Also called: Law school faculty
Teaches future lawyers and writes scholarship on the law.
Law professors teach big first-year classes using the Socratic method (cold-calling students), write long law review articles, and comment on court cases in the news. Many practiced law or clerked for judges first.
BLS law teachers, postsecondary; elite schools pay much more.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Professional degree (MD, JD, DVM…), about 9 years after high school. Law degree (JD) from a top school, strong grades, often a judicial clerkship and publications.
Ways in: Graduate school. Training cost: Over $150k.
Majors to look at: Political Science, Philosophy, History, Pre-Law.
Growing about average (about 4% over 10 years). BLS projects ~4% growth for postsecondary teachers overall; tenure-track jobs are very competitive.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI drafts legal research and grades practice exams; Socratic teaching, scholarship and mentoring lawyers stay human but positions are scarce.
Classes: AP Government, AP English Language, Speech or debate.
Official data: O*NET occupation 25-1112.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.