First Year Lawyer Salaries: A 2026 Guide

Entry-level lawyer salaries and job prospects 

Even before landing your first legal job, you want to consider the bigger picture for current and future salaries and job prospects. Fortunately for lawyers in the US, the legal field is expected to grow. 

Specifically, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Occupational Outlook Handbook projects growth and good prospects for lawyers now and in the years to come, driven by continued demand for legal services paired with a need to replace lawyers who are leaving their roles (for different occupations) or leaving the labor force (for retirement). 

According to the BLS, employment of lawyers will grow 4% from 2024 to 2034—which is about as fast as the average for all occupations. When it comes to employment prospects, the BLS projects that there will be an average of 31,500 openings for lawyers each year over the decade.

The employment picture continues to strengthen. According to the National Association for Law Placement, 93.4% of 2024 law school graduates secured employment within 10 months of graduation. That’s the highest rate on record.

Factors impacting first year lawyer salaries 

While it’s useful to know the general job prospects and average starting salary for a lawyer in the US, every firm, location, and role is different—and the specific entry-level lawyer’s salary varies depending on your situation.

Here are some of the key factors that impact salary for recent graduates.

Salaries and location

Location is a major driver when it comes to income potential for lawyers. The state (and sometimes even the city) influences average lawyer salaries for attorneys at all stages of their careers. Knowing the typical rates for your geographical location can help you better understand your potential first year lawyer salary.

The NALP 2025 Associate Salary Survey found that in six major markets—Austin, Boston, Houston, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, DC—the median starting salary has reached $225,000. Outside these markets, the highest median first-year salary was in the West ($181,900), followed by the Northeast ($170,000). The lowest salaries were in the South and Midwest, with a median first-year salary of $160,000.

In addition to looking at the salary ranges for first year lawyer jobs in your area, you can also look at Clio’s Legal Trends Report. It offers data on hourly rates by state for lawyers (DC tops the list at $490, followed by Delaware at $472), along with adjusted rates by state, which reflect the cost of living (Delaware tops this list at $475, while DC takes the second spot at $442).

To quickly compare hourly rates by state, you can also check out Clio’s hourly rate calculator, which pulls from aggregated and anonymized billing data from legal professionals working across all states. 

Salaries and law school

For many students, factors like tuition cost, location, and law school rankings are top of mind when assessing potential law schools. But your school of choice may also be a factor in the equation when considering your first year earning potential. 

No matter where you go to law school, you can always look for ways to help yourself stand out from your classmates when it comes time to get your first lawyer job. When looking for ways to set yourself apart, don’t underestimate the power of skills that go beyond the scope of traditional legal knowledge. 

Learning useful “soft skills” and having tech proficiency goes a long way with some firms, and you can work on these skills even prior to graduation. Clio’s Academic Access Program (CAAP), for example, offers free Clio access to students in clinical and classroom settings—so you can develop tech skills, gain experience, and prepare for the future of law before joining a firm.

Understanding AI tools is increasingly valuable as well. With 79% of legal professionals now using AI in their practice, graduates who are comfortable with legal technology have a competitive edge in the job market. The Legal Trends Report shows that younger generations are leading AI adoption, with five times as many Millennials and Gen Xers using AI widely compared to Baby Boomers. 

“The biggest impact of having Clio in our clinical programs has been that our students have grown comfortable managing cases from start to finish using one seamless platform,” notes the University of North Carolina’s Doug Edmunds, Clio Certified Consultant + Academic. “From document management to client engagement to time keeping, Clio has helped them understand that the practice of law today can be more efficient and effective when the right technology is in place.”

If you’re a law student, you can sign up for CAAP here.

Salaries and practice area

Another factor that often impacts earning potential is your chosen practice area. As the Legal Trends Report outlines, the average hourly rates for lawyers varies by practice area, with more specialized roles typically drawing in higher rates—which likely means higher salaries. 

Here again, Clio’s hourly rate calculator is a useful tool: Use it to easily compare rates in your chosen state by practice area.

And, if you’re considering becoming a lawyer in a specific practice area, Clio’s How to Become a Lawyer hub is a useful place to find more information on becoming a particular type of lawyer. The comprehensive guide covers nine practice areas, from immigration law to criminal law and beyond. You can also take our “What Kind of Lawyer Should I Be?” quiz to help you decide.

Salaries and law firm 

Lastly, the law firm that you join is a key factor when it comes to your first year lawyer salary. Typically, larger law firms offer higher salaries than smaller law firms. The NALP study revealed that firms with more than 700 lawyers reported a median first-year salary of $215,000, with 45% of these firms now paying $225,000. In contrast, smaller firms with 100 or fewer lawyers paid a median of $155,000, and 44% of firms with 250 or fewer lawyers pay $150,000 or less.

However, working for a larger law firm doesn’t always guarantee higher pay, and other factors can influence overall compensation over the longer term. While it’s true that the biggest entry-level salaries tend to come from “Big Law” firms, new lawyers at small law firms may start with lower pay, but their salary can then scale rapidly as their career advances over time. We cover this in more detail in our piece on what it’s like to work at a law firm.

Additionally, technology adoption at a firm can signal growth potential. According to the Legal Trends Report, growing firms are 2x more likely to leverage automation than stable firms—and firms with wide AI adoption are nearly 3x more likely to report revenue growth. New attorneys joining technology-forward firms may find more opportunities for advancement and compensation growth over time.

Final thoughts on entry-level law salaries

As the above sections demonstrate, factors like geographical location, the law school you graduated from, your chosen practice area, and the law firm you work for all have important roles in determining how much you will make in your first year as a lawyer. 

By considering all the variables, you can be prepared to make informed choices when it comes to the direction you take when you start your legal career—ideally finding a position that fits your expectations and budget. 

And, even if you start out making less than you wanted to from the get-go, you can always look for opportunities to scale your salary as you advance in your career—especially as the job prospects in the legal industry continue to grow.

Building technology proficiency early can accelerate your career. Lawyers who use the right tools experience less mental fatigue, make fewer errors, and stay more engaged in their work—all of which lead to stronger performance reviews and faster advancement. For new attorneys, tools like Manage AI automate routine administrative tasks from day one, while Draft AI speeds up document production, freeing you to focus on higher-value work.

For further insights on the state of the legal profession, be sure to check out Clio’s Legal Trends Report.

How much do first year lawyers make in the US?

According to the NALP 2025 Associate Salary Survey, the median first-year associate base salary was $200,000—rising to $215,000 at the largest firms with more than 700 lawyers. Smaller firms pay considerably less: those with 100 or fewer lawyers offer a median of $155,000.