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A first-year lawyer's salary lands in one of two clusters, per NALP's salary-distribution research. Top of the range is the big-firm market rate of see the linked source (see the linked source), reached by a minority of graduates. The larger share earns the entry-level median of $95,000 (the NALP Class of 2024 overall median; the mean was $125,926).
By Ali Unar, JD candidate at Georgetown Law and founder of Lovare Institut. Last updated August 2026. Figures on this page were verified in August 2026 or point readers to the current source.
The average salary of a first-year lawyer resolves into two clusters, following NALP's salary-distribution research. The upper cluster, big-firm associates on the market scale, earns see the linked source (see the linked source). The larger cluster earns the entry-level median of $95,000 (the NALP Class of 2024 overall median; the mean was $125,926). Typical pay by employer type appears below.
The current ranking is best read directly from the source. See the U.S. News Best Law Schools list for the up-to-date order, and each school's ABA Standard 509 report for its median LSAT, GPA, and acceptance rate.
Treat these as verifiable ranges; the exact current numbers come from the latest NALP survey and BLS wage tables.
New-lawyer pay is bimodal, so a single average would sit in the empty valley between the two peaks. NALP has reported this two-peaked shape for years. The practical takeaway is to ignore the blended average and focus on the peak your target job type sits near, because that is the salary you would actually earn.
Employer type is the dominant factor, followed by city and practice area. Large firms in high-cost markets doing corporate, patent, tax, or finance work pay the most; government, nonprofit, and general-practice roles pay less but often carry loan-forgiveness or lifestyle benefits. Verify current comparisons against see the linked source (see the linked source).
Choose your target track early and prepare for its specific gate. The big-firm rate rewards grades, rank, and recruiting timing; public-service pay is made workable by loan forgiveness. Lovare's LSAT and admissions coaching builds the record that keeps the higher-paying firms within reach.
First-year lawyer pay is bimodal, per NALP. A minority of graduates reach big-firm associate pay at $235,000, and the majority earn the profession's entry median of $95,000 (the NALP Class of 2024 overall median; the mean was $125,926). Very few new lawyers earn amounts in between the two peaks.
The highest-paid fields of law are corporate and M&A, patent and intellectual property, tax, and finance and securities, especially at large firms. Patent practice often requires a technical or science degree, which limits supply and raises pay. Current specialty pay bands track roughly $235,000 in market-rate BigLaw regardless of practice area; BLS does not break lawyer pay out by specialty.
The Biglaw salary scale, often called the Cravath scale after the firm that historically set it, is a lockstep base-pay schedule that many large firms match by class year. First-years all start at the same market number, currently $235,000, with a set raise each year plus market bonuses.
Verified August 2026.
August 21, 2026
August 21, 2026