What it pays
Government survey numbers — not estimates, not ads.
Half of all Lawyers in the U.S. earn more than $159,670 a year — the middle 80% land between $78,360 and $351,600. About 754,500 people in the U.S. do this work. Figures are for the U.S. occupation group “Lawyers”. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, published 2025.) In India, Professionals earn about ₹38,298 a month on average — around ₹4.6 lakh a year (government PLFS survey via ILOSTAT, occupation-family figure).
$159,670typical pay / year
754,500people in this work
$351,600+top 10% earn
₹4.6 lakha year in India (family avg)
Think you get this job?Six quick questions on how it really works — with a hint and the reason behind every answer.
Test yourself →The work, task by task
These are the real jobs-to-be-done, not a wish list. Each task shows where we found it, and the prompt underneath is written for that exact task.
Analysing2
Prepare legal strategies
+Prepare three distinct defence strategies for Maria Santos charged with aggravated assault: one aimed at…
Prepare legal strategies
+Prepare three distinct defence strategies for Maria Santos charged with aggravated assault: one aimed at dismissal for insufficient evidence, one for reduced charges through mitigation, and one for trial focused on self-defence; list required witnesses, key documents, and deadlines.
The tools that do the workAbacus Data Systems AbacusLawESCOjob descriptionsWikipedia
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Interpret laws, rulings, and regulations
+Summarise the recent appellate decision in People v. Navarro and produce a two‑page memo explaining how its…
Interpret laws, rulings, and regulations
+Summarise the recent appellate decision in People v. Navarro and produce a two‑page memo explaining how its holding affects our search and seizure arguments in open burglary cases, citing paragraphs that limit probable cause and proposing two changes to our motions practice.
The tools that do the workAdobe Acrobatjob descriptionsO*NET
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Keeping the record2
Manage legal cases and deadlines
+Update the case calendar and task list for State v. James O'Leary: enter all court dates, filing deadlines,…
Manage legal cases and deadlines
+Update the case calendar and task list for State v. James O'Leary: enter all court dates, filing deadlines, discovery responses due, and investigator assignments; flag conflicts and send a one‑page timeline to the client and to paralegal Hannah by Wednesday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft OutlookAbacus Data Systems AbacusLawjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Draft legal documents
+Draft a plea agreement memorandum for client Robert Kim: state recommended plea terms, factual basis,…
Draft legal documents
+Draft a plea agreement memorandum for client Robert Kim: state recommended plea terms, factual basis, sentencing exposure, and proposed witness statements; attach prior police reports and previous criminal record and prepare a draft plea form for prosecutor review.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Wordjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Convincing1
Negotiate with other parties
+Prepare a negotiation brief for opposing counsel and the prosecutor in State v. Alvarez proposing a…
Negotiate with other parties
+Prepare a negotiation brief for opposing counsel and the prosecutor in State v. Alvarez proposing a plea‑in‑aid: outline mitigating evidence, proposed sentence range, restitution plan, and two alternative offers with dates for response; include client authority limits and settlement deadline next Friday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordMicrosoft Outlookjob descriptionsO*NET
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The daily work14
Present evidence to defend clients or prosecute defendants in criminal or civil litigation.
+Bring the trial exhibits, witness statements, and chain-of-custody forms together, prepare the courtroom…
Present evidence to defend clients or prosecute defendants in criminal or civil litigation.
+Bring the trial exhibits, witness statements, and chain-of-custody forms together, prepare the courtroom binder with tabs and demonstratives, draft the opening evidence outline I will read, and queue the exhibits for admission before jury selection starts Monday morning.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordAdobe AcrobatO*NET
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Act as agent, trustee, guardian, or executor for businesses or individuals.
+Act as executor for the Smith estate: collect the financial statements, inventory assets, prepare the duties…
Act as agent, trustee, guardian, or executor for businesses or individuals.
+Act as executor for the Smith estate: collect the financial statements, inventory assets, prepare the duties schedule and letters to beneficiaries, arrange the trustee bank transfer and file the short probate report by next Friday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft WordO*NET
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Present facts in writing and verbally
+Draft a clear witness summary and an oral brief: extract key facts from police reports, timeline the events…
Present facts in writing and verbally
+Draft a clear witness summary and an oral brief: extract key facts from police reports, timeline the events with citations, prepare three persuasive public-law arguments and rehearse the five-minute opening for the sentencing hearing on Wednesday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Wordjob descriptions
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Maintain client confidentiality
+Audit client files for confidentiality risks: list documents with third-party data, log client…
Maintain client confidentiality
+Audit client files for confidentiality risks: list documents with third-party data, log client authorisations, encrypt the sensitive folders, and draft the client notification and internal access rules to prevent inadvertent disclosure this quarter.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft OutlookAdobe Acrobatjob descriptions
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Present evidence in court
+Prepare the trial exhibit presentation: digitise the physical exhibits, label and paginate each piece, build…
Present evidence in court
+Prepare the trial exhibit presentation: digitise the physical exhibits, label and paginate each piece, build the evidence slideshow with exhibit callouts, and produce two printed sets for judge and opposing counsel by Thursday afternoon.
The tools that do the workAdobe AcrobatMicrosoft PowerPointjob descriptions
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Manage multiple cases simultaneously
+Organise the dockets for five active matters: update each case calendar, assign urgent tasks, reconcile…
Manage multiple cases simultaneously
+Organise the dockets for five active matters: update each case calendar, assign urgent tasks, reconcile deadlines with opposing counsel and the court clerk, and produce a prioritized daily to-do list for the week ahead.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft Exceljob descriptions
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Respond to enquiries
+Answer the enquiry from Detective Morales about witness availability, attach the signed privilege waiver,…
Respond to enquiries
+Answer the enquiry from Detective Morales about witness availability, attach the signed privilege waiver, confirm whether client Javier Ramos consents to disclosure, and send the reply to Detective Morales and to me by close of business tomorrow so I can approve before filing.
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Present arguments persuasively
+Prepare a ten‑minute opening argument for Judge Patel that frames the legal theory, highlights three…
Present arguments persuasively
+Prepare a ten‑minute opening argument for Judge Patel that frames the legal theory, highlights three persuasive facts, anticipates the Crown's rebuttal, and produce a two-page speaking note and a one-page trial outline for the junior counsel by Friday morning.
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Uphold human rights
+Ensure every client in custody has their right-to-silence and counsel reviewed, file any urgent human-rights…
Uphold human rights
+Ensure every client in custody has their right-to-silence and counsel reviewed, file any urgent human-rights complaints this week for Hassan Malik and Priya Desai if detention conditions breach standards, and confirm receipt with the duty solicitor.
The tools that do the workAbacus Data Systems AbacusLawWikipedia
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Pass bar examinations (in some jurisdictions)
+Compile the bar exam study schedule, import past multiple-choice and essay questions for the August sitting,…
Pass bar examinations (in some jurisdictions)
+Compile the bar exam study schedule, import past multiple-choice and essay questions for the August sitting, flag weak topics from Criminal Procedure and Evidence, and block three-hour study sessions each weekday through June.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelWikipedia
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Research for cases
+Pull all available statutes, case law, and prior file notes on the Smith robbery charge, summarise key…
Research for cases
+Pull all available statutes, case law, and prior file notes on the Smith robbery charge, summarise key precedents and inconsistencies in witness statements, and produce a two-page research memo for tomorrow's strategy meeting.
The tools that do the workAdobe AcrobatMicrosoft WordESCO
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Create arguments on behalf of clients for lawsuits
+Draft closing arguments for Alex Romero's assault trial that emphasise justification and reasonable doubt,…
Create arguments on behalf of clients for lawsuits
+Draft closing arguments for Alex Romero's assault trial that emphasise justification and reasonable doubt, cite three controlling cases, outline rebuttals to the prosecution's motive theory, and deliver a hearing-ready copy by Friday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordESCO
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Court procedures
+Review the discovery bundle, list every imbalance or missing Brady item, send a demand letter to prosecution…
Court procedures
+Review the discovery bundle, list every imbalance or missing Brady item, send a demand letter to prosecution for outstanding materials by close of business tomorrow, and prepare an emergency motion to protect client privilege if needed.
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Protect client interests
+Audit Mr. Alvarez's file for conflicts and exposure, redact privileged email threads, propose plea…
Protect client interests
+Audit Mr. Alvarez's file for conflicts and exposure, redact privileged email threads, propose plea negotiation points focused on sentence mitigation, and schedule a client call after I circulate the recommended strategy memo.
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Says who?
These are the pages we read to build this. Open any of them and check us.
Activities this job lives in
The human activities behind the tasks — each with its honest AI ceiling.
The logs, files & records this job keeps
Shared with other careers — the same record means something different in each.
Related careers
Same family of work — each with its own tasks and prompts.
The LLOS Work Atlas is the world's largest evidenced task library — a map of human work, with a ready prompt behind every task. 1,774 careers · every task named by the sources that witnessed it — O*NET, ESCO, real job descriptions, Wikipedia — and the deepest tasks by several at once. And it is honest about limits: where AI cannot help, the map says so.
The rest of the map
Same library, five ways in.
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Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses
Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses