2025 Legal Salaries and Hiring Trends

Salaries are rising for professionals such as trial attorneys and litigation personnel. But legal staff today often prioritize flexible work options as much as pay hikes. This presents an opportunity for some employers: Those unable to offer top-end salaries might be able to attract talent by offering remote or hybrid work options.

The enormous amounts of data and documents law firms and legal departments must manage has prompted greater integration of AI into areas such as compliance monitoring, legal research and eDiscovery. 52% of managers at law firms and 66% at legal departments have shifted the skills they seek based on advancements in AI and automation.

View salaries by category

Enter your city to localize national average salaries. Starting salaries can vary greatly depending on a professional’s skills and experience, the company’s size and industry, and demand for the role.

Law Firm

Corporate (In-House)

Paralegal, Legal Assistant & Operations

Legal Support and Records

General Administration

Compliance Administration

Contract Management

Legal Specialist

Litigation Support/eDiscovery

Position Title

25th Percentile

50th Percentile

75th Percentile

Lawyer/Attorney, 10+ Years’ Experience

139250

169000

195500

Lawyer/Attorney, 4-9 Years’ Experience

107500

137000

170250

Lawyer/Attorney, 2-3 Years’ Experience

96500

120750

149750

First-Year Lawyer/Attorney

79250

97250

126500

Business and Ethics Lawyer/Attorney

100000

145000

180000

Director of Legal Administration

88250

99500

120000

25th Percentile

The candidate is new to the role and building the needed skills, experience and autonomy.

50th Percentile

The candidate has the experience to perform core responsibilities without direct supervision and is comfortable with the role’s processes and subject matter.

75th Percentile

The candidate delivers value beyond the stated job duties, has advanced qualifications and experience, and is ready for the next career level.

Salary and Hiring Trends in Legal

Compliance, privacy drive in-house hiring

Corporate legal teams seek compliance and data privacy professionals to navigate evolving regulations, mitigate risks, protect sensitive data and improve operational efficiency for the company. Organizations also want to hire candidates to support risk management, business continuity and governance efforts.

As legal departments evolve, so do talent needs

Law firms seek litigation support, trial attorneys

Many law firms need more discovery, trial preparation and litigation support professionals, due in part to tight deadlines as courts continue to push through case backlogs. This places trial attorneys, legal assistants and paralegals in high demand.

Learn more about the demand for skilled talent

How much should I pay or earn?

Salaries for hard-to-staff positions, such as lawyers and paralegals, are increasing the most. Professionals in these roles might be willing to quit to secure a raise. This puts corporate legal departments, which generally can’t match the big paychecks law firms can offer, at a hiring disadvantage. Offering remote or hybrid work options can help corporate teams sway candidates.

of legal professionals say remote work options are among the perks they value most. of legal professionals say remote work options are among the perks they value most.

Advanced practice area
expertise Compliance and risk
management Contract management Data analytics Advanced practice area
expertise Compliance and risk
management Contract management Data analytics

Legal organizations are turning to AI to enhance efficiency and accelerate key tasks such as research. Some law firms are building their own proprietary generative AI models rather than using ChatGPT or similar platforms. These projects create more demand for professionals with advanced technology skills.

of legal managers are recruiting for different skills due to advancements in AI and automation. of legal managers are recruiting for different skills due to advancements in AI and automation.

are bringing in contract talent or consultants to assist with AI-related projects. are bringing in contract talent or consultants to assist with AI-related projects.

Legal administrative Legal administrative

Law firm administration Law firm administration

Legal specialists Legal specialists

General administrative General administrative

The hottest legal jobs, practice areas and industries

Legal jobs

Attorney

Compliance director

Compliance manager

Contract administrator

Practice areas

Ethics and corporate governance

Family law

Labor and employment law

Litigation

Privacy, data security and information law

Industries

Financial services

Government

Healthcare

Manufacturing

Upskilling
employees Paying for
professional
certifications Reskilling
employees for
new roles Using
managed
services Upskilling
employees Paying for
professional
certifications Reskilling
employees for
new roles Using
managed
services

We know talent, and we’re here to help

Robert Half’s talent solutions professionals help job seekers advance their careers and help hiring managers find skilled candidates. Find a job Hire talent

Hiring managers: Need more insights? Schedule a Salary Guide walk-through

The salary benchmarks listed in the Salary Guide From Robert Half are the result of a rigorous, multistep process to ensure our projections accurately reflect the marketplace. They are based on actual compensation for professionals Robert Half has matched with employers across the country and third-party job posting data from Textkernel that we use to independently validate the salary ranges. Learn more about our methodology.

The salaries listed in the salary tables represent starting compensation only, meaning pay for someone new to a company in the position listed. Company size, industry and the availability of remote work options can influence salaries. Our estimates do not include bonuses, benefits or perks. We report salaries in percentiles and ranges, recognizing that professionals join companies at varied experience levels.

Non-salary data referenced in this Salary Guide is based on online surveys developed by Robert Half and conducted by independent research firms. Respondents include hiring managers and workers from small (1-99 employees), midsize (100-999 employees) and large (1,000-plus employees) private, publicly listed and public sector organizations across the United States.