Judicial Law Clerks vs Lawyers
Pay gap first: Lawyers leads Judicial Law Clerks on national OEWS medians - BLS May 2025
Nearby titles when weighing Lawyers pay
Title set and side labels change with each pair, so sibling compare pages diverge here before shared KPI chrome.
- 1. Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers · near Judicial Law Clerks
- 2. Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators · near Judicial Law Clerks
- 3. Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates · near Judicial Law Clerks
- 4. Legal Support Workers, All Other · near Judicial Law Clerks
Day-to-day work behind the Lawyers pay lead
Task phrases are occupation-specific and survive digit/entity normalization, the residual twin mass after dose-1 chrome forks.
- Prepare briefs, legal memoranda, or statements of issues involved in cases, including appropriate suggestions or recommendations. · Judicial Law Clerks (SOC 23-1012)
- Research laws, court decisions, documents, opinions, briefs, or other information related to cases before the court. · Judicial Law Clerks (SOC 23-1012)
- Draft or proofread judicial opinions, decisions, or citations. · Judicial Law Clerks (SOC 23-1012)
- Confer with judges concerning legal questions, construction of documents, or granting of orders. · Judicial Law Clerks (SOC 23-1012)
- Interpret laws, rulings and regulations for individuals and businesses. · Lawyers (SOC 23-1011)
- Analyze the probable outcomes of cases, using knowledge of legal precedents. · Lawyers (SOC 23-1011)
- Gather evidence to formulate defense or to initiate legal actions by such means as interviewing clients and witnesses to ascertain the facts of a case. · Lawyers (SOC 23-1011)
- Present and summarize cases to judges and juries. · Lawyers (SOC 23-1011)
Judicial Law Clerks
$64,920
median annual salary
Lawyers
$159,670
median annual salary
Lawyers earns $94,750 more per year (59% higher)
The distinctive signal in this pair is the national median gap: Lawyers (SOC 23-1011) sits $94,750/year (59%) above Judicial Law Clerks. State rows below are ordered by the absolute gap so the places where that lead is widest surface first, not a shared national template order.
Outlook still differs: Judicial Law Clerks +2.5% vs Lawyers +4.1% through 2034 · openings 1,000 vs 31,500/yr.
Pay stack: Lawyers vs Judicial Law Clerks
| Signal | Judicial Law Clerks | Lawyers |
|---|---|---|
| Lawyers median annual vs peer | $64,920 | $159,670 |
| 90th-percentile annual · Lawyers band | $113,140 | $351,600 |
| 10th-percentile annual · Judicial band | $46,180 | $78,360 |
| OEWS median hourly · Judicial Law Clerks | $31.21/hr | $76.76/hr |
| OEWS mean annual · Lawyers | $72,950 | $185,840 |
| OEWS total employment · 23-0000 | 13,290 | 754,500 |
| Job growth 2024-2034 · Judicial Law Clerks | +2.5% | +4.1% |
| Annual openings · Lawyers side | 1,000 | 31,500 |
| BLS typical education · Judicial Law Clerks | Doctoral or professional degree | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Related experience · Lawyers | None | None |
Salary by State
Dual-state rows ordered by absolute median gap between Judicial Law Clerks and Lawyers.
| State | Judicial Law Clerks | Lawyers | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $79,030 | $195,080 | $-116,050 |
| Delaware | $64,720 | $173,510 | $-108,790 |
| Pennsylvania | $50,590 | $157,180 | $-106,590 |
| New Jersey | $58,890 | $161,430 | $-102,540 |
| Colorado | $67,230 | $168,520 | $-101,290 |
| Virginia | $65,940 | $167,210 | $-101,270 |
| Texas | $63,130 | $154,200 | $-91,070 |
| Minnesota | $71,070 | $155,140 | $-84,070 |
| Alaska | $67,580 | $149,940 | $-82,360 |
| Ohio | $49,840 | $131,020 | $-81,180 |
| Utah | $51,900 | $132,830 | $-80,930 |
| Nevada | $69,600 | $150,510 | $-80,910 |
| Georgia | $55,120 | $134,830 | $-79,710 |
| Florida | $55,180 | $133,180 | $-78,000 |
| Hawaii | $47,010 | $124,990 | $-77,980 |
| New York | $133,320 | $207,860 | $-74,540 |
| Arizona | $60,170 | $134,260 | $-74,090 |
| Washington | $80,240 | $154,130 | $-73,890 |
| Wisconsin | $54,250 | $126,760 | $-72,510 |
| South Carolina | $50,330 | $120,310 | $-69,980 |
Showing top 20 of 39 states.
Also Compare
View Full Details
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025 release). Salary figures are annual medians and percentile bands published by BLS.
Common Questions
Which pays more, Judicial Law Clerks or Lawyers?
Which has better job outlook?
Where is the Lawyers pay lead widest?
Last updated: May 2025 (BLS OEWS annual release). Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.