Mid-Level

Lawyer

You practice law — meeting with clients, drafting documents, representing clients in matters and disputes, and being the attorney clients turn to when they need legal help. The practice spans many areas, but the core work runs across all of them.

Career Level
Junior
Mid
Senior
Director
VP
Executive
Work Personality
E
C
I
S
A
R
Enterprisingleading, persuading
Conventionalorganizing, detail-oriented
Based on Holland Code framework
Job markets for Lawyers
Employment concentration · ~389 areas
Based on employment in related occupations
Mapped SOC categories:
BLS Occupational Employment Statistics
What it's like

What it's like to be a Lawyer

Most days tend to involve a blend of client meetings, drafting work, and matter practice — meeting with clients, drafting and reviewing documents, conducting research, and partnering with opposing counsel and courts. You'll often spend part of the time on the operational fabric of practice — billable hours, conflict checks, file management.

The harder part is often balancing client demands against the careful work good legal practice requires. You'll typically navigate competing client priorities, court schedules, and the diligence each matter needs, where the work that pays often isn't the work that's most artistically satisfying.

People who tend to thrive here are legally rigorous, comfortable with the variable demands of practice, and skilled at the relationship side of representation. The trade-off is the billable hour pressure common to practice and the cumulative weight of carrying client matters. If you find satisfaction in representing clients through real legal questions, the role can be a steady, meaningful career in law.

RecognitionHigh
AchievementHigh
Working ConditionsHigh
IndependenceHigh
SupportModerate
RelationshipsModerate
O*NET Work Values survey
✦ Editorial — written by Truest from industry research and career patterns
Career Paths

Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.

$239K$179K$119K$60K$0KLower paying387 metro areas, sorted by salary level
All experience levels1
This level's estimated range
INDUSTRIES PAYING ABOVE AVERAGE
1 BLS OEWS May 2024 covers all Lawyers (SOC 23-1011.00), not just this title · BEA RPP 2023
* Top salaries exceed this figure. BLS caps reported wages at ~$240K to protect individual privacy in high-earning roles.
Exploring the Lawyer career path? Truest helps you figure out if it's the right fit — and plan your path forward.
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✦ Editorial — career progression and interview guidance based on industry patterns
The Broader Landscape

Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.

$73K–$208K
Salary Range
10th – 90th percentile
748K
U.S. Employment
+4.1%
10yr Growth
32K
Annual Openings

How this category is changing

$80K$77K$74K$71K$68K201920202021202220232024$68K$80K
BLS OEWS May 2024 · BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034

Skills & Requirements

SpeakingActive ListeningReading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingWritingJudgment and Decision MakingComplex Problem SolvingNegotiationPersuasionSocial Perceptiveness
O*NET OnLine · Bureau of Labor Statistics
23-1011.00

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Federal data: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (May 2024) · BLS Employment Projections · O*NET OnLine
Truest editorial: Fit check, role profile, things that vary, advancement analysis, lateral moves, interview questions.