An official website of Washington State government
Lawyers
Represent clients in criminal and civil litigation and other legal proceedings, draw up legal documents, or manage or advise clients on legal transactions. May specialize in a single area or may practice broadly in many areas of law.
What a lawyer does
Become a lawyer
If you enjoy doing these activities, you might make a good lawyer
- Talking to others.
- Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
- Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
- Bringing people together to solve differences.
- Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
Discover what you could earn in Washington
- Average hourly rate is $133 per hour with an average salary of $162,200 per year.
- Half of workers earn between $56 and $134 per hour.
- Half of workers earn an annual salary between $80,700 and $221,600 per year.
- 69% of individuals in this occupation have been employed in every quarter of the past year.
Part-time
- The average hourly rate for part-time workers is $162 per hour with an average salary of $167,200 per year.
Lawyer job outlook
- There are 11,933 workers in this occupation in Washington.
- There are 1,454 openings per year in this occupation in Washington.
Multiple Jobs
- 5% of individuals in this occupation worked for more than one employer.
- 6% of individuals in this occupation held a position in another.