Solo and small-firm lawyers in the US earned an average of US$198,000 in 2017, but pay varied drastically by specialisation
The average American lawyer in solo practice or in a small firm earned US$198,000 last year. However, pay varied widely by area of specialisation, a study has found.
The data comes from Martindale Legal Marketing Network’s inaugural solo and small law firm attorney compensation report, which gathered data from more than 7,800 lawyers who specialised in more than two dozen practice areas across the US.
The study also revealed a median of US$140,000. Both figures are only for providing billable legal services in full-time capacity and exclude any other supplemental non-client-related income.
IP lawyers were the best compensated among solo practitioners and small-firm lawyers, with an average annual pay of US$240,000. The area of focus is followed by personal injury with an average of US$237,000, employment with US$225,000, workers’ compensation with US$219,000, and business with $217,000.
Real estate lawyers earned an average of US$216,000 last year, while medical malpractice attorneys averaged US$214,000. They are followed by the areas of probate with US$171,000, estate planning with US$162,000, family and divorce with US$152,000, criminal defence with US$150,000, and immigration with US$131,000.
Asked whether their earnings from legal services increased, decreased, or remained comparable to 2016, 33% of respondents said they remained the same. There were also 27% who said that their earnings increased by up to 10% and 18% said their earnings jumped by more than 10%. However, 11% said they experienced a decrease of more than 10%, while 10% said they saw a decline of up to 10%.
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