The Martindale-Avvo 2019 Attorney Compensation Survey Report
The second annual Martindale-Avvo Attorney Compensation Survey Report is now available.
The 2019 Report includes information from 7,800 attorneys in solo
practice and at small firms across the country. They were recruited from an
online survey and responded throughout the first quarter of the year. As
we did in 2018, we've chosen to focus on data from the 6,891 full-time
attorneys who responded.
[ Download “2019 Attorney Compensation Survey Report” here ]
These professionals are working in a broad range of practice areas
all over the United States and are serving individuals, businesses, or both.
Some are also providing non-legal services, such as serving as an expert
witness and public speaking, but 83 percent are not.
The report paints an interesting picture. Overall, compensation remained relatively stable with a very slight decrease. Compared to a mean of $198,000 and a median of $140,000 in 2017, 2018 saw attorneys earning a mean of $194,000 and a median of $135,000.
Making More or Making Less?
When comparing their 2018 earnings to their 2017 pay, close to
half of the respondents reported increases.
- 19 percent said that their pay increased by more
than 10 percent, - 30 percent made up to 10 percent more,
- 31 percent saw no measurable change, and
- 20 percent reported decreases.
Who Is Earning the Most?
The highest-earning practice area this year is medical
malpractice, which boasts an average salary of $267,000. This
category is up from seventh place last year when medical malpractice lawyers
earned $214,000 on average. The average salary in last year's highest-paying
practice area, intellectual property, dropped by almost 7 percent from $240,000
to $224,000.
This means that the most lucrative practice areas are now:
- Medical malpractice (avg. $267,000)
- Personal injury (avg. $254,000)
- Workers compensation (avg $226,000)
- Intellectual property (avg $224,000)
- Business (avg $218,000)
Immigration is still the least lucrative practice area reported, but
immigration attorneys may take some comfort in knowing that their cohort's
average pay has increased by $3,000 to $131,000.
Want to Know More?
The full Attorney Compensation Report offers a more detailed picture with details such as:
- the persisting gender pay gap,
- average pay by region,
- typical employee benefits, and
- attitudes toward compensation.
Download the report today and find out how your earnings compare to those of your peers.
