What is a student attorney and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted Expert
Hanna Royce
introduction image
The average student attorney salary is $105,185. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an law major. It usually takes 2-4 years of experience to become a student attorney. Student attorneys with a Certified Legal Secretary Specialist: Intellectual Property (CL§) certification earn more money. 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 Student Attorney?

H

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.
ScoreStudent AttorneyUS Average
Salary
7.7

Avg. Salary $105,185

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 5.56%

Hispanic or Latino 7.79%

Unknown 4.38%

White 75.58%

Gender

female 55.27%

male 44.73%

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

Student Attorney career paths

Key steps to become a student attorney

  1. Explore student attorney education requirements

    Most common student attorney degrees

    Bachelor's

    65.7 %

    Doctorate

    27.4 %

    Master's

    5.7 %
  2. Start to develop specific student attorney skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Legal Issues8.48%
    Legal Memoranda4.35%
    Social Security4.29%
    District Court4.18%
    Domestic Violence3.67%
  3. Complete relevant student attorney training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New student 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 student attorney based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real student attorney resumes.
  4. Research student attorney duties and responsibilities

    • Generate an internal memorandum exploring VAWA and special immigrant juvenile cases that lead to the establishment of a new clinic program.
    • Provide direct representation to low-income clients on a range of matters including family, criminal, probate, and post-conviction review.
    • Issue subpoenas for opposing party's financial records, records for businesses own by opposing party and records of government organizations.
    • Compose subpoenas and collect discovery.
  5. Prepare your student attorney resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your student 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 student 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 Student Attorney Resume templates

    Build a professional Student 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 Student Attorney resume.
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  6. Apply for student attorney jobs

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

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

How Did You Land Your First Student Attorney Job

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Average student attorney salary

The average Student Attorney salary in the United States is $105,185 per year or $51 per hour. Student attorney salaries range between $69,000 and $159,000 per year.

Average Student Attorney Salary
$105,185 Yearly
$50.57 hourly

What Am I Worth?

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How do student attorneys rate their job?

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Student Attorney reviews

profile
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.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.