The question of how much law graduates earn in their first job out of law school is a compelling one. Each year NALP conducts benchmark research on the employment experiences of the most recent class of law school graduates. The links below provide information on the starting salaries of segments of the Class of 2010. Additional information on starting salaries is available in the annual Jobs & JDs report.
Median Reported Salaries for All Full-Time Jobs (Map of the U.S.)
Median Reported Salaries for Full-Time Jobs in Law Firms (Map of the U.S.)
Trends in Median Reported Salaries for Full-Time Jobs in Current Dollars and in Constant Dollars - 1985-2010 (Two Charts)
Reported Salaries by City for Full-Time Jobs by Firm Size
How much buying power did starting salaries offer?
Class of 2010 — Full-Time Reported Salaries by Employer or Job Type
For information on salaries of experienced lawyers, see the Salaries & Compensation page, as well as NALP's annual Associate Salary Survey, which reports on salaries for first through eighth year associates at law firms, and NALP's Public Sector and Public Interest Attorney Salary Report, which reports on salaries for prosecuting attorneys, public defenders, and legal services and other public interest attorneys with up to 15 year of experience.
