Money · 1 of 5
What lawyers make
Median for all lawyers
$159,670
Lower tenth
$78,360
Top tenth
$351,600
The federal wage survey has one line for lawyers, not one for criminal defense. The all-lawyer median is $159,670 a year and the bottom tenth start near $78,360, but that number is pulled up hard by corporate firms. Criminal defense, and public defense in particular, sits well below it.