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
$135,000
Typical range
$70k – $300k
Job outlook
+8% (faster than average)
AI exposure
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 →Typical progression
Lawyer Intern
Internship
$36,000
~4 mos to advance
Junior Lawyer
Entry / Junior
$70,000
~2 yrs to advance
Lawyer
Established
$135,000
~3 yrs to advance
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
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
Explore all- Yale University5% admit · $105,000 grad pay
- Harvard University4% admit · $119,000 grad pay
- Stanford University4% admit · $122,000 grad pay
- Columbia University4% admit · $103,000 grad pay
- University of Chicago5% admit · $91,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.