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What are the ten states that pay top dollar for criminal lawyers?

I'm thinking about becoming a criminal lawyer but from what i've heard your salary mainly depends on where you live. So what ten states would pay top dollar for lawyers, defense or prosecution? Please help me!

Public Comments

1. Private criminal lawyers do not get paid a salary. They get paid by clients. Prosecutors and public defenders get paid a salary but they usually work for a county, not for a state. In general, more populated counties pay better than rural counties and western states pay better than eastern states. The federal public defenders and u.s. attorneys get paid by the United States and that pay is the same in every state. In my Western state, the large urban counties pay about three times as much as the rural counties for prosecutors and public defenders.
2. calofornia and AZ
3. I agree with Laughter, with the exception that lawyers who work for a firm do draw a salary, or a portion of the fees, depending on whether they are associates or partners. In general, States with the higher overall salaries (and cost of living) pay more than those with a lower cost of living. Criminal law is not the most lucrative kind of practice (on either side of the bar), but it's got to be one of the most interesting.