Public interest lawyers earn salaries that vary depending on the type, size, and location of their employer. PILs who are employed by government agencies typically earn more than those employed by nonprofit organizations or foundations.
The National Association for Law Placement reports the following median salaries for first-year public interest lawyers by specialty in 2023: civil legal services, $64,200; public defenders, $69,608; and public interest organizations, $69,499. Salaries for lawyers with five years’ experience ranged from less than $77,766 to more than $94,500. Public interest lawyers with 11–15 years’ experience had earnings that ranged from less than $91,183 to $121,000 or more. PILs who are employed by government agencies typically earn more than those who work for nonprofit organizations and foundations.
Benefits for lawyers who work full time include vacation and sick time, health, and sometimes dental, insurance, and pension or 401(k) plans. Self-employed lawyers must provide their own benefits.
- Active and Contemplative Religious Sisters and Brothers
- Addiction Therapists
- Adult Day Care Coordinators
- Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors
- Arbitrators
- Bail Bondsmen
- Bailiffs
- Bankruptcy Lawyers
- Behavioral Health Technicians
- Biotechnology Patent Lawyers
- Bodyguards
- Border Patrol Agents
- Bounty Hunters
- Career and Employment Counselors
- Career and Employment Technicians
- Child Life Specialists
- Citizenship Reclamation Specialists
- Civil Litigation Lawyers
- Clinic Managers
- Community Health Nurses
- Community Health Program Coordinators
- Community Health Workers
- Community Nutrition Educators
- Conflict Resolution Specialists
- Contact Tracers
- Contract Administrators
- Corporate Lawyers
- Court Interpreters and Translators
- Court Reporters
- Creative Arts Therapists
- Criminal Lawyers
- Dietetic Technicians
- Directors of Corporate Sponsorship
- Directors of Fund-Raising
- Directors of Volunteers
- Elder Law Attorneys
- Environmental Education Program Directors
- Environmental Lawyers
- Environmental Lobbyists
- Family Lawyers
- Forensic Experts
- Forensic Meteorologists
- Fund-Raisers
- Geriatric Care Managers
- Geriatric Nurses
- Geriatric Psychiatrists
- Geriatric Social Workers
- Grant Coordinators and Writers
- Grief Therapists
- Health Advocates
- Hedge Fund Lawyers
- Historic Preservationists
- HIV/AIDS Counselors and Case Managers
- Home Health Care Aides
- Home Health Care and Hospice Nurses
- Hospice Workers
- Human Services Workers
- Intellectual Property Lawyers
- Judges
- Land Acquisition Professionals
- Land Trust or Preserve Managers
- Law Librarians
- Lawyers
- Legal Nurse Consultants
- Legal Operations Specialists
- Legal Secretaries
- Librarians
- Litigation Support/eDiscovery Analysts
- Lobbyists
- Mergers and Acquisitions Attorneys
- Mobility Managers
- Museum Attendants
- Museum Directors and Curators
- Museum Technicians
- Music Therapists
- Mutual Fund Lawyers
- National Park Service Employees
- Neuropsychologists and Clinical Neuropsychologists
- Nonprofit Social Service Directors
- Nursing Home Administrators
- Occupational Therapists
- Occupational Therapy Assistants and Aides
- Orientation and Mobility Specialists
- Paralegals
- Park Rangers
- Patent Agents
- Patent Lawyers
- Personal Care Aides
- Polygraph Examiners
- Process Servers
- Proposal Managers
- Psychologists
- Public Opinion Researchers
- Public Relations Specialists
- Rabbis
- Real Estate Lawyers
- Recreational Therapists
- Rehabilitation Counselors
- Roman Catholic Priests
- Sign Language and Oral Interpreters
- Social Workers
- Space Lawyers
- Tax Attorneys
- Tutors and Trainers
- Zoo and Aquarium Curators and Directors
