Lawyers: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Legal · SOC 23-1011 · O*NET 23-1011.00
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.
Lawyers fall under the Legal category in the U.S. occupational classification. Lawyers earn a median salary of $151,160 per year, ranking in the top 2% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects +4.1% job growth through 2034, projected to grow at roughly the US average. Entry into this field typically requires a bachelor's degree followed by a professional doctorate (such as MD, DO, JD, DDS, or PharmD), with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What parents should know about lawyers right now
Becoming a lawyer is a long, expensive path, but it remains one of the most flexible advanced degrees a teen can pursue. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for lawyers was $151,160 in May 2024, with the top 10 percent earning more than $239,200 and the bottom 10 percent earning less than $72,780, a wide spread that reflects the gap between large-firm corporate work and public-interest, government, or rural practice. BLS projects employment will grow about 4 percent from 2024 to 2034, about as fast as the average for all occupations. The path requires a bachelor's degree, a strong LSAT or GRE score, three years of law school to earn a Juris Doctor (J.D.), and passing a state bar exam, plus a character and fitness review. Many states also require continuing legal education each year. The defining trend in 2025 and 2026 is generative AI's arrival inside law firms. The 2025 Clio Legal Trends Report finds that 31 percent of lawyers and 21 percent of firms are using generative AI, and roughly 85 percent of individual lawyers use it daily or weekly. Firms are rethinking billable-hour pricing for routine work even as judgment-heavy strategy work continues at premium rates. Strong high school preparation includes debate, mock trial, AP English and history courses, and any work that builds clear writing and tight reasoning.
What do lawyers earn?
The median annual wage for lawyers is $151,160. That puts lawyers at #18 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. Pay at this level is well above the U.S. median household income, signaling sustained demand and meaningful credential requirements. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $72,780 |
| 25th percentile | $99,760 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $151,160 |
| 75th percentile | $215,420 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | — |
| Median hourly wage | $72.67/hr |
Is lawyers a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for lawyers is +4.1%, projected to grow at roughly the US average. Employment is projected to move from approximately 864K positions in 2024 to 900K in 2034, a net change of 36K. Average growth signals a healthy, resilient occupation that mirrors broader U.S. employment trends. Job availability tends to track regional economic conditions.
What do lawyers do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working lawyers, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Interpret laws, rulings and regulations for individuals and businesses.
- 2.Supervise legal assistants.
- 3.Search for and examine public and other legal records to write opinions or establish ownership.
- 4.Examine legal data to determine advisability of defending or prosecuting lawsuit.
- 5.Negotiate settlements of civil disputes.
- 6.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.
- 7.Represent clients in court or before government agencies.
- 8.Analyze the probable outcomes of cases, using knowledge of legal precedents.
Top skills for lawyers
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become lawyer?
Becoming a lawyer typically requires a bachelor's degree followed by a master's, doctoral, or professional degree, plus state licensure or board certification depending on specialty. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
Licensing requirements for lawyers
Lawyers are regulated at the state level in the United States. Practicing without a current license is not legal in most jurisdictions.
Related careers your child might also consider
- Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates$156,210 median
- Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers$115,230 median
- Legal Support Workers, All Other$68,760 median
- Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators$67,710 median
- Paralegals and Legal Assistants$61,010 median
- Judicial Law Clerks$60,400 median
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about lawyers
What is the median salary for lawyers?
The median annual salary for lawyers is $151,160 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is lawyers a growing career?
BLS projects +4.1% growth for lawyers from 2024 through 2034, which is average growth projected to grow at roughly the US average.
What education does my child need to become lawyer?
The typical entry path requires a bachelor's degree followed by a professional doctorate (such as MD, DO, JD, DDS, or PharmD), plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to lawyers?
Related occupations within the Legal category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.