How To Become A Commonwealth Attorney: What It Is and Career Path

What is a commonwealth attorney and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Hanna Royce

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a commonwealth attorney. For example, did you know that they make an average of $40.79 an hour? That's $84,845 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 10% and produce 80,200 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a commonwealth attorney?

Hanna Royce

Assistant Dean of Career Services, University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law

Graduates should keep their network active. This includes them taking the time to re-engage with the members of their network on a regular basis and continuing to make new contacts. They should make it a priority to stay in touch with their classmates and professors. They might be looking for a new position in the future, and their legal network can help them locate opportunities through the hidden job market.

Many graduates are securing remote positions. To be successful in a remote environment, employees need to make the extra effort to communicate and stay connected with colleagues. Even when employees are telecommuting, they should dress as if they are going into the office. This can help them with productivity and illustrate their professionalism when meeting with colleagues or clients.

ScoreCommonwealth AttorneyUS Average

Salary

6.6

Avg. Salary $84,845

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

10.0

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.31%

Asian 6.39%

Black or African American 5.57%

Hispanic or Latino 7.79%

Unknown 4.38%

White 75.56%

Gender

female 50.62%

male 49.38%

Age - 45

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 45

Stress level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a commonwealth attorney

Explore commonwealth attorney education requirements

Most common commonwealth attorney degrees

Doctorate

45.4 %

Bachelor's

40.8 %

Associate

7.9 %

Start to develop specific commonwealth attorney skills

Skills	Percentages
Legal Research	14.83%
Criminal Cases	11.73%
District Court	10.53%
Domestic Relations	9.02%
Criminal Law	5.53%

Complete relevant commonwealth attorney training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New commonwealth attorneys learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a commonwealth attorney based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real commonwealth attorney resumes.

Research commonwealth attorney duties and responsibilities

Manage, train and mentore newly hire ADA's in courtroom management and trial advocacy.
Case preparation and prosecution for DUI, larceny, drug possession, and other crimes
Draft dispositive motions, discovery motions, pleadings, initial disclosures, respond to discovery requests and interrogatories.
Appeal of deny Medicaid eligibility; settlement result in reinstatement of Medicaid eligibility and services.

Prepare your commonwealth attorney resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your commonwealth attorney resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a commonwealth attorney resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable commonwealth attorney resume templates

Build a professional commonwealth attorney resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your commonwealth attorney resume.

Apply for commonwealth attorney jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a commonwealth attorney job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do commonwealth attorneys rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Commonwealth attorney reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2019

Pros

As a civil litigation defense attorney I love the fact that every day is different. I enjoy assisting clients who have a problem to solve that problem in the most cost effective way, and how to avoid such problems in the future. I like that I basically set my own work schedule (other than court dates).

Cons

Billing hours. Unscrupulous opposing counsel. Occasional biased judges who do not follow the law.

What is a commonwealth attorney and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a commonwealth attorney?

Key steps to become a commonwealth attorney

Explore commonwealth attorney education requirements

Most common commonwealth attorney degrees

Start to develop specific commonwealth attorney skills

Complete relevant commonwealth attorney training and internships

Research commonwealth attorney duties and responsibilities

Prepare your commonwealth attorney resume

Choose from 10+ customizable commonwealth attorney resume templates

Apply for commonwealth attorney jobs

How did you land your first commonwealth attorney job

Average commonwealth attorney salary

How do commonwealth attorneys rate their job?

Commonwealth attorney reviews