How much does a Law Clerk make?

Updated Sep 22, 2023

Experience

Industry

$77,664 / yrTotal Pay
$72,415 / yrBase Pay
$5,248 / yrAdditional Pay

$77,664

 / yr
$47K$130K
Most Likely Range
Possible Range

The estimated total pay for a Law Clerk is $77,664 per year in the United States area, with an average salary of $72,415 per year. These numbers represent the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. The estimated additional pay is $5,248 per year. Additional pay could include cash bonus, commission, tips, and profit sharing. The "Most Likely Range" represents values that exist within the 25th and 75th percentile of all pay data available for this role.

How accurate does $77,664 look to you?

Your input helps Glassdoor refine our pay estimates over time.

Total Pay Trajectory

For Summer Intern Law Clerk

$52,433 /yr
Summer Intern Law Clerk
$77,664 /yr
Law Clerk
$102,771 /yr
Senior Law Clerk
See Full Career Path

Download as data table

What is the total pay trajectory for Summer Intern Law Clerk?

Job TitleSalary
Summer Intern Law Clerk$52,433 /yr
Law Clerk$77,664 /yr
Senior Law Clerk$102,771 /yr

Top Paying Companies

For a Law Clerk in United States

Below is the total pay for the top 10 highest paying companies for a Law Clerk in United States. Employers include Simpson Thacher, Linklaters and Baker McKenzie.

1
Simpson Thacher
Simpson Thacher
$175,406/yr
26 open jobs
See pay for all companies for a Law Clerk in United StatesView data as table

Top Paying Companies

For Law Clerk in United States

1Simpson Thacher$175,406
2Linklaters$163,070
3Baker McKenzie$158,354
4Weil Gotshal$156,989
5Ropes & Gray$149,032
6Milbank LLP$146,610
7White & Case$146,426
8Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati$145,595
9Sheppard Mullin$139,856
10Winston & Strawn$135,485
Total Pay Trajectory

For Summer Intern Law Clerk

$52,433 /yr
Summer Intern Law Clerk
$77,664 /yr
Law Clerk
$102,771 /yr
Senior Law Clerk
See Full Career Path

Download as data table

What is the total pay trajectory for Summer Intern Law Clerk?

Job TitleSalary
Summer Intern Law Clerk$52,433 /yr
Law Clerk$77,664 /yr
Senior Law Clerk$102,771 /yr

What are total pay estimates for a Law Clerk at different companies?

or
Sort:
Company
Jobs
Total Pay Range
Sullivan & Cromwell
3.7
Law ClerkSee 92 salaries from all locations

$101,349

 / yr
New Jersey Courts
3.8
Law ClerkSee 79 salaries from all locations

$71,874

 / yr
Fragomen
3.5
Law ClerkSee 67 salaries from all locations

$45

 / hr
DLA Piper
3.9
Law ClerkSee 51 salaries from all locations

$121,028

 / yr
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
4.1
Law ClerkSee 49 salaries from all locations

$119,575

 / yr
United States Federal Courts
4.2
Law ClerkSee 49 salaries from all locations

$69,082

 / yr
Minnesota Judicial Branch
3.9
Law ClerkSee 48 salaries from all locations

$68,294

 / yr

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Let’s pay it forward! The Glassdoor community relies on people like you to share accurate salary info to promote fair compensation everywhere

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CACI International
4
Law ClerkSee 45 salaries from all locations

$39

 / hr
Kevin Kerveng Tung
4.1
Law ClerkSee 41 salaries from all locations

$75,508

 / yr
Berry Appleman & Leiden
3.8
Law ClerkSee 40 salaries from all locations

$31

 / hr
Ropes & Gray
3.9
Law ClerkSee 36 salaries from all locations

$149,032

 / yr
Liberty Mutual Insurance
3.8
Law ClerkSee 36 salaries from all locations

$37

 / hr
Simpson Thacher
4.1
Law ClerkSee 35 salaries from all locations

$175,406

 / yr
LawFirm.com
4
Law ClerkSee 34 salaries from all locations

$37

 / hr
White & Case
4
Law ClerkSee 33 salaries from all locations

$146,426

 / yr
Goodwin
3.7
Law ClerkSee 28 salaries from all locations

$93,250

 / yr
DC Courts
3.4
Law ClerkSee 24 salaries from all locations

$72,810

 / yr
Westaff
4.2
Law ClerkSee 24 salaries from all locations

$73,553

 / yr
Maryland Judiciary
3.7
Law ClerkSee 23 salaries from all locations

$80,282

 / yr
Keches Law Group
4.7
Law ClerkSee 22 salaries from all locations

$30

 / hr
Download as data table

Law Clerk Salaries

Job TitleSalary
Sullivan & Cromwell Law Clerk salaries - 92 salaries reported$101,349/yr
New Jersey Courts Law Clerk salaries - 79 salaries reported$71,874/yr
Fragomen Law Clerk salaries - 67 salaries reported$45/hr
DLA Piper Law Clerk salaries - 51 salaries reported$121,028/yr
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison Law Clerk salaries - 49 salaries reported$119,575/yr
United States Federal Courts Law Clerk salaries - 49 salaries reported$69,082/yr
Minnesota Judicial Branch Law Clerk salaries - 48 salaries reported$68,294/yr
CACI International Law Clerk salaries - 45 salaries reported$39/hr
Kevin Kerveng Tung Law Clerk salaries - 41 salaries reported$75,508/yr
Berry Appleman & Leiden Law Clerk salaries - 40 salaries reported$31/hr
Ropes & Gray Law Clerk salaries - 36 salaries reported$149,032/yr
Liberty Mutual Insurance Law Clerk salaries - 36 salaries reported$37/hr
Simpson Thacher Law Clerk salaries - 35 salaries reported$175,406/yr
LawFirm.com Law Clerk salaries - 34 salaries reported$37/hr
White & Case Law Clerk salaries - 33 salaries reported$146,426/yr
Goodwin Law Clerk salaries - 28 salaries reported$93,250/yr
DC Courts Law Clerk salaries - 24 salaries reported$72,810/yr
Westaff Law Clerk salaries - 24 salaries reported$73,553/yr
Maryland Judiciary Law Clerk salaries - 23 salaries reported$80,282/yr
Keches Law Group Law Clerk salaries - 22 salaries reported$30/hr
Viewing 1 - 20 of 3,500

Top Paying Industries

For a Law Clerk in United States

The top 5 paying industries for a Law Clerk in United States are Legal with a median total pay of $84,382, Aerospace & Defense with a median total pay of $81,095, Personal Consumer Services with a median total pay of $80,776, Retail & Wholesale with a median total pay of $79,045, and Information Technology with a median total pay of $77,956.

IndustryTotal PayTotal Pay Insight
  • LegalLegal$84,382

    12% Higher than other industries

  • Aerospace & DefenseAerospace & Defense$81,095

    9% Higher than other industries

  • Personal Consumer ServicesPersonal Consumer Services$80,776

    9% Higher than other industries

  • Retail & WholesaleRetail & Wholesale$79,045

    7% Higher than other industries

  • Information TechnologyInformation Technology$77,956

    5% Higher than other industries

Legal

Top paying companies in Legal for Law Clerk are Simpson Thacher, Linklaters, and Baker McKenzie.

Simpson ThacherSimpson Thacher$175,406/yr
LinklatersLinklaters$163,070/yr
Baker McKenzieBaker McKenzie$158,354/yr

Glassdoor Economist Pay Overview

What is the pay outlook for Legal?

The legal field is expected to see continued demand to meet increased regulatory and tax compliance needs in the future. Employees will increasingly work with artificial intelligence and automated services, with workers shifting towards advisory roles rather than document review. Companies are expected to shift more work to in-house legal staff and away from law firm partnerships due to the high cost of outside counsel. Most work in the field requires higher education and offers above-median pay.

Recent Salaries Shared

For law clerk

Salary Share
Anonymously share your pay to help the community

Job Title

Location

Total Pay

Base Pay | Additional Pay

Total Years of Experience

Years at Recent Employer

Submitted

Date or Time

Judicial Law Clerk

United States of America

 | 1-3 years

$69,000

/yr

Submitted Yesterday

1-3 years
Yesterday
Judicial Law Clerk

United States of America

 | 1-3 years

$52,100

/yr

Submitted Yesterday

1-3 years
Yesterday
Law Clerk

United States of America

 | 7-9 years

$65,000

/yr

$63K | $2K

Submitted Yesterday

7-9 years
Yesterday
Skyzone Court Monitor

United States of America

 | <1 year

$15

/hr

Submitted Yesterday

<1 year
Yesterday

Law Clerk pay FAQ

The average salary for a Law Clerk is $77,664 per year in United States. Salaries estimates are based on 7051 salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor by a Law Clerk employees in United States.

The highest salary for a Law Clerk in United States is $102,055 per year.

The lowest salary for a Law Clerk in United States is $59,307 per year.

If you are thinking of becoming a Law Clerk or planning the next step in your career, find details about the role, the career path and salary trajectory of a Law Clerk.

Roughly 70% of law clerks report feeling satisfied with their salary, according to the anonymous ratings compiled on Glassdoor. Law clerks can potentially make about $5,248.41 in extra income with bonuses and profit sharing.

Law clerks earn a range of salaries, roughly between $46,541.65 and $130,162.23, on average. With experience, law clerks can make significantly more, up to $77,663.63 as they advance in the average law clerk career path. Law clerks frequently advance into law associate roles that may develop into partnerships in time, depending on the firm where they work.

Are you a law clerk looking to advance up the salary ladder? You can make more money with continuing experience or with additional education. Law clerks with credentials from prestigious universities, or with a distinguished history of clerking for federal courts, may be able to command a higher-than-average salary. Because private law firms often organize their compensation with large bonuses at the end of the year — and the bonus amount is largely based on billable hours worked — a law clerk who works for a private firm may be able to earn higher bonuses by volunteering to work longer hours on various high-profile cases.

There's a lot of competition for the job of law clerk, so it helps to search for the widest variety of positions possible. When you've found a short list of potential employers you want to go forward with, pay special attention to the education and work history sections of your resume. It is common for new law clerks to earn a higher starting pay if they attended a prestigious university, such as Harvard. Experience with high-profile clerk positions, such as working at the Supreme Court or other federal courts, also helps you negotiate a higher base rate of pay.

About 70.42% of Law Clerk professionals feel satisfied with their salary, according to anonymous Glassdoor ratings. An additional $5,248 in potential pay per year, among other factors, can qualify the annual pay of a Law Clerk in United States as a good salary.

Law Clerk professionals in United States have a wide total pay range, between $46,542 and $130,162 depending on experience, with an estimated total pay of $77,664 following the average career path of a Law Clerk.

Salaries

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