The median first-year salary at large law firms reached $215,000 for 2023 graduates. Ten years into their careers, lawyers in private practice typically earn a median of $300,000.
Key Takeaways
- Median salary 10 years post-grad: $250,000
- Average mid-career salary (5-9 years) BigLaw: $400,000
- Median salary partners in large firms: $1,200,000
- The median first-year associate salary at large law firms (501+ attorneys) for the Class of 2023 was $215,000
- For the Class of 2022, 58.1% of law graduates entering private practice at firms of 101+ attorneys reported salaries of $190,000 or higher
- Median salary for 2023 graduates in BigLaw firms in New York City was $225,000
- The median salary for public sector jobs (government) for Class of 2023 law grads was $65,000
- Federal government starting salary median for Class of 2023: $72,000
- State/local government median salary Class of 2023: $62,000
- Median salary for T14 law schools Class of 2023: $190,000
- Harvard Law School median salary 10 months post-grad 2023: $215,000
- Yale Law median private sector salary 2023: $215,000+
- 75th percentile salary Harvard Law 2023: $225,000+
- Overall mean salary all law grads 2023: $102,000
- Median salary private sector 25th percentile Class of 2023: $80,000
From BigLaw peak pay to public sector baselines, law salaries span from about $63,000 to $2,000,000.
Related reading
01 · Category
Long-term Career Salaries16 stats
01
Median salary 10 years post-grad: $250,000
02
Average mid-career salary (5-9 years) BigLaw: $400,000
03
Median salary partners in large firms: $1,200,000
04
10-year median salary private practice: $300,000
05
Average salary 15+ years experience: $500,000+
06
Median salary general counsel in-house 10+ years: $450,000
07
BigLaw partner average compensation 2023: $2,000,000at top firms
08
Median salary 5 years out private sector: $220,000
09
Lifetime earnings premium for law degree: $2.5 million
10
Average salary non-equity partners: $750,000
11
Median salary public sector 10 years out: $120,000
12
BigLaw 8th year associate median: $425,000
13
Average GC salary Fortune 500: $1,500,000total comp
14
Median salary small firm partner 10+ years: $250,000
15
20-year median salary lawyers: $350,000
16
Equity partner average at AmLaw 100: $3,000,000
Interpretation
Long-term Career Salaries Interpretation
The legal profession's financial landscape is a tale of two cities, where the median salary is a modest townhouse and the partner track is a lottery ticket to a penthouse, with most lawyers living somewhere comfortably in between.
02 · Category
Private Sector Starting Salaries30 stats
01
The median first-year associate salary at large law firms (501+ attorneys) for the Class of 2023 was $215,000
02
For the Class of 2022, 58.1% of law graduates entering private practice at firms of 101+ attorneys reported salaries of $190,000 or higher
03
Median salary for 2023 graduates in BigLaw firms in New York City was $225,000
04
At firms of 2-50 attorneys, median starting salary for Class of 2023 was $85,000
05
72% of Yale Law 2023 grads entering large firms had salaries over $215,000
06
Median private sector salary for Stanford Law Class of 2023: $220,000
07
Class of 2023 Chicago Law median BigLaw salary: $215,000with 84% placement rate
08
Harvard Law 2023 median salary in private practice: $215,000for 62% of class
09
Columbia Law Class of 2023 BigLaw median: $215,000
10
NYU Law 2023 private sector median salary: $212,000
11
Median salary for Class of 2023 at firms 51-100 attorneys: $155,000
12
2023 Penn Law BigLaw starting salary median: $215,000
13
Virginia Law 2023 median private practice salary: $190,000
14
Duke Law Class of 2023 BigLaw median: $200,000
15
Northwestern Law 2023 median salary large firms: $215,000
16
Median salary Class of 2023 small firms (1 attorney): $60,000
17
Berkeley Law 2023 private sector median: $210,000
18
Georgetown Law 2023 BigLaw median: $215,000
19
Cornell Law Class of 2023 median private: $190,000
20
UCLA Law 2023 private practice median salary: $200,000
21
Median salary for Class of 2023 firms 251-500 attorneys: $205,000
22
Michigan Law 2023 BigLaw median: $215,000
23
Median starting salary for business/non-profit private sector Class of 2023: $75,000
24
USC Law 2023 private sector median: $195,000
25
Fordham Law Class of 2023 BigLaw median: $215,000
26
Median salary Class of 2023 firms 101-250 attorneys: $190,000
27
Vanderbilt Law 2023 private median: $185,000
28
Boston College Law 2023 BigLaw median: $190,000
29
Median for Class of 2023 in private practice overall: $115,000
30
Emory Law 2023 private sector median salary: $180,000
Interpretation
Private Sector Starting Salaries Interpretation
The legal profession presents a starkly bifurcated reality where the dream of a $215,000 starting salary is a common trophy for top graduates at elite firms, yet the typical new lawyer's reality is a sobering median of $115,000 that paints a far more modest picture.
03 · Category
Public Interest/Government Salaries29 stats
01
The median salary for public sector jobs (government) for Class of 2023 law grads was $65,000
02
Federal government starting salary median for Class of 2023: $72,000
03
State/local government median salary Class of 2023: $62,000
04
Public interest organization median salary for 2023 grads: $58,000
05
12.4% of Class of 2023 entered public sector jobs
06
Median public sector salary at Yale Law 2023: $70,000
07
Harvard Law Class of 2023 public interest median: $68,000
08
Stanford Law 2023 government/public median salary: $75,000
09
Chicago Law 2023 public sector median: $65,000
10
Columbia Law public sector 2023 median salary: $67,000
11
NYU Law Class of 2023 public interest median: $60,000with loan forgiveness noted
12
Median public defender salary for new grads 2023: $55,000
13
Penn Law 2023 public sector median salary: $70,000
14
Virginia Law public interest 2023 median: $62,000
15
Duke Law 2023 government median salary: $68,000
16
Northwestern 2023 public sector median: $65,000
17
Berkeley Law public interest median 2023: $60,000
18
Georgetown Law 2023 public sector median: $63,000
19
Cornell Law public median salary 2023: $60,000
20
Median judicial clerkship salary Class of 2023: $80,000(federal)
21
UCLA Law 2023 public interest median: $58,000
22
Michigan Law public sector 2023 median: $67,000
23
Median state judicial clerk salary 2023: $65,000
24
USC Law public sector median 2023: $62,000
25
Fordham Law 2023 government median: $60,000
26
Vanderbilt public interest median 2023: $59,000
27
Boston College Law public sector 2023: $64,000median
28
Emory Law government median 2023: $61,000
29
Median public sector salary overall Class of 2023: $63,000
Interpretation
Public Interest/Government Salaries Interpretation
The data suggests that for the Class of 2023, choosing a public service career in law means accepting a significant "pro bono premium" on your soul, as the financial sacrifice is both universal and starkly real, with even the most elite graduates trading roughly forty thousand dollars in starting salary for their principles.
More related reading
04 · Category
Salaries by Law School26 stats
01
Median salary for T14 law schools Class of 2023: $190,000
02
Harvard Law School median salary 10 months post-grad 2023: $215,000
03
Yale Law median private sector salary 2023: $215,000+
04
Stanford Law median salary Class of 2023: $220,000
05
University of Chicago Law median 2023: $215,000
06
Columbia Law median salary 2023: $215,000
07
NYU Law median post-grad salary 2023: $212,000
08
Penn Law median salary 2023: $215,000
09
UVA Law median salary Class of 2023: $190,000
10
Duke Law median 2023 salary: $200,000
11
Median salary Berkeley Law 2023: $210,000
12
Michigan Law median salary 2023: $215,000
13
Northwestern Law median 2023: $215,000
14
Cornell Law median salary Class of 2023: $190,000
15
Georgetown Law median 2023 salary: $190,000
16
UCLA Law median salary 2023: $200,000
17
USC Gould median 2023: $195,000
18
Fordham Law median salary Class of 2023: $190,000
19
Vanderbilt Law median 2023: $185,000
20
Boston College Law median salary 2023: $175,000
21
Emory Law median 2023 salary: $180,000
22
Median salary for top 20 law schools 2023: $185,000
23
Notre Dame Law median salary 2023: $170,000
24
Washington University St. Louis median 2023: $165,000
25
Median salary T50 law schools 2023: $140,000
26
Median salary bottom 50 law schools 2023: $70,000
Interpretation
Salaries by Law School Interpretation
While these figures suggest a legal career is a golden ticket, the reality is more like a meticulously rigged lottery where your odds of winning are almost entirely determined by the price of your ticket and the school logo printed on it.
05 · Category
Salary Percentiles and Averages20 stats
01
75th percentile salary Harvard Law 2023: $225,000+
02
Overall mean salary all law grads 2023: $102,000
03
Median salary private sector 25th percentile Class of 2023: $80,000
04
75th percentile BigLaw salary 2023: $225,000
05
Average salary law firm associates 1-3 years experience: $180,000
06
Median salary all sectors 2023: $100,000
07
25th percentile overall salary Class of 2023: $55,000
08
90th percentile private sector salary 2023: $215,000
09
Mean BigLaw starting salary 2023: $210,000
10
Median salary Yale Law 75th percentile 2023: $225,000
11
10th percentile salary all grads 2023: $45,000
12
Average public sector salary 2023: $68,000
13
75th percentile public sector 2023: $80,000
14
Median salary top 25% performers BigLaw: $225,000
15
Overall salary standard deviation 2023 grads: $60,000
16
50th percentile large firm salary 2023: $215,000
17
Mean salary T14 schools 2023: $195,000
18
25th percentile T14 median salary: $70,000
19
75th percentile small firm salary 2023: $100,000
20
Average salary judicial clerks federal 2023: $82,000
Interpretation
Salary Percentiles and Averages Interpretation
This data paints a stark, two-tiered reality: while the top graduates from elite schools march into a gilded corridor where $225,000 is the standard trophy, the median graduate is left navigating a much wider, more modest landscape where the dream of a six-figure salary is statistically just a coin flip.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Elena Vasquez. (2026, February 13). Law School Salary Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/law-school-salary-statistics
MLA
Elena Vasquez. "Law School Salary Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/law-school-salary-statistics.
Chicago
Elena Vasquez. 2026. "Law School Salary Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/law-school-salary-statistics.
Sources & references
31 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level