The Law is still a great profession worth joining, according to the Robert Half Legal staffing service, especially when it comes to the money. The average salary for a lawyer in private practice with 4-9+ years' experience is $118,000-$184,250 at a large law firm. (Based on my own knowledge of the top 100 firms, the average salary can be as high as $500,000+).
Based in Menlo Park, CA, the recruiting firm has published a 2006 Lawyer Salary Guide for the U.S. that's free for the asking. Several hiring and management trends are listed as well:
- "In their roles as advisors, lawyers are becoming more adept at helping their clients address business and legal matters. In many instances this has led to the creation of additional practice areas and specialties for firms."
- " Traditional attorney roles are evolving. Not only are lawyers serving as legal counselors, they are also addressing a clients or company's larger business goals and objectives. Law firms are requiring attorneys to become familiar with the activities and capabilities of all practice groups -- not just their own -- to better serve clients and generate cross-selling opportunities."
See the LegalMarketing Blog for all the details at http://legalmarketing.typepad.com/blog/.
I couldn't agree more that traditional lawyer roles are expanding.
I am an Ombuds who received her formal training in law. My clients, typically successful small firms from 10-500 people, use my expertise in conflict management and experience in corporate settings to create a collaborative work environments that sharpen their competitive edge in the marketplace.
Companies now understand the value of open communication and creative problem-solving when it comes to lowering costs and increasing satisfaction.
Who would've have ever predicted that my value lies in my ability to prevent matters from going to court!
Dina Beach Lynch
Creating Peace at Work
Posted by: Dina Beach Lynch, Esq. | October 13, 2005 at 09:50 PM