Lawyers vs Law Clerks
Median pay is about $95k higher for Lawyers. The usual entry education is doctoral (JD) plus bar for Lawyers and doctoral (JD) for Law Clerks.
marks the higher pay or growth. Education, difficulty and the AI rows depend on what you want, so they are not marked.
| Measure | Lawyers | Law Clerks |
|---|---|---|
| Pay | ||
| Median pay | $159,670, higher | $64,920 |
| Entry pay 25th percentile | $102,990, higher | $52,870 |
| Experienced pay 75th percentile | $221,370, higher | $80,420 |
| Outlook, 2025 to 2035 | ||
| Projected growth | +4.7% Growing fast, higher | +2.8% Growing |
| Openings a year | 28,700 | 1,500 |
| Getting in | ||
| Typical education | Doctoral (JD) plus bar | Doctoral (JD) |
| Difficulty modeled | 4.6 / 5 | 3.2 / 5 |
| AI | ||
| Displacement risk modeled | Low | High |
| AI exposure modeled, percentile | 90th pct | 81st pct |
Skills
Both lean on the same top skills: speaking, reading comprehension, active listening, critical thinking, writing, active learning.
More comparisons
Compare Lawyers with
Compare Law Clerks with
Pay and outlook: BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills: O*NET 30.3. Difficulty, displacement risk and AI exposure are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.