Also called: Divorce Lawyer, Custody Attorney
Handles divorces, child custody, adoptions, and other cases about families.
Family lawyers deal with people during some of the hardest moments of their lives. A typical day mixes negotiating custody schedules, drafting settlement agreements, and going to court for emergency hearings. It takes as much emotional skill as legal skill.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Professional degree (MD, JD, DVM…), about 7 years after high school. Bachelor's in any subject, then a 3-year Juris Doctor (JD) and passing the state bar exam.
Ways in: 4-year college, Professional school. Training cost: Over $150k.
Majors to look at: Psychology, Sociology, Political Science, Family Studies, English.
Growing about average (about 4% over 10 years). BLS projection for all lawyers (2024-34).
Low risk for 10 years. AI drafts divorce forms and splits assets on paper; custody fights, emotional clients and courtroom judgment keep this human.
Classes: Psychology, AP U.S. Government, Speech and debate, Sociology.
Official data: O*NET occupation 23-1011.
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.