MONEY Magazine's Best Jobs: Lawyer

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MONEY Magazine and Salary.com rate careers on salary and job prospects.

Lawyer

Rank: 37 of 50
Top job in field: Associate General Counsel

GRADES:

Stress: C / Flexibility: C / Creativity: C / Difficulty: C

Average pay: $153,923
	Salary	Total compensation (includes bonus)
75% in this career make more than:	$110,431	$118,660
50% in this career make more than:	$129,835	$144,514
25% in this career make more than:	$148,172	$178,116
Top potential compensation (5% make more):		$581,727

10-year job growth: 14.97%
Total jobs 2004:	735,344
Forecast 2014:	845,399
Average annual growth (including new jobs and net replacement):	20,456

Career description

Represent clients in criminal and civil litigation and other legal proceedings, draw up legal documents, and manage or advise clients on legal transactions. May specialize in a single area or may practice broadly in many areas of law.

Top 10: Highest-paying careers
	Average salary
Chief Executives	$254,643
Physician/Surgeon	$247,536
Oral and maxillofacial surgeons	$211,766
Lawyer	$153,923
Sales manager	$135,903
Financial services sales agents	$130,385
Financial managers	$128,910
Dentist	$122,883
Financial advisor	$122,462
Natural sciences managers	$116,504

Top 10: Fastest-growing fields
	Job growth
Physician assistant	49.65%
Software engineer	46.07%
Physical therapist assistants	44.20%
Dental hygienists	43.32%
Physical therapist	36.74%
Forensic science technicians	36.40%
Computer/IT analyst	36.10%
Veterinary technologists and technicians	35.32%
Occupational therapist assistants	34.10%
Medical scientist	34.06%

Quick Quiz

Do you deserve a raise? Before plucking up the nerve to go in and ask for a raise, know what your assets and vulnerabilities are.

1. If you left the company, how easy or hard would it be for the company to replace you?
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