Legal
Lawyer
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.
Median pay
$159,670
Growth to 2035
+5%
about as fast as average
Openings a year
28,700
Time to qualify*
3.8 years
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Lawyer
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- Doctoral or professional degree
- On-the-job training
- None
- Prior experience
- None
- Required
- LSAT · Bar exam · MPRE ethics exam · Character and fitness review
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Lawyer: 66% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Interpret laws, rulings and regulations for individuals and businesses.
- Analyze the probable outcomes of cases, using knowledge of legal precedents.
- 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.
- Represent clients in court or before government agencies.
- Evaluate findings and develop strategies and arguments in preparation for presentation of cases.
- Advise clients concerning business transactions, claim liability, advisability of prosecuting or defending lawsuits, or legal rights and obligations.
- Examine legal data to determine advisability of defending or prosecuting lawsuit.
- Prepare, draft, and review legal documents, such as wills, deeds, patent applications, mortgages, leases, and contracts.
Also called: Attorney · Attorney at Law · Attorney General · Counsel · County Attorney · District Attorney · General Counsel · Lawyer
Outlook and AI
Lawyers held 863,700 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 904,300 by 2035 (+5%, about as fast as average; all jobs: +3.5%).
Compare with
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