Becoming a Lawyer via Online Education?

At the very least, online education can help you lay a foundation and/or open up alternate career paths. Ashford University, one of the highest ranking online schools, is a US school (accredited) offering social science courses to train individuals to become top-notch social scientists, legislators, politicians, professors, school counselors, lawyers, therapists, historians, counselors, etc. Currently, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics there are 556,790 people employed as lawyers alone in America, and their average annual salary is $129,020. Colleges and universities like Ashford University that provide online education are successfully launching workers into this field.

Typical Work Locations for a Lawyer
  • law firm
  • military facility
  • law school
  • government office
  • courthouse
  • corporate office
  • collections agency
  • bank
  • legal aid office
  • hospital
Potential Advantages and Benefits of Working as a Lawyer
  • defend the innocent
  • prosecute criminals
  • write legal papers
  • make excellent pay
  • work for yourself
  • work for a large firm
  • work where you want
  • sometimes appear on television
  • help people
  • have weekends off
Potential Drawbacks
  • work long hours
  • do tons of paperwork
  • work on weekends and holidays
  • lie to people
  • defend guilty criminals
  • spend lots of time in court
  • go to school for a long time
  • wear suits all the time
  • do a lot of research
  • take the bar exam
Related Professions to Consider
  • Law school Admissions Counselor
  • Trust And Estates Lawyer
  • Attorney/Lawyer
  • Product Development Manager - Product Performance
  • Retail Bookstore Clerk
  • Human Resources Manager
  • Lawyer- Associate
  • Development Business Analyst
  • Senior Software Engineer
  • Senior Product Manager
Possible Interview Questions When Applying to be a Lawyer
  • How would you approach this job?
  • Do you like to work in a team or on your own?
  • Can you provide a recent example of when you were under stress and how you coped?
  • Why do you want to be a lawyer?
  • What do you think about law as it is practised in private practice firms?
  • What are your views on commercial law firms?
  • What views do you hold on private client fees?
  • What is your view on the "sufficient benefit" test (or similar) in LSC-funded work?
  • What do you know about the impact of the Human Rights Act on law in this country?
  • Do you think that there will be a major impact on criminal law?
Common Collaborating Professions
  • paralegal
  • legal assistant
  • legal secretary
  • judge
  • public defender
  • insurance specialist
  • prosecuting attorney
  • hospital administrator
  • police officer
  • detective
Lawyer Training books Lawyer (More) Popular books Potential Companies to Work For Common College Majors
  • Criminal Justice
  • social sciences
  • science technologies
  • physical sciences
  • psychology
  • library science
  • math and statistics
  • law and legal studies
  • history
  • political science

Lawyer Salary Information

Category: Lawyers

Total # Employed in the US 556,790
Average Hourly Wage: $62.03/hr
Hourly Wage Range
PERCENTILE
10%25%50%75%90%
$26.57 $36.67 $54.44 $0.0 $0.0
Average Yearly Salary $129,020
Yearly Salary Range
PERCENTILE
10%25%50%75%90%
$55,270 $76,270 $113,240 $0 $0
Employment Demographics
% OF WORKERS WITH
< High School Diploma High School Diploma Some College Associate Degree Bachelor Degree Master Degree Doctoral Degree
0.1% 0.5% 0.8% 0.3% 2.5% 3.0% 92.8%
Lawyers — WAGES BY STATE, SORTED BY SALARY
STATEAverage Hourly WageAverage Annual Salary
Florida $75.36/hr $156,750
Oklahoma $73.42/hr $152,710
District of Columbia $73.22/hr $152,300
Colorado $73.06/hr $151,970
Idaho $68.72/hr $142,930
Kansas $66.15/hr $137,590
Utah $63.03/hr $131,100
Wyoming $62.91/hr $130,850
Mississippi $62.13/hr $129,240
Nebraska $61.89/hr $128,730
Delaware $60.77/hr $126,390
Missouri $60.57/hr $125,990
North Dakota $60.37/hr $125,560
New York $59.68/hr $124,130
Connecticut $59.14/hr $123,010
Guam $57.77/hr $120,150
Oregon $57.18/hr $118,930
Virginia $56.48/hr $117,490
Wisconsin $56.44/hr $117,400
Alabama $56.44/hr $117,390
Montana $54.77/hr $113,930
Hawaii $54.51/hr $113,380
Arkansas $54.27/hr $112,870
New Hampshire $54.03/hr $112,380
Washington $52.11/hr $108,390
South Carolina $50.73/hr $105,520
Alaska $50.47/hr $104,970
Louisiana $49.23/hr $102,390
California $48.37/hr $100,620
Maine $47.77/hr $99,350
Maryland $47.19/hr $98,160
New Mexico $46.98/hr $97,710
Tennessee $46.42/hr $96,560
North Carolina $45.87/hr $95,410
Pennsylvania $45.7/hr $95,060
Indiana $45.59/hr $94,830
Puerto Rico $45.55/hr $94,750
Massachusetts $45.41/hr $94,450
Michigan $45.01/hr $93,620
Kentucky $44.97/hr $93,540
South Dakota $43.79/hr $91,080
Ohio $43.35/hr $90,160
Iowa $43.09/hr $89,620
Nevada $42.48/hr $88,360
West Virginia $40.74/hr $84,730
New Jersey $35.5/hr $73,850


Social Science Programs by State & City