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Legal extern salary
Average legal extern salary
$47,238
Understanding the Legal Extern Salary
Legal externs play a vital role in law firms, gaining practical experience while earning a competitive salary. As of October 2025, the average annual salary for a Legal Extern stands at $47,238. This figure can vary significantly based on factors such as geographic location, years of experience, and the specific legal sector.
Salary by State
For instance, states like California and New York often offer higher salaries for legal externs due to the cost of living and demand for legal services. In contrast, regions with lower demand may present reduced salary offerings.
Salary by Experience Level
Entry-level legal externs can expect to start at lower pay scales, but as they gain experience, their salaries can increase substantially. It’s essential for prospective legal externs to research potential employers and geographic salary trends to make informed career choices.
Exploring Opportunities
By leveraging internships and externships, candidates can build valuable connections in the legal field, which may lead to better job offers post-graduation. Understanding these dynamics can significantly influence a legal extern's career trajectory.
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Where can a Legal Extern earn more?
Legal extern salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level legal extern | $27,400 | $13.18 |
| Mid-level legal extern | $33,100 | $15.91 |
| Senior-level legal extern | $69,400 | $33.36 |
Legal extern salary estimates from across the web
Average legal extern salary by state
The highest-paying states for legal externs are New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey. The lowest average legal extern salary states are Louisiana, South Carolina, and Florida.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for legal externs
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $103,850 | $49.93 |
| 2 | New York | $91,219 | $43.86 |
| 3 | California | $80,329 | $38.62 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $81,550 | $39.21 |
| 5 | New Hampshire | $76,856 | $36.95 |
| 6 | West Virginia | $65,427 | $31.46 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | $76,025 | $36.55 |
| 8 | Vermont | $75,813 | $36.45 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $81,690 | $39.27 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $76,975 | $37.01 |
| 11 | Virginia | $73,227 | $35.21 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $69,805 | $33.56 |
| 13 | Illinois | $72,550 | $34.88 |
| 14 | North Dakota | $60,522 | $29.10 |
| 15 | Maryland | $74,456 | $35.80 |
| 16 | Michigan | $61,112 | $29.38 |
| 17 | Maine | $73,624 | $35.40 |
| 18 | Washington | $58,096 | $27.93 |
| 19 | Mississippi | $50,641 | $24.35 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $55,616 | $26.74 |
| 21 | Alaska | $54,155 | $26.04 |
| 22 | Delaware | $61,434 | $29.54 |
| 23 | Oregon | $61,734 | $29.68 |
| 24 | Arizona | $53,666 | $25.80 |
| 25 | Georgia | $49,826 | $23.95 |
| 26 | Texas | $50,190 | $24.13 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $49,323 | $23.71 |
| 28 | Colorado | $49,654 | $23.87 |
| 29 | Ohio | $55,735 | $26.80 |
| 30 | Nevada | $52,231 | $25.11 |
| 31 | New Mexico | $53,097 | $25.53 |
| 32 | North Carolina | $47,592 | $22.88 |
| 33 | Wyoming | $40,752 | $19.59 |
| 34 | Montana | $41,891 | $20.14 |
| 35 | Tennessee | $42,064 | $20.22 |
| 36 | Iowa | $47,753 | $22.96 |
| 37 | Wisconsin | $47,677 | $22.92 |
| 38 | Missouri | $44,338 | $21.32 |
| 39 | Hawaii | $44,088 | $21.20 |
| 40 | Florida | $37,537 | $18.05 |
| 41 | Indiana | $42,765 | $20.56 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $40,372 | $19.41 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $42,659 | $20.51 |
| 44 | Utah | $44,370 | $21.33 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $39,336 | $18.91 |
| 46 | Kansas | $42,946 | $20.65 |
| 47 | Louisiana | $39,671 | $19.07 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $40,954 | $19.69 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $36,740 | $17.66 |
| 50 | Alabama | $37,367 | $17.96 |
| 51 | Idaho | $32,929 | $15.83 |
Highest paying cities for legal externs
The highest-paying cities for legal externs are Washington, DC, San Francisco, CA, and New York, NY.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington, DC | $105,799 | $50.86 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $93,235 | $44.82 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $91,972 | $44.22 |
| 4 | Newark, NJ | $81,806 | $39.33 |
| 5 | Hartford, CT | $81,732 | $39.29 |
| 6 | Reston, VA | $78,784 | $37.88 |
| 7 | Allentown, PA | $77,258 | $37.14 |
| 8 | Concord, NH | $76,186 | $36.63 |
| 9 | Baltimore, MD | $75,052 | $36.08 |
| 10 | North Chicago, IL | $74,422 | $35.78 |
| 11 | Portland, OR | $60,705 | $29.19 |
| 12 | Seattle, WA | $58,625 | $28.19 |
| 13 | Tucson, AZ | $51,995 | $25.00 |
| 14 | Austin, TX | $50,988 | $24.51 |
| 15 | Durham, NC | $50,473 | $24.27 |
| 16 | Atlanta, GA | $49,649 | $23.87 |
| 17 | Westminster, CO | $49,647 | $23.87 |
| 18 | Cincinnati, OH | $49,309 | $23.71 |
| 19 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $44,066 | $21.19 |
| 20 | Overland Park, KS | $43,420 | $20.88 |
Legal Externs are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Legal extern salary details
A legal extern's salary ranges from $23,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $93,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a legal extern's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $93,000 | $7,750 | $45 |
| 75th Percentile | $67,000 | $5,583 | $32 |
| Average | $47,238 | $3,937 | $23 |
| 25th Percentile | $33,000 | $2,750 | $16 |
| 10th Percentile | $23,000 | $1,917 | $11 |
Highest paying legal extern jobs
The highest paying types of legal externs are legal counsel, general counsel, and lawyer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing Counselor | $78,730 | $6,561 | $37.85 | 33,639 |
| Attorney At Law | $108,018 | $9,002 | $51.93 | 7,025 |
| District Attorney | $72,965 | $6,080 | $35.08 | 13,378 |
| Attorney | $109,476 | $9,123 | $52.63 | 10,991 |
| Contract Attorney | $97,474 | $8,123 | $46.86 | 13,592 |
| General Counsel | $125,248 | $10,437 | $60.22 | 50,275 |
Which companies pay legal externs the most?
Legal extern salaries at Jones Day and eBay are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average legal extern salary at companies like AbbVie and Dolby Laboratories are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jones Day | $184,968 | $88.93 |
| 2 | eBay | $143,061 | $68.78 |
| 3 | AbbVie | $142,767 | $68.64 |
| 4 | Dolby Laboratories | $134,727 | $64.77 |
| 5 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $132,261 | $63.59 |
| 6 | Qorvo | $125,056 | $60.12 |
| 7 | Bloom Energy | $124,129 | $59.68 |
| 8 | AARP | $121,310 | $58.32 |
| 9 | Red Hat | $119,758 | $57.58 |
| 10 | Foxit | $116,431 | $55.98 |
| 11 | Raymond James Financial | $114,192 | $54.90 |
| 12 | Ball | $111,987 | $53.84 |
| 13 | Weatherford International | $111,293 | $53.51 |
| 14 | AssetMark | $107,219 | $51.55 |
| 15 | Teva Pharmaceuticals | $105,484 | $50.71 |
| 16 | Exelon | $101,857 | $48.97 |
| 17 | Formlabs | $97,171 | $46.72 |
| 18 | Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (finra) | $95,849 | $46.08 |
| 19 | First Cash Financial Services | $92,770 | $44.60 |
| 20 | ACLU of Illinois | $89,090 | $42.83 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Legal Extern salary by industry
The average legal extern salary varies across industries:
- The average legal extern salary in the professional industry is $69,693, the highest of any industry.
- The average legal extern salary in the finance industry is $69,310.
- Legal externs in the non profits industry earn an average salary of $53,363, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for legal externs
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Professional | $69,693 | $33.51 |
| 2 | Finance | $69,310 | $33.32 |
| 3 | Government | $65,865 | $31.67 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $63,484 | $30.52 |
| 5 | Non Profits | $53,363 | $25.66 |
High paying legal extern jobs
Legal extern salary trends
The average legal extern salary has risen by $5,069 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average legal extern earned $42,169 annually, but today, they earn $47,238 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for legal externs over the last decade.
Compare legal extern salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average legal extern salary over time
Compare legal extern salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Legal extern salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $47,200 | $22.71 | +3.1% |
| 2024 | $45,800 | $22.00 | +1.7% |
| 2023 | $45,000 | $21.63 | +1.4% |
| 2022 | $44,400 | $21.34 | +0.9% |
| 2021 | $44,000 | $21.14 | +2.0% |
Recently added legal extern salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kootenai County, Id | Legal Intern Prosecuting Attorney Office | Coeur dAlene, ID | 06/30/2025 | $48,523 |
| Touro College | Summer 2025 Legal Internship | New York, NY | 06/29/2025 | $34,436 |
| Harbinger Motors Inc. | Intern, Legal | Garden Grove, CA | 06/29/2025 | $52,175 |
| Iherb | Legal Intern | Irvine, CA | 06/20/2025 | $54,241 |
| Sound, Visual, & Display Technology | Dolby Careers Legal Intern | San Francisco, CA | 06/20/2025 | $100,176 |
| Harbinger Motors | Intern, Legal | Garden Grove, CA | 06/20/2025 | $52,175 |
| Dolby Sound Laboratories | Legal Intern | San Francisco, CA | 06/17/2025 | $100,176 |
| Swanson, Martin | Legal | Prairie Village, KS | 06/17/2025 | $45,000 |
| State of Georgia | Legal Intern | Atlanta, GA | 06/17/2025 | $33,392 |
| Brennan Center for Justice | Fall 2025 Democracy Legal Internship | New York, NY | 06/17/2025 | $41,740 |
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