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Law & Government

Lawyer

Lawyers advise clients, draft documents, and argue cases across countless specialties. High status and pay at the top, with a competitive market and demanding hours.

Median salary (BLS)

$135,000

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$70k – $300k

Job outlook

+8% (faster than average)

AI exposure

Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $105,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.

Plan a path to Lawyer

Education

Typical entry: Doctorate / professional (MD, JD, PhD)

Bachelor's → law school (JD) → bar exam.

Plan my path to this →

How to qualify

EstimateLicense required

Cost to qualify

$90,200–$415,000

Time to qualify

8.5 yr

Renewal

  1. 1

    Bachelor's degree

    Degree

    Four years at public in-state rates — average published tuition & fees ≈ $11,610/yr, plus books. Private and out-of-state run higher; grant aid lowers most students' actual net price.

    $40,000–$150,000 · 4 years source

  2. 2

    Doctoral / professional degree (PhD, MD, JD…)

    Degree

    Three to seven years beyond the bachelor's. PhDs are often funded with a stipend; MD and JD programs are among the most expensive.

    $50,000–$260,000 · 4 years source

  3. 3

    Bar exam / state licensure / academy

    License

    Lawyers: the state bar exam. Public-safety roles: a training academy plus state certification.

    $200–$5,000 · 6 months · varies by state source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Lawyer" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Lawyer Intern

    Internship

    $36,000

    ~4 mos to advance

  2. Junior Lawyer

    Entry / Junior

    $70,000

    ~2 yrs to advance

  3. Lawyer

    Established

    $135,000

    ~3 yrs to advance

  4. Senior Lawyer

    Senior

    $217,500

Internships are a common on-ramp here — they speed up landing that first role and improve your odds, which is why the Safe and High-ceiling plans build one in.

Key skills

Legal reasoningWritingArgumentResearchNegotiation

A typical day

  • Research and write legal documents
  • Advise clients
  • Argue cases or negotiate

Fields of study

Pre-Law · Political Science · History

Top colleges for Law & Government

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.

Related careers

Other careers from this field of study

Mapped by field-of-study code (Pre-Law, Political Science, History), not by job-title guessing.