Are a lot of CEOs lawyers?

Asked by: Miss Alessandra Russel  |  Last update: December 25, 2025
Score: 4.6/5 (25 votes)

It's common for leaders of large corporations to have a master's in business administration degree. An MBA can be a major asset for those with CEO or C-suite ambitions. But a small contingent of top business executives have a law degree on their resume. Here are 15 Fortune 500 CEOs who are law school graduates.

What percentage of lawyers are biglaw?

As many readers know, only approximately 18-20% of graduating lawyers end up in Biglaw with high salaries and many don't last more than 2-3 years before moving on to other pursuits.

What percent of lawyers make $500,000?

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual pay for lawyers in 2022 was $135,740, with only the top 1% surpassing the $500,000 mark.

Can you become a CEO as a lawyer?

On the other hand, lawyers often make great CEOs at big companies — as a CEO is essentially a manager, and lawyers are great managers. What advice do you give lawyers who aspire to get into business or become an entrepreneur?

Do law firms have CEOs?

In contrast with a non-law-firm CEO, a law firm CEO is not only an executive but also a lawyer. As such, the CEO of a law firm can make effective decisions in both the financial and legal arenas.

How Law Degrees Can Prepare You To Be A CEO

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What percent of CEOs are lawyers?

In this sample about 9 percent of CEOs have law degrees.

Which degree most CEOs have?

Economics, business administration, and engineering are the most popular subjects studied by top CEOs. On average, 34.6% of top CEOs have a master's or doctorate degree and. 22.3% of top CEOs have a Master of Business Administration (MBA), 16.4% of top CEOs studied abroad; and.

Why do lawyers make good CEOs?

Negotiation Skills. As an attorney, you are uniquely trained to win cases for your clients. In a CEO setting, that determination and ability to advocate successfully is translated into the business world. That means you are excellently qualified to negotiate better deals on behalf of your hiring company.

Where do most CEOs graduate from?

Here are the top 10 based on our research:
  1. Stanford University. Taking the crown for the top global university that has produced the most CEOs in the world is Stanford University in California, USA. ...
  2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. ...
  3. Princeton University. ...
  4. Yale University. ...
  5. University of Pennsylvania.

What's the highest salary a lawyer can make?

Some of the highest-paid lawyers include:
  • Patent attorney: $180,000.
  • Intellectual property (IP) attorney: $162,000.
  • Trial lawyer: $134,000.
  • Tax attorney: $122,000.
  • Corporate lawyer: $115,000.
  • Medical lawyer: $113,000.
  • Real estate lawyer: $98,000.
  • Family lawyer: $93,000.

Can lawyers make 7 figures?

Corporate Lawyer (Partner)

Though that's far from pocket change, it's certainly not landing you in the earnings tier of a millionaire. That said, corporate lawyers generally stand to make the most and can pull in seven figures a year — if they make partner.

How rich is the average lawyer?

In general, the five highest-paying states for lawyers are as follows: California ($201,530) Massachusetts ($196,230) New York ($188,900)

Can lawyers make 300k a year?

Well, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for attorneys in the US is just over $125,000. The highest-paid lawyers (10% of the legal workforce) make over $208,000 However, the top 1% of attorneys make $500,000 or more per year.

Are lawyers becoming oversaturated?

Law School Myth 5:

The job market for lawyers is oversaturated. While it is true that there are more law school graduates than there are jobs available in some markets, the job market for lawyers is actually quite strong overall.

Why does Big law pay so much?

Why does Big Law pay so well? Big Law firms pay well in part because of the extremely competitive market, in which firms are raising salaries to keep up with each other and capture top talent. That competition is creating a wider divide between the largest firms and the midlevel and small firms.

What degree does Mark Zuckerberg have?

Did Mark Zuckerberg graduate from college? After launching thefacebook.com in 2004, Mark Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard University to concentrate on the fledgling company. In 2017 Zuckerberg received an honorary degree from the university.

What top CEOs have no MBA?

Are there top CEOs without an MBA? Yes, several top CEOs, such as Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Reed Hastings, achieved remarkable success without obtaining an MBA.

What position is most likely to become CEO?

McKinsey outlines the case for functional leaders — which it lists as CFO, chief marketing officer, chief strategy officer, chief technology officer or general counsel — stepping into the CEO role as being strongest when that individual's background and skill set can be applied to a significant organizational challenge ...

How many lawyers become CEOs?

We looked at about 3,500 CEOs, about 9% of whom have law degrees.

Are lawyers highly intelligent?

According to the American Bar Association, various studies have shown that lawyers overall score high in certain forms of intelligence—typically the cognitive intelligences of linguistics and logical/mathematical—but low in emotional intelligence.

Why type of lawyer makes the most money?

Patent Attorney Salary

Patent attorneys are the highest-paid type of lawyers, with an average salary of $185,351, ranging from $119,88 to $285,530. Various factors contribute to a patent attorney's average salary, including experience, firm, location, and subject matter expertise.

What degree do most millionaires have?

More millionaires have degrees in engineering than any other subject, according to a new study from WealthInsight. As reported by the New Statesman, the study highlights the 10 most popular degrees that millionaires around the world hold, both for undergraduate and graduate studies.

What school do most CEOs go to?

Babson College emerged as the undisputed champion in CEO production, with 1,091 CEOs per 10,000 alumni. Babson is a private business school located in Massachusetts, and it produced over 300 more CEOs per 10,000 alumni than the next closest school.

Who is America's highest paid CEO?

  1. Elon Musk: $1.4 billion. Musk is the CEO of electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla and space flight company SpaceX. ...
  2. Alexander Karp: $1.1 billion. ...
  3. Hock E. ...
  4. Brian Armstrong: $680 million. ...
  5. Safra A. ...
  6. Brian Chesky: $303 million. ...
  7. Jon Winkelried: $295 million. ...
  8. Jeff T.