10 Easiest and Highest Paying Fields of Law

It is everyone’s dream job to land a gig in one of the many easiest and highest paying fields of law. Not only are lawyers well-respected, but they also bag an incredible pay package that leaves the rest of us green with envy. And it does not stop there. If we were to list all the perks of being a lawyer here in this article, we would run short of words. Hence it is little surprise that many think of their lawyer friends and dream that we were working in that well-paid profession too.

But being a lawyer is not all fun and games. It takes a tremendous amount of hard work as well as an almost genius-level intellect to successfully complete the training required to become a certified lawyer. Between all the work you have to do in school to get a Bachelor’s degree, to taking the law school admission test, to actually having the fortitude to pass through law school, to managing to pass the state bar exam, to becoming an apprentice in a big-shot law firm, you sure have to jump through a lot of hoops before you get the privilege of calling yourself a lawyer. Just the thought of the years of rigorous training might make prospective law students shudder and second-guess.

But consider this, becoming a lawyer is not just about putting yourself through the wringer. It is also about beating out competition from your colleagues for those precious few coveted positions in the field that pay the most to lawyers. We know how picky those elite law firms can be when it comes to picking new hires and it is conceivable that from a whole batch of law students, some will have to miss out on that lucrative job posts. Imagine having to put up will all the torments of law school and finally having to settle in a field of law does not pay as well.

If you are a practicing lawyer and find yourself in this boat, it could be hard to pick yourself up. But perhaps a change of scenery might help you get a fresh start and revitalize your career. You might want to check out these 11 Cities With The Highest Demand for Lawyers. Who knows? Maybe a new city will bring with itself new opportunities.

But if you are someone who is fresh to the field of law and are shopping around for the best field to step into that pays well and has low stress levels, or are a legal professional who is tired of your chosen field and want to move to an easier, more well-paying field, then we have compiled a list of fields that might just be perfect for you.

We know life is hard enough without the thought of law school and failure keeping you awake at night. This is why we dug deep and bring to you the best industries that pay the most to lawyers, yet at the same time are easy to get into.

In coming up with our list of easiest and highest paying fields of law, we consulted the dataset available on the United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics website which provided the data from May 2016. We combed through the list of industries that pay the most to lawyers. Yet to fulfill the criterion of whether the job was easy as well, we only looked at hourly wage rate so that you only have to put in the hours that you are happy with. At the same time, we also applied a filter of only choosing the occupational fields that employed over 1000 lawyers. The logic was that the more number of legal professionals employed in the field, the easier it would be for people to get into that field. This is why fields such as Scheduled Air Transportation and Industrial Machinery Manufacturing  don’t make the list because they hire less than a 1000 lawyers even though both of them pay above $100 per hour in average salary.

Before we proceed with the list of easiest and highest paying fields of law, let us just mention the other fields that did not manage to make the list but deserve an honorable mention for sure:

General Medical and Surgical Hospitals ($79.25/hour mean wage), Real Estate ($76.89/hour mean wage), Private Educational Services ($76.24/hour mean wage)

10. Utilities

Number of people employed = 1240

Hourly mean wage = $79.90

The Utilities field itself includes diverse fields such as electricity, natural gas, water supply providers, etc. Lawyers in this field can earn a decent salary and you don’t have to push yourself too hard either –after all, you’ll mostly be working for the government and people expect you to be lazy anyways!

9. Credit Intermediation and Related Activities

Number of people employed = 5080

Hourly mean wage = $81.57

Next up on our list of easiest and highest paying fields of law is the 3rd biggest field on our list in terms of people employed, Credit Intermediation. Credit Intermediation, as defined by Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) encompass companies that are involved in the lending and borrowing of funds in the credit market. With so much cash flying around, there is bound to be demand for lawyers that can keep the company safe from lawsuits and make sure they are complying with all government regulations.

8. Computer Systems Design and Related Services

Number of people employed = 3740

Hourly mean wage = $84.81

With modern technology growing more complex with every passing day, there is a growing need for new computer systems to bring structure to our ever-evolving world. And with new products, there come the issues such as privacy laws and intellectual property laws where you could possibly make a career for yourself.

7. Publishing Industries (except Internet)

Number of people employed = 1950

Hourly mean wage = $85.21

According to BLS, this field includes newspapers, magazines, books, etc. Lawyers working for publishers need sufficient knowledge of intellectual property, copyright and piracy laws. The big attraction for you should be software publishing, which hires 1510 lawyers and at $86.28, pays slightly better than most other subdivisions in the publishing industry. Shout out to the lawyers working hard for Insider Monkey!

6. Oil and Gas Extraction

Number of people employed = 2250

Hourly mean wage = $86.19

Whether it is fighting off tree-huggers looking to prevent them from doing their work or fulfilling the necessary paperwork requirements from the government, Oil and Gas extraction companies are on the lookout for lawyers who know their environmental law well.

5. Management of Companies and Enterprises

Number of people employed = 17910

Hourly mean wage = $86.37

The biggest employer on our list of easiest and highest paying fields of law in terms of total lawyers hired, this large and diverse field includes lawyers who are well-versed in corporate, tax and contracts law.

4. Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences

Number of people employed = 2520

Hourly mean wage = $87.85

While the lab rats are busy working away in the R and D department, lawyers are out there fighting to safeguard their intellectual property laws to make sure everyone is fairly compensated. Which includes the lawyers themselves, who are paid and incredible $87.85 on average in this field.

3. Telecommunications

Number of people employed = 1300

Hourly mean wage = $88.7

The field of Telecommunications, the next one on the list of easiest and highest paying fields of law, hires 1300 lawyers to fight their battles on their behalf and pays them $88.7 per hour. That doesn’t sound like a bad deal at all.

2. Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing

Number of people employed = 1860

Hourly mean wage = $90.83

Fields that require expertise in trademark and copyright are a frequent theme on our list of easiest and highest paying fields of law, and continuing the theme, Computer and Electronic product manufacturing industry is number 2 on our list, which pays a very smooth $90.83 per hour to its lawyers to keep their secret safe. Still, it is edged out in the race to the top by…

1. Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities

Number of people employed = 5230

Hourly mean wage = $92.20

Wherever there is money involved, you’ll be sure to find a lawyer nearby. That is why the field of securities, commodity contracts, and related financial investments comes in at number 1 on our list. This is the highest-paying field for lawyers with a staggering $92.20 per hour wage rate.

This concludes our list of easiest and highest paying fields of law. Excuse me while I lament my career choices. Share this with a future lawyer to help them get a jump-start in their career.