The Who’s Better Off Game:Legal Services Workers

When the nation struggles, do lawyers cash in? Republicans looking for a bright sign in an otherwise gloomy economic record can find one in the legal industry. Of course, then they’d have to stomach discussing why so many more lawyers are working today than four years ago, and why they’re making so much more money…

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.


Lawyers have little to complain about these days. Law firms are adding jobs, and salaries are climbing. True, there are some black spots — in California, where the dot-com collapse rippled through law firms, there are about 8 percent fewer lawyers employed today than there were four years ago. But across the country, lawyers are making out very well.

The same can’t necessarily be said for paralegals and legal secretaries, however. Nationwide, payrolls have grown by more than 15 percent, but incomes have dropped. In New York, for instance, where there are about 2,000 more paralegals working today than in 2000, real wages have dropped by nearly 20 percent.

THANKS FOR READING. NOW ONE QUICK ASK...

Trump and his allies are clamping down on the press—using lawsuits, lies, intimidation, and the power of the federal government. While major media outlets cave, Mother Jones won’t back down. To help us stand strong, a generous board member just chipped in a $50,000 digital matching gift. Will you help us make the most of it?

Every dollar you give online through September 30 will be matched dollar-for-dollar.

The forces working to demolish trust in the media and the very idea of shared facts are not slowing down. If you believe in kickass, truth-telling independent journalism, now is the time to show it. Please give what you can—any amount—and know that every dollar will go twice as far.

payment methods

THANKS FOR READING. NOW ONE QUICK ASK...

Trump and his allies are clamping down on the press—using lawsuits, lies, intimidation, and the power of the federal government. While major media outlets cave, Mother Jones won’t back down. To help us stand strong, a generous board member just chipped in a $50,000 digital matching gift. Will you help us make the most of it?

Every dollar you give online through September 30 will be matched dollar-for-dollar.

The forces working to demolish trust in the media and the very idea of shared facts are not slowing down. If you believe in kickass, truth-telling independent journalism, now is the time to show it. Please give what you can—any amount—and know that every dollar will go twice as far.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate