Salary Difference Between Average Paid and Top Paid Lawyer

Besides engineering and medicine, the legal profession is one of the most demanding and lucrative career options.

A career in law is considered a highly respectable profession in society. Also, it is the most rewarding career in terms of financial benefit and a sense of fulfilment in helping the citizens of society.

Most of you aspiring to become a lawyer might be thinking about how much you can earn as a lawyer, the scope of a lawyer, the roles and responsibilities, and more.

This post shall walk you through the salary difference between average-paid and top-paid lawyers in India.

How Much Can I Earn as a Lawyer in India?

As said above, the law as a profession is one of the most popular career options among students after class 12.

There are more than ten fields that you can go for if you choose Law as a career after your class 12. You can enter into litigation, judicial services, corporate law, civil services, entrepreneurship, legal process outsourcing, etc.

If you are a fresher law graduate from an average college like Siddhartha Law College, Dehradun, you can expect a minimum salary of Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 25,000 monthly.

Suppose you have graduated from one of the top NLUs and are currently working in a city like Delhi or Mumbai; you could earn between Rs. 30,000-Rs. 40,000 per month.

If you have joined any one of the following organizations after completion of your graduation, the salary would be as follows:

• Tier 1 Law firms: salary may range from 7 to 10 LPA. However, getting a job in such law firms would be pretty tricky.
• Tier 2 Law firms: salary may range from 4 LPA to 8 LPA.
• Tier 3 Law firms: salary starts from 2 LPA to 5 LPA.
• Private companies: salary may range from 1.25 LPA to 4 LPA.
• NGOs: salary ranging from 1.25 LPA to 3 LPA

Average Earning of a Lawyer in India

Any career chosen in law has its own responsibilities and pay scale. The average salary of a lawyer or attorney in India starts from Rs. 1.6 Lakh per annum.

However, the number may vary depending on job location, job market, academic performance, university, experience, the tier of the firm, etc. 

Based on our research,

• The average salary of a corporate lawyer starts from 10-15 LPA, and it goes up to 60-70 LPA.
• Litigation lawyer: The average salary starts from Rs. 5-10 LPA and goes to 2-3 crores per annum.

Read more: Short tricks to prepare for upcoming law entrance exams

Factors that Affect the Earning of a Lawyer in India

The following are considered while determining the salary of a lawyer in India:

• Geographical location
• University/college
• Articleship
• Clients
• Subject of practice
• The firm
• Skills
• Experience

Read more: Law career options after graduation

Role of a Corporate Lawyer in India

Primarily, the role of a corporate lawyer is to advise their clients in

• Business transactions
• Defend them in lawsuits
• Claim liability
• Advice on prosecutions, obligations, and legal rights.

Also, they handle all the aspects of corporate law that consist of legal tasks about the formation, management, and administration of a company (or an entity similar to a company).

Packages Offered by Top Corporate Law Firms in India

As mentioned above, Tier 1 Law firms offer corporate lawyers a starting salary of between 7 to 10 LPA.

Suppose you got placed in any one of the following companies, the average salary is as follows:

• Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Company: 12-25 Lakhs per annum
• Trilegal India: 10-25 lakhs per annum
• Luthra and Luthra: 11-16 lakhs per annum
• Khaitan & Company: 8-19 lakhs per annum
• AZM & Partners: 10-20 lakhs per annum
• Vaish Associates: 8-18 lakhs per annum
• Sagar Associates: 7-16 lakhs per annum
• DSK Legal: 8-18 lakhs per annum
• Desai & Dewanji: 10-18 lakhs per annum
• Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas: 10-25 lakhs per annum
• Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan: 7-15 lakhs per annum

Read more: Steps to become a lawyer in India

Top Corporate Lawyers of the Country

Some of the famous corporate lawyers in the country are as follows:

• Late Shri Ram Jethmalani
• Harish Salve
• Mukul Rohatgi
• Fali S Nariman
• P Chidambaram
• Abhishek Many Singhvi
• K Parasaran
• Venugopal

Read more: Short tricks to prepare static GK for law entrance exams

Role of a Litigation Lawyer in India

Usually, litigation lawyers start their journey with a low income, but there is no limit to how much you can earn as a litigation lawyer.

The following are some of the factors that can affect your earnings in litigation:

• Clientele
• Practice location (district court, supreme court, high court)
• The first-generation lawyer or generational lawyer
• Experience
• Area of practice

Read more: Top Government Law Colleges in India