How to hire an attorney at law

How to hire an attorney at law, step by step

Here's a step-by-step attorney at law hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an attorney at law job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new attorney at law
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an attorney at law do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The attorney at law hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect attorney at law also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of attorneys at law.

   Type of Attorney At Law	Description	Hourly rate
   Attorney At Law	Lawyers advise and represent individuals, businesses, and government agencies on legal issues and disputes.	$33-79
   Housing Counselor	A Housing Counselor works directly with clients and organizations to support moderate and low-income clients in overcoming barriers to housing and financial stability. They represent the homeowner in interventions and/or mediation proceedings with the mortgage servicer, lender, and/or other stakeholders.	$20-69
   General Counsel	A general counsel, also called a chief legal officer, is the chief lawyer in the legal department of an organization. The counsel represents an enterprise for any pending legal matters... Show more	$36-100

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Litigation
   • Law Firm
   • Legal Research
   • Juris
   • Real Estate Transactions
   • Trial Preparation
   • Probate
   • Legal Issues
   • Legal Advice
   • Employment Law
   • Civil Litigation
   • Criminal Law
   • Legal Services
   • Estate Planning

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage a civil practice focuse primarily on representing claimants in securities arbitration proceedings.
   • Support tort, real estate, probate, appellate, and business litigation with outside counsel in California.
   • Sole practice of law in the areas of corporate, juvenile matters, probate, real estate, securities and taxation.
   • File garnishment actions; defend tenants, landlords and assort other parties in proceedings in small claims and landlord tenant courts.
   • Document review for internal investigation of FDA filing practices
   • Advise technical, scientific and regulatory personnel on FDA legal requirements.

   More attorney at law duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your attorney at law job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An attorney at law salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, attorneys at law' average salary in montana is 58% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level attorneys at law earn 58% less than senior-level attorneys at law.
   • Certifications. An attorney at law with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an attorney at law's salary.

   Average attorney at law salary

   $108,018yearly

   $51.93 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level attorney at law salary

   $69,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 19, 2026

   Average attorney at law salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$129,663	$62
   2	California	$129,245	$62
   3	Virginia	$118,781	$57
   4	New York	$111,901	$54
   5	New Jersey	$111,321	$54
   6	Washington	$103,435	$50
   7	Colorado	$101,174	$49
   8	Nevada	$96,970	$47
   9	Massachusetts	$96,010	$46
   10	North Carolina	$94,667	$46
   11	Illinois	$93,164	$45
   12	Georgia	$92,877	$45
   13	Texas	$92,791	$45
   14	Florida	$90,420	$43
   15	Maryland	$90,224	$43
   16	Minnesota	$81,198	$39
   17	Missouri	$70,089	$34
   18	Kansas	$65,943	$32

   Average attorney at law salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	White and Williams	$156,329	$75.16
   2	Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith	$149,812	$72.03	144
   3	Honda Lock	$137,565	$66.14
   4	Los Alamos National Laboratory	$134,372	$64.60
   5	Vogel Law Firm	$125,451	$60.31	10
   6	GlobalFoundries	$124,932	$60.06	1
   7	Stanford University	$124,820	$60.01	7
   8	New York City Economic Development	$122,857	$59.07
   9	Crown Castle International	$111,921	$53.81
   10	Attorney Resource	$111,176	$53.45	3
   11	The Florida Bar	$110,989	$53.36	6
   12	Valley Transportation	$110,872	$53.30
   13	Federal Bureau of Investigation	$108,869	$52.34
   14	Federal Reserve Bank	$106,636	$51.27	9
   15	W3Global	$106,152	$51.03
   16	GPAC	$106,101	$51.01	2
   17	JBA International	$104,880	$50.42	226
   18	Davis Miles McGuire Gardner	$102,747	$49.40
   19	CIA Inc	$101,064	$48.59
   20	Randstad North America, Inc.	$100,756	$48.44	1

4. Writing an attorney at law job description

   An attorney at law job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of an attorney at law job description:

   Attorney at law job description example

   Compensation:

   $65,000 - $85,000 yearly

   Responsibilities:

   This associate will be responsible for all aspects of clients’ cases including:

   • Conducting initial consultations and devising strategies
   • Delegating work to case managers and legal assistants and monitoring their work
   • Assessing probate strategies and managing probate cases and hearings
   • Advising on entity formation and business contracts
   • Leading and participating in final meetings with clients
   • Drafting, drafting, and drafting
   • Assist with marketing by networking, writing articles, and conducting speaking engagements
   • Must use Oxford Comma and pay great attention to detail in the spelling of names of team members and clients

   Qualifications:

   Our preferred candidate:

   • Is an active member of the State Bar of Texas
   • Experience in estate planning, probate, and business law is preferred!
   • Believes that your attitude is a reflection of your integrity and character
   • Has the capacity to handle cases and clients independently (after an extensive period of orientation, training, and monitoring work)
   • Will contribute their own answers and solutions when they have questions
   • Shows compassion when dealing with clients and has a talent for winning their confidence and respect
   • Someone who is looking for a long-term opportunity to grow with a thriving practice
   • Is willing to work hard to see that our clients receive top-notch service and results
   • We are looking for someone who has character, intelligence, integrity, and someone who contributes positively to the atmosphere within the office
   • Someone who believes in civil rights and equality for all

   About Company
   

   We are a diverse, progressive-minded, woman-owned law firm with a passion for helping people from all walks of life whether they are families, individuals, or parents, who identify as LGBTQ, no matter the net worth, age, and stage of life. We primarily focus on Estate Planning, Probate, and Business Law. We are located in North Dallas.

   
   

   Performance-based bonuses and incentives throughout the year:

   • Unlimited PTO (paid time off)
   • Work from home options
   • Health insurance
   • Retirement with employer match

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right attorney at law for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your attorney at law job on Zippia to find and recruit attorney at law candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with attorney at law candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new attorney at law

   Once you've decided on a perfect attorney at law candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an attorney at law?