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Legal

Lawyers

Typically requires Doctoral or professional degree

What is this page & how do I use it?

This is a research report for one career — the kind an analyst would write for a stock. The rating at the top is the neutral baseline (same for everyone); below it come the cases for and against, how the last official forecast for this career actually aged, and what the education path costs and pays.

How to use it: read the bulls-vs-bears case, then hit Score this career to weigh it against your other options with your own interests factored in.

CareerStar rating
MixedMedium uncertainty
top 13% of all 730 careers

Analyst take: Strong market prospects — +4.1% projected growth, moderate AI exposure (43/100).

59
/ 100
low riskhigh
top row = high reward

Moat (borrowed from investing — the water that defends a castle): how shielded this career is from AI. Narrow = some shelter, but AI can reach a real share of its tasks.

The small grid is a style box (borrowed from Morningstar’s fund reports): the blue square places this career on reward (top row = high) versus risk (left column = low), against all 730 careers. Medium uncertainty means the score leans partly on forward-looking bets like AI exposure, so treat the exact number loosely.

🐂 Bulls say
  • +High pay — above 98% of careers ($151,160).
  • +Strong projected growth — outpaces 67% of careers (+4.1%).
  • +Low AI exposure — resilient (43% of tasks exposed).
🐻 Bears say
  • Its softest spot: it carries some AI exposure (43% of tasks).
📜 Reality check — how the last forecast for this career fared

In 2014, the U.S. government projected +5.6% growth for this career by 2024. What actually happened: +11.1%. The forecast held up well — a reminder that every number on this page is an estimate, and this is how the last one aged. Full back-test →

Was this rating fair?
Projected growth
+4.1%
Median pay
$151,160
AI exposure
43/100
share of tasks exposed to AI — not job loss

Education & ROI — how to get here

Real outcomes for the college majors that feed this occupation, across 53 bachelor’s programs.

Median earnings
$51,279
1 year after graduating
Typical debt
$26,718
median federal debt
Pay-to-debt
1.9×
first-year pay ÷ debt
Feeder majors
Legal Research and Advanced Professional StudiesLaw
Selective schools offering these majors
Amherst College
MA · 9% admit rate
$87,640/yr
$77,644 grad pay
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
FL · 21% admit rate
$23,970/yr
$44,349 grad pay
The University of Texas at Austin
TX · 27% admit rate
$31,247/yr
$75,121 grad pay
Hofstra University
NY · 68% admit rate
$70,624/yr
$69,039 grad pay
Walsh University
OH · 71% admit rate
$47,575/yr
$59,764 grad pay
James Madison University
VA · 72% admit rate
$31,735/yr
$69,954 grad pay

Earnings & debt from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard; majors mapped to this occupation via the NCES CIP→SOC crosswalk. A grounded ROI snapshot, not a guarantee — pay varies widely by school and specialty.

What this work involves

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