The Average Salary of a Family Lawyer
Lawyers are the interpreters of the inner workings and structure of many aspects of society, from our unions to business, death and government. Family law covers a range of issues from marriage, to divorce, custody and adoption. What a family lawyer earns depends on who employs her, be it a government agency, private practice or a firm.
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Salary Range
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The average salary range for family practice attorneys, according to Payscale.com, is $48,136.00 to $80,629.00 a year. This is a broad sample of the population, however, and does not take into account specific variables.
Metropolitan Areas
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The average salary range jumps considerably when location is taken into account. For example, the average salary for a family lawyer in New York City is just shy of $130,000, according to SalaryExpert.com. By comparison, the average is nearly $124,000 in Los Angelos and just over $118,000 in Chicago.
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Law Firms
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If you are hired on by a large law firm, one with more than 100 employees, you can earn six figures your first year, depending on location. If you are hired on by a small firm, a starting family lawyer is likely to make about $50,000.
Government
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The government hires its share of lawyers, including those specializing in family law. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average lawyer hired by the federal government earns $119, 240. If employed by a local government agency, such as a county family law division of superior court, you can expect to earn about $78,810. The state is the lowest wage provider, paying, on average, just over $75,000.
Legal Services
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Family lawyers who put their skills to use in nonprofit legal clinics or legal services agencies earn an average of $108,100.
Private Practice
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About 27 percent of all lawyers are self-employed, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. As family law is less likely to be a division of a law firm, many family lawyers go into business for themselves. Private practice traditionally earns less at the beginning, but over the years, as a clientele and reputation are built, a family lawyer can easily earn $100,000 a year.
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References
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- Photo Credit JD Kulinski
