What law school has the highest starting salary?

Asked by: Candelario Runolfsson  |  Last update: September 26, 2025
Score: 4.7/5 (25 votes)

Law Schools with the Highest Starting Salaries for Graduates
  • Northwestern University. ...
  • University of Pennsylvania. ...
  • University of Virginia. ...
  • Cornell University. ...
  • Harvard University. ...
  • University of Chicago. ...
  • Georgetown University. Median Alumni Salary: $165,914. ...
  • University of California - Berkeley. Median Alumni Salary: $160,390.

Which law degree has highest salary?

Ans: Corporate law and international law often offer the highest salaries.

Which law firm pays the highest salary?

What is the best-paying law firm in India? Currently, from all of these law firms, S&R Associates, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co., and Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas stand at the top as they pay fresh law graduates a salary of up to ₹20 lakhs a year.

How much do you make your first year out of law school?

How much do first year lawyers make in the US? According to The National Association for Law Placement, the overall median first-year associate base salary was $200,000, as of January 1, 2023.

What do most first year attorneys make?

Nationally, firms with 2-25 attorneys average as low as $68,000 for first-year law associates, while firms in excess of 700 lawyers offer $125,000 annually for new associates. While these figures are national averages, they do show the incredible range in take-home for new legal professionals.

The Value of a Law Degree

33 related questions found

What is the hardest year in law school?

Law school is an academic challenge; most students agree the first year (“1L” year) is the most difficult. In part, this is because law school is taught using methods entirely different than the lecture method used in most college classrooms.

What branch of law pays the most?

Highest-Paid Types of Lawyers
  • 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.
  • Criminal defense lawyer: $86,000.
  • Immigration lawyer: $83,000.

What are the magic circle law firms?

In the world of Commercial Law, you will often hear talk of 'Magic Circle' firms. This is an informal term used to describe what are generally regarded as the five leading UK-headquartered law firms, namely Allen & Overy, Clifford Chance, Freshfields, Linklaters and Slaughter and May.

Can lawyers make 200k a year?

Lawyers' salaries depend on the type of law they practice, the state they reside in, and where they are in their careers. In major cities, entry-level jobs can be as high as $200, 000 per year, while the average lawyer salary across the country is $197,000 per year.

What field of law is most in demand?

Which Legal Fields Are in Demand?
  • Intellectual property law. ...
  • Family law. ...
  • Immigration & naturalization law. ...
  • Real estate law. ...
  • Contract management. ...
  • Compliance. ...
  • Labor and employment. ...
  • Corporate transactions. Also known as mergers and acquisitions, or M&A, this work navigates the buying and selling of companies and their assets.

What is the highest paying job in the world?

Topping the list, being a CEO gets you the highest paying job in the world, no matter where you work. A CEO is the highest-ranked position in any organisation's structure. Irrespective of the company's size, a CEO handles all its day-to-day corporate affairs, manages resources and handles all managerial processes.

Which law field has the most money?

As of 2024, the top five highest paid types of lawyers are:
  • Patent Attorneys.
  • Intellectual property (IP) Attorneys.
  • Trial Lawyers.
  • Tax Attorneys.
  • Corporate Lawyers.

Which profession in law has the highest salary?

Specialised fields like corporate law or intellectual property often come with higher pay due to the expertise required. For instance, corporate lawyers earn more because their work involves complex legal issues and high-value transactions.

Is law school worth it financially?

Earn More Money Over Your Lifetime

Starting salaries may dissuade you from investing in law school. Nevertheless, research shows that "law degree holders' earnings grow rapidly and peak late in life," suggesting better financial outcomes than forgoing a JD degree.

What is the starting salary for Harvard Law School?

By comparison, grads of Harvard Law School snagged median starting salaries of $201,250 in 2021, compared with a national median for law school grads of just $75,000, according to the National Association for Law Placement. In other words, Harvard Law School grads make almost three times more than the national median.

Who are the Magic 5 law firms?

The Magic Circle refers to five prestigious and multinational London-headquartered law firms. They are Allen & Overy; Clifford Chance; Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer; Linklaters; and Slaughter and May.

Is it hard to get into the magic circle?

2) You need to be proposed and seconded by magicians who are already members of the Magic Circle. Those magicians must have known you for at least a year. This is the most common barrier to entry, but even though you may not know any magicians who are members and can propose you, that can be easily fixed.

What is a Tier 1 law firm?

Tier 1 firms tend to be the most powerful and well-known firms nationally and in a given market. A Tier 1 firm will be regularly called upon to represent the largest companies, government entities, and others in the most important and high-profile legal matters in that market.

What type of lawyer is the richest?

Corporate and tax lawyers tend to be the highest earners, with patent and IP lawyers not far behind. Trial lawyers also pull down a lot of money, particularly in the civil litigation field. Other lawyers are more motivated by getting justice for their clients than by collecting the largest possible paycheck.

Which law school has the highest salary?

If you want to make the highest salary post law school, you may want to attend Cornell Law School. The law school has the highest annual earners nationwide by more than $40,000, according to a new study conducted by Florida personal injury lawyers Anidjar & Levine.

What is the lowest paying law field?

We find that within the legal industry, certain segments are known to offer lower compensation. Typically, public defenders, legal aid attorneys, and lawyers working for nonprofit organizations are among the lowest paid.

What age do most finish law school?

What Is The Average Age Of Law Students? The average age of law students is 25 or younger. Only 20% of law students are 30 or older. While only a small percentage of law students are above the age of 40, there have been several successful older graduates.

Is law school harder than med school?

Although both law and medical schools present their unique challenges, it's generally accepted that medical school demands a higher level of intense coursework and thorough training.

What LSAT score do I need for Harvard?

So let's take a look at what it actually takes to have a chance of being admitted to the most prestigious and preeminent law school in the world. As you can see from these numbers, an LSAT score of 170 or higher and a GPA above 3.75 will give you a chance of gaining admission to Harvard Law School.