State-Based Opportunities for Legal Professionals
For many lawyers, one of the first considerations when seeking legal employment is the jurisdiction in which they ultimately want to rule. Where a lawyer practices has a huge influence on their success, not only in terms of job satisfaction but finding a position that pays well while offering the best work-life balance. As it has throughout the past century , certain U.S. states remain more attractive destinations for the best legal talent. Whether these states have particularly vibrant economies or whether they simply have greater demand for diverse types of lawyers, what is unquestionable are the opportunities that await those who seek them out. Using the latest government data, INSIDE® Legal compiled this list of the top states in which to practice law based on salary, job demand and insatiable demand for the best legal talent.
Lawyer Market Demand by State
In order to assess the demand for lawyers in various states, we can make use of recent data on market demand for lawyers. We can better understand the current market demand for lawyers in every state by analyzing job opportunities across the states and examining the statistics on bar passage rates.
The Annual Statistical Report of the National Conference of Bar Examiners estimates that 823,469 lawyers were admitted to practice law in the United States as of August 1, 2019 (the most recent statistics available). The total includes both employed and unemployed lawyers admitted after 1975. The job outlook for lawyers is expected to grow ten percent from 2016 to 2026 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which is faster than the average for all professions in the U.S.
Given the large number of lawyers we currently have in the United States, and the anticipated growth in the profession, we need to assess the supply and demand of lawyers on a state-by-state basis to begin to better understand where to practice. To examine this, we first look at states with the most jobs available to lawyers.
The state with the most lawyers and job opportunities for lawyers, according to the BLS, is California at 103,840 lawyers. Other states with the highest number of employed lawyers include New York (144,810), Illinois (59,930), Texas (54,230), Florida (56,920) and Pennsylvania (49,290).
However, given the number of lawyers within the applicable labor force within each state to determine if the likely number of unemployed lawyers in a state is more than four percent, or if "more likely than not" in a predicted state, it is even clearer that California does not have nearly enough lawyers to service its rising population.
When the number of employed lawyers and the size of the labor force are examined, it is clear that District of Columbia has the highest percentage of lawyers as part of its employed labor force, at 8.17 percent (the number of employed lawyers divided by the number of employed people in the District of Columbia). Other states with high percentages of lawyers (and hence higher demand for lawyers) as part of their labor forces include Delaware (2.51 percent), Hawaii (1.28 percent), Massachusetts (1.25 percent), New Jersey (1.19 percent), New York (1.08 percent), Connecticut (1.04 percent), Washington D.C. (0.99 percent), and Florida (0.79 percent).
The states with the highest bar passage rates in 2018, the latest available data, were as follows (percentages reflect the portion of applicants who passed the bar and were licensed to practice law): Vermont (100 percent), Iowa (100 percent), South Dakota (100 percent), Nebraska (100 percent), Alaska (98.9), Oregon (97.7 percent), Utah (96.8 percent), Washington (96.3 percent), Colorado (95.7 percent), Arkansas (95.4 percent), Maine (95.3 percent), New Jersey (95.1 percent), and upon information and belief, California (91.4 percent).
Cost of Living Versus Lawyer Salary
It’s all well and good to know that the average salary in California is substantially higher than in most other states, but if the cost of living is roughly 20% more than the national average, you may feel that there’s no point in even considering practicing there.
Every state that hopes to draw new legal talent needs to scrutinize its cost of living. In fact, having an above-average mean annual wage (or even median annual wage), means diddly if the cost of living is astronomical. As you no doubt expect, lawyers must take this issue into account. And most, when surveyed, do indicate that salary does play a role in their decision of where to practice law, although it’s not the top criterion.
Let’s dig into the data. According to BLS, the highest paying states for lawyers based on annual mean wage are: However, applying the cost of living data to the above states shows us a different picture. Using the 2017 cost of living data compiled by The Council for Community & Economic Research (C2ER), we can compare salaries with the cost of living for the above states.
As you can see from the chart, given the living cost in Hawaii, the salary is actually 12% below the national average, which means the true average wage is $121,540 (compared to what could be expected, $137,993), putting it in the same ball park as Louisiana.
Of the states listed by BLS, Washington’s lawyers have the best shot at keeping their purchasing power, since with an average salary of $138,170 and a cost of living 1.9% lower than the national average, they can truly enjoy the fruits of their labor.
The remaining states all have a higher than average salary, and a cost of living than is also higher than average. However, the best 5 states for lawyers, when salary and cost of living are considered together, are:
Salary really is the first thing to consider when moving to a new state, but once you know Texas has such a low number of lawyers, and a comparatively good salary, it’s time to look at other factors, such as cost of living, perhaps even quality of life. That is still an independent article, however.
Quality of Life and Work-Life Balance for the Legal Community
As work-life balance becomes a top priority among employees across the U.S., so has quality of life for legal professionals. Because the legal career path often demands an incessant amount of time and effort from attorneys, many states have tried to accommodate these issues as they relate to the legal profession.
As of August 2018, U.S. News & World Report ranked the following as the top 10 highest ranked states for legal professionals, based on quality of life and work-life balance:
- Hawaii
- North Dakota
- Nebraska
- Massachusetts
- South Dakota
- Mississippi
- Wyoming
- Texas
- North Carolina
- Maryland
Legal professionals residing in those 10 states enjoy the highest quality of life based on these factors as ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
State Bar Exam and License Requirements
If you want to practice local law in a given state, you must meet that state’s requirements for taking the bar exam and other licensing obligations. The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) oversees the tests necessary. According to the NCBE, all states will at least have a character and fitness review, a test testing professional duty, and the state’s specific law. If you pass this, you must then notify the state Board of Law Examiners about your licensure. It’s generally easier to get licensed in less-populated states, though some cities like New York and Washington DC are fairly lenient. The following list presents the bar exam and licensing requirements for each state:
Alabama: Alabama includes a character and fitness review, Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE), and Alabama Rules of Court and Principles of Professional Conduct test. Alabama is a UBE state.
Alaska: Alaska is a UBE state, with the exception of the competency test on Alaska-specific law.
Arizona: Arizona is a UBE state. They require the MPRE, but no state-specific test.
Arkansas: Arkansas is a UBE state, but requires their state law test. They do not require the MPRE.
California: California requires the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), the practical performance test and the MPRE, but no state law test, with the exception of three legal ethics questions.
Colorado: Colorado only requires the MPRE, UBE and state law test.
Connecticut: Connecticut has a character and fitness board as well as an additional test regarding Connecticut’s rules. Connecticut is a UBE state.
Delaware: Delaware has a character and fitness board; there is an exceptionally difficult test which gives students only two chances to pass. Delaware is not a UBE state.
District of Columbia: D.C. has character and fitness and MPRE tests. There is no bar exam. It is also not a UBE state.
Florida: Florida is another state that does not require a full bar exam. Florida has a character and fitness test and MPRE, but it is not a UBE state. Florida is one of the more expensive states, with an admission fee of $8,165.
Georgia: Georgia requires a character review, bar exam, and MPRE. Georgia is a UBE state.
Hawaii: Hawaii only requires a character and fitness review and the UBE. No MPRE, but they do have a Hawaii specific law exam.
Idaho: Idaho is a UBE state.
Illinois: Illinois only requires a UBE, but no MPRE or state test.
Indiana: Indiana is a UBE state.
Iowa: Iowa does not require either test, only character and fitness; they are also a UBE state.
Kansas: Kansas does not require either test, only character and fitness; they are also a UBE state.
Kentucky: Kentucky does not require either test, only character and fitness; they are also a UBE state.
Louisiana: Louisiana requires the MPRE, but not a full test. It is also a UBE state.
Maine: Maine requires only a character and fitness test; it is a UBE state.
Maryland: Maryland requires a character and fitness board , MPRE, and state law test. It is also not a UBE state.
Massachusetts: It only requires a character and fitness test and a UBE test.
Mississippi: Mississippi requires a character and fitness review and an MPRE test. It is also not a UBE state.
Missouri: Missouri has an MPRE test and a character and fitness review, but is also not a UBE state.
Nebraska: Nebraska requires an MPRE test and a state test. It is a UBE state.
Nevada: Nevada has a character and fitness review, along with a state test. It is not a UBE state.
New Hampshire: This state requires only a character and fitness review, along with a MPRE test and a UBE. It is not a UBE state.
New Jersey: This state requires only a character and fitness review, along with a MPRE test and a UBE, but no special state test. It is a UBE state.
New Mexico: This state requires only a character and fitness review, an MPRE test, and a state test. It is a UBE state.
New York: This state requires only a character and fitness review, along with a state test, a UBE and MPRE. It is a UBE state.
North Carolina: North Carolina requires only a character and fitness review, along with a state test, a UBE and MPRE. It is a UBE state.
North Dakota: North Dakota requires only a character and fitness review, along with a MPRE and UBE test. It is a UBE state.
Ohio: Ohio requires only a character and fitness review, along with a MPRE and UBE test. It is a UBE state.
Oklahoma: Oklahoma requires only a character and fitness review, along with a state-specific and national exam. It is a UBE state.
Oregon: Oregon requires only a character and fitness review and an MPRE test. It is a UBE state.
Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania requires only a character and fitness review and a state-specific test. It is not a UBE state.
Rhode Island: Rhode Island requires only a character and fitness review and a state-specific test. It is not a UBE state.
South Carolina: South Carolina requires a character and fitness review. It is not a UBE state.
South Dakota: South Dakota requires a PE examination and UEE examination only; it is UEE state.
Tennessee: Tennessee requires a character and fitness review. It is a UBE state.
Texas: Texas requires a character and fitness review as well as passing the MPRE. It is a UBE state.
Utah: Utah requires a character and fitness review. It is a UBE state.
Vermont: Vermont requires a character and fitness review and a UBE. It is a UBE state.
Virginia: Virginia requires a character and fitness review, an MPRE and a state specific exam. It is a UBE state.
Washington: Washington requires a character and fitness review, an MPRE and a state specific test. It is a UBE state.
West Virginia: West Virginia requires a character and fitness review and a state-specific test. It is a UBE state.
Wisconsin: Wisconsin only requires a character and fitness review; it does not require a bar exam. It is not a UBE state.
Wyoming: Wyoming requires only a character and fitness review. It is not a UBE state.
Networking Benefits and the Chance for Growth and Success
For legal professionals, having access to strong career growth and development opportunities is critical. Many a lawyer has connected with that one individual who has changed the entire trajectory of her career, whether it’s an in-house job or the right connection for a partnership arrangement. Likewise, a recent graduate may not have immediate access to the most high-profile positions in legal, but by transitioning and networking strategically within the local industry, will eventually have access to those positions.
It’s therefore arguably more important to have access to a strong network of legal contacts than it is to land the top position in an industry right away. The best networks are capable of introducing you to legal professionals outside of your field, which is a vital step in finding the best fit for your talents – and which is the goal of this list: to provide you with the best starting point for a satisfying legal career. The states that provide readers with the most in the way of both career growth and networking opportunity are:
California
District of Columbia
New York
Massachusetts
Texas
Conclusion
As demonstrated above, the definitions of top states for legal professionals can change based on your personal and professional priorities. Which statistic matters most to you? For example, are you deciding on a location because you have always dreamed of moving to the West Coast, or do you want to stay in your hometown? Does it matter more to you whether you are one of the highest-paid lawyers in the country or whether your cost of living will leave you with a lot of extra cash in your pocket? Is it essential for you to be able to practice in a state that recently legalized marijuana for recreational use , or would you rather work in an area that generally opposes marijuana use? Personal and professional priorities become factors that can make or break the decision of where to practice law. The list above can help you determine which states offer something that will help you find the work-life balance that is right for you.