how much does a civil litigation lawyers get paid?

2 Comments

1. laughter_every_day says:

   June 7, 2010 at 9:18 am

   Too many variables. I know some who will make a million bucks this year and I know some who hope to make 50 grand. If you are asking how much to hire one to do a job, it is negotiable.
2. ST says:

   June 7, 2010 at 9:49 am

   Although these numbers are based on all types of practice, given the breadth of your question I don’t think that the fact that it isn’t specifically for civil litigation will make much of a difference.

   According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in May 2006, the median annual earnings of all wage-and-salaried lawyers were $102,470. The middle half of the occupation earned between $69,910 and $145,600.

   But like I said, your question is very broad. For what level of experience do you mean? Of course someone fresh out of law school who just passed the bar exam is not going to be paid as well, all other things being equal, than someone with 20 years of experience.

   It also varies widely by geography. I remember that just a couple of years out of law school my billing rate (which bears some correlation to your total compensation) in the Los Angeles office of a large law firm was more than that of our local counsel in Florida who had 10 years more experience than I did. Generally, the higher the cost of living of a particular location, the higher its attorneys will be paid.