Understanding the Legal Jobs in Wisconsin
Currently, there are approximately 30,000 lawyers licensed to practice in Wisconsin. With the job market becoming increasingly competitive, job seekers need to stay organized and focused. This article will aid in the process of finding legal job openings in Wisconsin.
In recent years, the legal job market has evolved. The number of lawyers entering the profession has risen dramatically and many recent law school graduates struggle with job placement. After the 2009 law school class, Wisconsin’s unemployment hit 9.9%. By 2017, the rate had fallen to 6.34%. The State Bar of Wisconsin tracks employment statistics for Wisconsin lawyers and breaks them down according to age. In 2013, Wisconsin lawyers under 30 years old faced a 21.8% unemployment rate. By 2018, the rate was 11.5%. In addition, the percentage of lawyers under 30 years old that were unemployed or faced underemployment was 16.8% in 2013 and 10.3% in 2018. This shows that the majority of Wisconsin’s new lawyers have jobs. The current state of the Wisconsin legal job market shows there are sufficient opportunities available for those willing to put in the time and effort to find them. According to state law , Wisconsin requires attorneys to have a physical address and email information on file with the Office of Lawyer Regulation. There are less than 1,000 solo practitioners in Wisconsin and while they are in need of support, the number is not large enough to make a significant impact on the legal job market. The two largest professions within Wisconsin law are corporate counsel and government counsel. For example, the City of Milwaukee hires attorney positions with varying specialties. Corporate lawyers are common in the larger cities as more businesses require legal counsel. Wisconsin’s legal market has diversified but at a slow pace. There is an increase in externships offered by law firms, school districts, and companies. For example, Wisconsin Destiny hosts an Externship Day which includes a career fair and accolades given to the top employers. Driven by demand from organizations in a wide array of sectors, the hot trends for legal jobs in Wisconsin include:
Top Legal Cities in Wisconsin
For people looking for legal work in Wisconsin, Milwaukee and Madison are the top cities. In Milwaukee, the law firm ranks are led by Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, Godfrey & Kahn, and Quarles & Brady, while Well, Beil, Dott, & Cotton Ltd and Wipfli LLP vie for the top law firm slots in Madison. The largest employers of attorneys, though, are Fox-Brown & Tabor, Wipfli LLP, and Anthony Nicholas Tiberi, all three of which are found in Madison. Overall, the state has a large number of solo practitioners, led by Thomas R Hurst and Timothy L Wolff of Milwaukee. The average salary for lawyers residing in Wisconsin is $75,821, and the highest lawyers’ salary for those living in the state is based in Milwaukee ($87,913).
So what are these opportunities? In Milwaukee, most importantly, probably, there are several good openings with insurance firms. A lot of those firms start fresh recruits out at about $60,000, so that’s not bad for a degree of a couple of years or so. If you don’t mind driving or commuting to Milwaukee from out of town, that may be a good option. There are also opportunities for corporate counsel in Milwaukee. One of the more interesting opportunities in Madison is a business and counsel job opening with an aerospace/aviation company, which can be an exciting field to be in, provided you’re interested in contract negotiations and related matters. Of course, there’s the perennial standbys, like bond counsel, or assistant district attorney positions, which are available in major cities and smaller municipalities alike.
There are more law jobs out there in the Milwaukee area than in the rest of the state combined, by a large margin. The law firms that are located in Milwaukee have the most employees, and generally create more job opportunities.
Demand for Legal Positions in Wisconsin
The demand for certain legal roles varies according to the particular needs of Wisconsin’s law firms and businesses. While larger firms have a continuous demand for senior attorneys and associates, smaller and mid-sized firms often have a growing need for generalists, or "jack of all trades" lawyers who can handle multiple areas of practice.
Paralegals and legal assistants continue to be in high demand in Wisconsin’s large firms, which typically look for candidates with at least several years of experience in corporate law, bankruptcy or litigation. However, corporations, small firms and non-profits are also looking for strong paralegal candidates, particularly for corporate or employment law. Contract attorneys are also in demand in Wisconsin, particularly for short-term positions as needed.
In terms of assistant positions, executive assistant roles that support attorneys, as well as legal administrative positions that support attorneys and paralegals, are in demand by corporations, non-profits and law firms. Insurance, medical malpractice and litigation firms across the state are looking for legal assistants with experience in litigation.
Starting a Legal Career in Wisconsin
In this state, there are five ABA-accredited law schools—Marquette University Law School, the University of Wisconsin Law School, Concordia University School of Law, and the Wisconsin campus of the Michigan State University College of Law—all in Milwaukee or Madison. The UW Law School and the Concordia University School of Law are the two most conveniently located options for students who want to establish viable legal careers in and around Milwaukee or Madison. While Concordia also offers online learning, its curriculum relies heavily on experiential learning through clinical work and externships. The University of Wisconsin offers a diverse set of traditional and experiential opportunities for students pursuing legal careers in Milwaukee and Madison. The school places a strong emphasis on service, rewarding "Husky Promise" students with pro bono and community service experience. Twice as many Wisconsin students as national averages engage in clinics. The job-market prospects afforded by the school’s 90-plus employer partnerships, connections with hundreds of local lawyers, and an expansive alumni network are among the program’s other major draws. Marquette does not have an equivalent to the UW program’s focus on public service, but it also provides an array of top-tier employment opportunities and facilities. Its Bar passage rates, job placement rates, and partnerships with local employers make it a premier choice for students who want to practice in Milwaukee, Madison, or other areas of the state. An aspiring Wisconsin lawyer who lives elsewhere can pursue legal careers in Indianapolis (at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law), Chicago (at DePaul University College of Law), or Ann Arbor (University of Michigan Law School).
Networking and Professional Law Organizations
At the state level, numerous associations serve Wisconsin’s legal professionals. Of course, the State Bar of Wisconsin is a strong networking and professional resource, offering practice area sections, committees, discussion groups, and regional chapters that cater to firms of all sizes and specialties. In addition to the State Bar, several organizations bring together legal professionals of various backgrounds and interests for networking and membership development.
Another option for expanding your network is the Alliance of Legal Networks (ALN), a global invitation-only network of independent law firms. ALN members have access to peer-firm referrals and vast legal resources.
With over 350 members, the Wisconsin Academy of Trial Lawyers includes lawyers from small, large, and medium-sized firms across the state. Members focus exclusively on representing plaintiffs in personal injury, civil rights, and class action cases , and come together multiple times a year for events and meetings.
UW Law School’s Alumni Association offers opportunities for networking and education with an extensive alumni network. With twelve chapters throughout the state, this organization supports lifelong friendships through professional and social events.
The Milwaukee Bar Association also offers local networking events, resources for clients, and educational opportunities. Members participate in various committees and professional interest forums.
Lastly, a number of industry events provide opportunities to network with other top legal talent in the state. The State Bar’s Annual Meeting and Conference is held in the summer and features educational sessions and social events.
Fredrickson and Byron, Vos, Schroeder & Ritsche is one of the largest legal recruiting firms in the Midwest; we know that the key to career growth in the legal industry is to maximize both your professional network and professional association participation.
Salaries for Legal Positions in Wisconsin
Wisconsin lawyers earn on average $108,384, according to the salary data gathered by Glassdoor. In the last three years, the salary for Wisconsin attorneys has gone from approximately $91,000 to $108,000. According to this data, the lowest 10% of attorneys in Wisconsin earn $62,000, whereas the highest 10% of attorneys earn $162,000.
Nationwide, lawyers earn $117,992 on average. However, the lowest 10% earn $64,000, while the highest 10% earn $211,000. After adjusting for some variables, such as work experience and the size of the firm, the average earnings for a lawyer in the Midwest is $96,000, still below the national average.
The disparity in salaries can be attributed to a viable number of factors. First, the salary range depends on experience level, with younger attorneys earning significantly less, but younger lawyers in the Midwest earn somewhere between 89%-95% what their peers do nationally when all experience levels are taken into account.
Location is one example of how experience can impact attorney earnings. Large cities (those with a government job classification greater than 100,000) pay their attorneys a salary $105,000 (compared to $101,200 nationally), which translates to an 87% premium over the average salary in smaller cities.
Salaries for entry-level attorneys in the Midwest vary from around $80,000 to $90,000 on average. However, compared to the national averages for first-year associates, Midwest cities lag behind by approximately $10,000. Comparable markets to Milwaukee, such as Madison earn a little less on average.
Salaries for attorneys with five years of experience are even further below the national average, with the average lawyer in the Midwest earning about $92,000 versus $111,000 nationwide. Again, Milwaukee is slightly above the national average, while Madison is below.
Non-equity partners in Wisconsin earn a mid-range salary between $150,000 and $190,000, putting them near the middle of the national average range. However, senior non-equity partners can earn between $250,000 and $290,000 for an average of $235,000—considerably lower than the national average of $320,000.
Changes in salary levels are not unique to Wisconsin, as evidenced by starting hourly rates for attorneys in the state. Over a period from 2012 to 2018, average starting hourly rates increased by 22%, which is better than the national average of 16%. While this is good news, it still does not mean that Wisconsin lawyers are keeping up with their counterparts in major coastal cities where average starting hourly rates are 40-75% higher.
Another way to compare starting salaries is by looking at median salaries. In 2012, the median starting salary for attorneys was a little over $30 per hour, while in 2018, the median could be more than $43 per hour. This means that as a group, attorneys have seen hourly increases of around $13 over a span of six years.
What about attorneys with experience? The most experienced lawyers recently surveyed reported median hourly salaries of $61 per hour in 2012, which increased to $100 per hour in 2018. This translates to a 60% increase over six years for those who could provide qualifications and information to accurately value their services.
Legal Opportunities and Obstacles in Wisconsin’s Workforce
Like many regions of the country, Wisconsin has experienced a multitude of challenges with regard to the legal field, especially over the past year. The state has experienced one of the largest drops in legal services employment in the country, with an increase in the share of solo practitioners among all attorneys. Adding to the unpredictability are economic big-picture concerns such as the U.S.-China trade war and volatile stock market. At the same time, large-scale, global legal employers have invested in Wisconsin. In 2019, Baker Tilly and Sikich announced their plans to merge into a national powerhouse and Fox Rothschild added a Milwaukee office. The legal community in Wisconsin has certainly seen its share of challenges , especially over the past year. All of these factors come together in many ways to create a dramatically different legal job market. For example, the growing number of solo practitioners in the state can be largely attributed to decreasing overall employment in law firms. This downward pressure on law firm hiring is primarily due to an increase in competition in the legal marketplace and the regulation of legal services. More individuals than ever are entering the Wisconsin legal market and they face challenges in ways of thinking about traditional life-long careers in law.