconsin
$91,000 Wyoming $85,000 8. EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS LAWYER Clients of employment lawyers include workers who are terminated from jobs using illegal or unfair means, facing employee compensation issues, or dealing with harassment at the workplace. An experienced employment lawyer may earn within the range of USD 100,116 to USD 202,987 per annum, as stated on the website, THE RICHEST. Average Salary by State Alabama $80,000 Alaska $59,000 Arizona $65,000 Arkansas $79,000 California $85,000 Colorado $70,000 Connecticut $91,000 Delaware $69,000 Florida $73,000
Georgia $90,000 Hawaii $49,000 Idaho $53,000 Illinois $89,000 Indiana $76,000 Iowa $77,000 Kansas $72,000 Kentucky $68,000 Louisiana $69,000 Maine $70,000 Maryland $81,000 Massachusetts $94,000 Michigan $80,000
Minnesota $69,000 Mississippi $82,000 Missouri $77,000 Montana $69,000 Nebraska $58,000 Nevada $61,000 New Hampshire $78,000 New Jersey $85,000 New Mexico $69,000 New York $95,000
North Carolina $75,000 North Dakota $70,000 Ohio $75,000 Oklahoma $72,000 Oregon $76,000 Pennsylvania $76,000 Rhode Island $72,000 South Carolina $77,000 South Dakota $60,000 Tennessee $73,000 Texas $76,000 Utah $62,000 Vermont
$70,000 Virginia $79,000 Washington $81,000 West Virginia $74,000 Wisconsin $70,000 Wyoming $65,000 9. REAL ESTATE LAWYER A lawyer expert in the field of real estate helps clients to deal with matters that involve buying a house, selling property, tenancy conflicts, lease formalities, and the like. All these affairs require proper legal documentation and other formalities which require professional expertise. The salary range of this attorney falls within the range of USD 50,904 to USD 155,071 per year, according to the website, PayScale. The same website states that when bonus, profit sharing, and other forms of earnings are included, the earnings may raise up to USD 176,036. Average Salary by State Alabama $95,000 Alaska $70,000 Arizona $77,000 Arkansas $94,000 California
$101,000 Colorado $83,000 Connecticut $108,000 Delaware $82,000 Florida $87,000 Georgia $107,000 Hawaii $58,000 Idaho $63,000 Illinois $106,000 Indiana $90,000 Iowa $91,000 Kansas $86,000 Kentucky $81,000 Louisiana
$82,000 Maine $83,000 Maryland $96,000 Massachusetts $112,000 Michigan $95,000 Minnesota $82,000 Mississippi $97,000 Missouri $92,000 Montana $83,000 Nebraska $69,000 Nevada $72,000 New Hampshire $92,000 New Jersey $101,000 New Mexico
$82,000 New York $113,000 North Carolina $89,000 North Dakota $83,000 Ohio $90,000 Oklahoma $86,000 Oregon $90,000 Pennsylvania $90,000 Rhode Island $86,000 South Carolina $92,000 South Dakota $71,000 Tennessee $87,000 Texas $91,000 Utah
$74,000 Vermont $83,000 Virginia $94,000 Washington $96,000 West Virginia $89,000 Wisconsin $83,000 Wyoming $78,000 10. PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER A personal injury lawyer is needed for assistance in case of an accidental injury, be it physical or psychological in nature, due to the wrongdoing or negligence of someone else. This professional also fights for wrongful deaths. He/she takes care of everything from medical compensation to insurance claims to filing legal charges against the accused. Depending upon the nature of work, the salary range of an experienced lawyer may range within USD 41,583 to USD 124,247, according to the website, THE RICHEST. Note that these figures may vary depending upon many other factors. Average Salary by State Alabama $38,000 Alaska $28,000 Arizona $31,000 Arkansas
$38,000 California $41,000 Colorado $34,000 Connecticut $44,000 Delaware $33,000 Florida $35,000 Georgia $43,000 Hawaii $24,000 Idaho $26,000 Illinois $43,000 Indiana $36,000 Iowa $37,000 Kansas $35,000 Kentucky
$33,000 Louisiana $33,000 Maine $34,000 Maryland $39,000 Massachusetts $46,000 Michigan $38,000 Minnesota $33,000 Mississippi $39,000 Missouri $37,000 Montana $33,000 Nebraska $28,000 Nevada $29,000 New Hampshire $37,000 New Jersey
$41,000 New Mexico $33,000 New York $46,000 North Carolina $36,000 North Dakota $34,000 Ohio $36,000 Oklahoma $35,000 Oregon $36,000 Pennsylvania $37,000 Rhode Island $35,000 South Carolina $37,000 South Dakota $29,000 Tennessee $35,000 Texas
$37,000 Utah $30,000 Vermont $34,000 Virginia $38,000 Washington $39,000 West Virginia $36,000 Wisconsin $34,000 Wyoming $31,000 11. IMMIGRATION LAWYER The clients of an immigration lawyer include those who are thinking of immigrating to a new country for obtaining a residence or job. This lawyer specializes in immigration law and handles cases related to citizenship, deportation, obtaining work visas, green cards, and the like. PayScale states the annual salary range of this professional to be within USD 40,963 to USD 104,916. With additional cash earnings including bonus and profits, it may go up to USD 107,753. Average Salary by State Alabama $59,000 Alaska $44,000 Arizona $48,000
Arkansas $59,000 California $63,000 Colorado $52,000 Connecticut $68,000 Delaware $52,000 Florida $55,000 Georgia $67,000 Hawaii $37,000 Idaho $40,000 Illinois $67,000 Indiana $56,000 Iowa $57,000 Kansas $54,000
Kentucky $50,000 Louisiana $52,000 Maine $52,000 Maryland $60,000 Massachusetts $70,000 Michigan $59,000 Minnesota $51,000 Mississippi $61,000 Missouri $58,000 Montana $52,000 Nebraska $43,000 Nevada $45,000 New Hampshire $58,000
New Jersey $63,000 New Mexico $51,000 New York $71,000 North Carolina $56,000 North Dakota $52,000 Ohio $56,000 Oklahoma $54,000 Oregon $56,000 Pennsylvania $57,000 Rhode Island $54,000 South Carolina $57,000 South Dakota $44,000 Tennessee $54,000
Texas $57,000 Utah $46,000 Vermont $52,000 Virginia $59,000 Washington $60,000 West Virginia $56,000 Wisconsin $52,000 Wyoming $49,000 12. ANIMAL RIGHTS LAWYER An animal lawyer works towards the welfare of animals and advocates animal rights. This professional may get hired by either private animal owners or nonprofit organizations working for animal welfares such as the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), PETA, Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), and so on. According to ALDF, the average starting salary of an animal lawyer is USD 50,000, but varies depending upon the firm, state, experience, and other dominant factors. Average Salary by State Alabama $46,000 Alaska $34,000 Arizona
$38,000 Arkansas $46,000 California $49,000 Colorado $41,000 Connecticut $53,000 Delaware $40,000 Florida $42,000 Georgia $52,000 Hawaii $28,000 Idaho $31,000 Illinois $52,000 Indiana $44,000 Iowa $45,000 Kansas
$42,000 Kentucky $39,000 Louisiana $40,000 Maine $40,000 Maryland $47,000 Massachusetts $55,000 Michigan $46,000 Minnesota $40,000 Mississippi $47,000 Missouri $45,000 Montana $40,000 Nebraska $33,000 Nevada $35,000 New Hampshire
$45,000 New Jersey $49,000 New Mexico $40,000 New York $55,000 North Carolina $44,000 North Dakota $41,000 Ohio $44,000 Oklahoma $42,000 Oregon $44,000 Pennsylvania $44,000 Rhode Island $42,000 South Carolina $45,000 South Dakota $34,000 Tennessee
$42,000 Texas $44,000 Utah $36,000 Vermont $40,000 Virginia $46,000 Washington $47,000 West Virginia $43,000 Wisconsin $41,000 Wyoming $38,000 * The aforementioned list is not a complete one. It is important to note that there are many other sub-streams where lawyers specialize. The remuneration varies according to the field, stream, and the market conditions prevalent in that particular area. The field of law is quite vast and complex. Any person who is willing to make a career in this field should be ready for competition, hard work, and sheer dedication to succeed. While salary plays a crucial role in deciding the specialization one may take, it is important to introspect your true passion for the area you choose. For instance, specializing in animal law and working with animal welfare organizations would be more rewarding for those who love animals. Although, their pay scale is not as much as those lawyers in the corporate field, the overall job satisfaction attained would be worth much more.