Attorneys Rank 9th of Top 100

This just in: From their annual list of Top 100 Jobs, U.S. News and World Report ranked “Lawyer” at #9 for 2022.

Just a step below Statistician at #8, and two steps above Physician at #11, the basis for the ranking was an overall score calculated by assigning points to several job factors. The factors included: pay, intellectual stimulation, advancement opportunities, and the degree of demand for the skill set, among others. The jobs were further ranked in sub-lists within categories like Best Paying, Best in Health Care, Best in Business, etc. “Lawyer” came in at #18 for Best Paying – based on a median annual salary of $127,000.

Of course, these factors are highly dependent on things like geographical location and the subjective nature of intangibles like work-life balance, but overall, the ranking is in-line with the predictions that attorneys will be in high demand throughout the coming decade. This all adds up to reinforce the notion that as a career choice, the legal profession rises to the top!

Due to the cyclical nature and desirability of specific jobs, the same job title can find itself in the top 10 one year, and halfway toward bottom, the next. When orthodontists, for example, are in demand and doing well, everybody and their cousin wants to sign up for dental school. This creates a glut of orthodontists in the five or so years that follow, so during that time, fewer students consider it for a career. Jump ahead five years and there is now a shortage of orthodontists, so the cycle repeats. Social stigmas that create perceptions of job popularity are another cause of wild fluctuations in job rankings. At varying times over the past 50 years, dentistry as a career – like lawyering - has been both highly fashionable and dreadfully out of favor, and their job cycles have reflected that.

For 2022, it appears that lawyers are continuing on an upswing with a score of 7.6 out of 10 overall as a career. According to a top jobs list by Indeed, Attorneys/Litigation Associates have moved up dramatically since 2018, with projections that lawyers will be among the most in-demand jobs by 2030. In addition to their 9th place ranking overall, they ranked #1 in the category of Best Social Services Jobs. Those altruistic desires to make a positive impact on society and to help those in need are still alive and well within the legal profession. It is, however, a far cry from where it all began.

As old as Ancient Greece and Rome, the first lawyers were called “orators,” who were able to plead for themselves, or the case of a friend, well enough to elevate their name. While these orators were not allowed to collect fees for their efforts, violations often occurred when items of value (chickens, olive oil) privately changed hands.

Eventually this service became an official profession, but it paid too little to provide much of a living. The irony! Because the first notaries were paid by the written line and most had no legal training (many were barely literate), they learned to draw up simple transactions using convoluted legal jargon to confuse and lengthen the documents.

During the Middle Ages demand for lawyers grew with the needs of the church and its laws, but negativity was attached to those litigators who were overzealous or incompetent.

The growth and development of the legal profession ultimately brought about a regulatory body in the bar, and requirements for training with an oath of ethics before one could practice law. Once the American colonies were advanced and prosperous enough to need lawyers, the prejudices against them began to subside and the profession grew in respect, and power. Of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence, 25 were lawyers.

As is the case in most all areas of employment, new trends continue to impact the legal profession: more use of consultants, contracted legal services, and accountants by legal professionals, but legal services remain one of the most important industries in nearly every sector of employment. Whether they are ranked among the Top 10 jobs or somewhere near the bottom, there will always be a need for Lawyers.