Salaries for Law and Public Safety Professionals

Research legal salaries using our easy salary information tool. Find salaries for all careers, including careers in law and public safety. Research the top paying specializations in law, legal assistance, and security and law enforcement positions and find local state-specific job and compensation trends.

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Conduct hearings to recommend or make decisions on claims concerning government programs or other government-related matters. Determine liability, sanctions, or penalties, or recommend the acceptance or rejection of...

Most have a doctoral degree

Handle animals for the purpose of investigations of mistreatment, or control of abandoned, dangerous, or unattended animals.

Most have a high school diploma or GED

Facilitate negotiation and conflict resolution through dialogue. Resolve conflicts outside of the court system by mutual consent of parties involved.

Most have a bachelor's degree

Maintain order in courts of law.

Most have a high school diploma or GED

Develop, maintain, or implement business continuity and disaster recovery strategies and solutions, including risk assessments, business impact analyses, strategy selection, and documentation of business continuity and...

Most have a bachelor's degree

Guard inmates in penal or rehabilitative institutions in accordance with established regulations and procedures. May guard prisoners in transit between jail, courtroom, prison, or other point. Includes deputy sheriffs...

Most have a high school diploma or GED

Investigate alleged or suspected criminal violations of Federal, state, or local laws to determine if evidence is sufficient to recommend prosecution.

Most have a high school diploma or GED

Teach courses in criminal justice, corrections, and law enforcement administration. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

Most have a doctoral degree

Guide or control vehicular or pedestrian traffic at such places as streets, schools, railroad crossings, or construction sites.

Most have a high school diploma or GED

Assess injuries, administer emergency medical care, and extricate trapped individuals. Transport injured or sick persons to medical facilities.

Most have a vocational certificate

Inspect buildings and equipment to detect fire hazards and enforce state and local regulations.

Most have some college

Inspect buildings to detect fire hazards and enforce local ordinances and State laws, or investigate and gather facts to determine cause of fires and explosions.

Conduct investigations to determine causes of fires and explosions.

Most have an associate's or 2-year degree

Control and extinguish fires or respond to emergency situations where life, property, or the environment is at risk. Duties may include fire prevention, emergency medical service, hazardous material response, search and...

Directly supervise and coordinate activities of correctional officers and jailers.

Most have a high school diploma or GED

Directly supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in fire fighting and fire prevention and control.

Directly supervise and coordinate activities of members of police force.

Most have a high school diploma or GED

Collect, identify, classify, and analyze physical evidence related to criminal investigations. Perform tests on weapons or substances, such as fiber, hair, and tissue to determine significance to investigation. May...

Most have a bachelor's degree

Supervise fire fighters who control and suppress fires in forests or vacant public land.

Most have a high school diploma or GED

Enforce fire regulations, inspect forest for fire hazards and recommend forest fire prevention or control measures. May report forest fires and weather conditions.

Most have a bachelor's degree

Control and suppress fires in forests or vacant public land.

Most have a high school diploma or GED

Act as oversight and security agent for management and customers. Observe casino or casino hotel operation for irregular activities such as cheating or theft by either employees or patrons. May use one-way mirrors above...

Most have a high school diploma or GED

Investigate and inspect persons, common carriers, goods, and merchandise, arriving in or departing from the United States or between states to detect violations of immigration and customs laws and regulations.

Most have a bachelor's degree

Gather, analyze, or evaluate information from a variety of sources, such as law enforcement databases, surveillance, intelligence networks or geographic information systems. Use intelligence data to anticipate and...

Arbitrate, advise, adjudicate, or administer justice in a court of law. May sentence defendant in criminal cases according to government statutes or sentencing guidelines. May determine liability of defendant in civil...

Most have a doctoral degree

Represent clients in criminal and civil litigation and other legal proceedings, draw up legal documents, or manage or advise clients on legal transactions. May specialize in a single area or may practice broadly in many...

Most have a doctoral degree

Monitor recreational areas, such as pools, beaches, or ski slopes to provide assistance and protection to participants.

Most have a high school diploma or GED

Plan and direct policies, procedures, or systems to prevent the loss of assets. Determine risk exposure or potential liability, and develop risk control measures.

Supervise fire fighters who control and extinguish municipal fires, protect life and property, and conduct rescue efforts.

Most have a high school diploma or GED

Control and extinguish municipal fires, protect life and property and conduct rescue efforts.

Most have a vocational certificate

Assist lawyers by investigating facts, preparing legal documents, or researching legal precedent. Conduct research to support a legal proceeding, to formulate a defense, or to initiate legal action.

Most have a bachelor's degree

Patrol assigned area, such as public parking lot or city streets to issue tickets to overtime parking violators and illegally parked vehicles.

Most have a high school diploma or GED

Maintain order and protect life and property by enforcing local, tribal, State, or Federal laws and ordinances. Perform a combination of the following duties: patrol a specific area; direct traffic; issue traffic...

Conduct investigations to prevent crimes or solve criminal cases.

Most have a high school diploma or GED

Collect evidence at crime scene, classify and identify fingerprints, and photograph evidence for use in criminal and civil cases.

Most have a high school diploma or GED

Patrol assigned area to enforce laws and ordinances, regulate traffic, control crowds, prevent crime, and arrest violators.

Most have a high school diploma or GED

Operate radio, telephone, or computer equipment at emergency response centers. Receive reports from the public of crimes, disturbances, fires, and medical or police emergencies. Relay information to law enforcement and...

Most have a high school diploma or GED

Gather, analyze, compile and report information regarding individuals or organizations to clients, or detect occurrences of unlawful acts or infractions of rules in private establishment.

Most have an associate's or 2-year degree

Provide social services to assist in rehabilitation of law offenders in custody or on probation or parole. Make recommendations for actions involving formulation of rehabilitation plan and treatment of offender,...

Most have a bachelor's degree

Implement procedures and systems to prevent merchandise loss. Conduct audits and investigations of employee activity. May assist in developing policies, procedures, and systems for safeguarding assets.

Guard, patrol, or monitor premises to prevent theft, violence, or infractions of rules. May operate x-ray and metal detector equipment.

Most have a high school diploma or GED

Conduct security assessments for organizations, and design security systems and processes. May specialize in areas such as physical security, personnel security, and information security. May work in fields such as...

Direct an organization's security functions, including physical security and safety of employees, facilities, and assets.

Enforce law and order in rural or unincorporated districts or serve legal processes of courts. May patrol courthouse, guard court or grand jury, or escort defendants.

Most have a high school diploma or GED

Protect and police railroad and transit property, employees, or passengers.

Most have an associate's or 2-year degree

This career cluster of Law and Public Safety professionals puts together two groups of disparate job functions: physical safety and protective services with legal professionals. Job salary data and outlooks vary, although outlook across the sector is average in relation to other careers. The legal profession will face high competition for jobs over the next decade as law school attendance is at record high levels. Competition for public safety, police, and protective service jobs may remain flat with the rising population and the availability of public sector roles with municipalities.

The primary jobs in the career grouping are Lawyers, Police and Safety Officers, and Paralegal and other legal support specialists. The average salary for Lawyers: $112,760, Police and Detectives: $55,010, Paralegals and Legal Assistants: $46,680. The academic preparation for these roles varies; however, Criminal Justice is a natural academic background for criminal law or police work. Diverse liberal arts degrees such as American Studies, Philosophy, and History are common undergraduate majors for lawyers before law school admittance.