Texas Legal Job Market Overview
Diving into Texas legal jobs, the state’s status as a legal jobs destination and how new trends impact hiring.
Texas generally presents a unique character of its own. It’s diverse, yet independent; sophisticated but self-reliant. It’s the land of big hair, big personality and bigger oil rigs dotting the expansive landscapes. It is the land of Legends of the Fall.
These same themes can be paralleled with the Texas legal job market. It’s diverse in its regional presence (Houston vs. Dallas vs. Austin); big, in that it has much to compete with on an impulse and its gradually changing tone of sophistication. The Texas legal market, in particular, has a reputation of weathering an economic downturn with some of the least damage compared to many other parts of the country.
In 2002, Texas was rated no. 8 for most popular U.S. city to relocate to by RealtyTrac. In 2004, Condo Vultures placed the Houston area on its list of top 50 worst housing markets in the U.S. In 2009, Vogue magazine praised Houston for its character, citing its "wild, whirling contradictions," while the Texas Monthly reports that Texas is home to 5 out of the top 13 most miserable cities in the U.S. The reality is that Texas’ unique claim to fame is playing up to the state’s eccentricities.
In 2014, the median yearly income in Texas for lawyers was $119,000 ("$139,000 for white men; $117,000 for white women; $108,000 for African-American women" and $159,000 for African-American men). This figure remains steady with national numbers overall for the average lawyer’s salary.
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (USBLS), the average number of people employed in the legal field in Texas was about 63,830 in 2015, ranking it 3rd in the U.S. for the number of active lawyers and 4th in the country for the legal employment rate. The USBLS found Houston employing the most lawyers in Texas with a work force of approximately 19,860, followed by Dallas and Fort Worth, respectively employing 23,000 and 11,000. Austin ranked 6th in the top cities in Texas with 7,740 lawyers. Texas had about 1.6 lawyers for every 100 people in 2015 compared to the U . S.’s national average of 1 lawyer for every 650 people.
The Dallas-Houston corridor is the largest and fastest-growing segment of Texas legal jobs. According to the State Bar of Texas, the legal employment growth rate in Texas is 18.4 percent, more than five times its national counterpart.
Most recently, Texas has seen a rise in employment opportunities due to the state experiencing some of the lowest unemployment rates in the U.S. (with the highest annual rate at 6.3 percent and the lowest at 3.7 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Labor) and a growing foreign investment presence, which has led to a strong demand for corporate counsel and small firm lawyers specializing in international law.
The diversification of the Texas legal job market can be attributed to various pockets of growth in the state. Growth industries include health care and intellectual property, as well as the real estate industry that have been central to Texas’ economy for decades.
City-specific trends are evident as well. For example, North Texas provides net annual income to approximately 32,000 Dallas lawyers (the second highest in the country), while providing Austin’s 7,740 lawyers with one of the fastest per capita job growth rates in the country. The Austin and Victoria markets have also been experiencing growth in the Oil and Gas industry. Even in this period of plummeting oil prices, Austin and Victoria remain some of the U.S.’s top-prized cities for Energy Lawyers.
The American Lawyer reports that the most active legal employers in Texas (ranked from most to least jobs) include Baker Hughes, Exxon Mobil Corp., AT&T Corp., Baker Botts, Williams Cos., Baker Hughes Inc., Devon Energy Corp. and The Sigma Group. Employers have also proven themselves to be adaptable to recent changes within the industry.
The BLS predicts that the future job market in Texas will continue to improve every year with more job openings than job candidates to fill them. The Texas legal field is growing five times faster than the national rate, and law firms are looking for talent to fill these needed positions.
Major Texas Cities for Legal Employment
With Texas being one of the largest states in the country, you can find a wide array of legal jobs. In addition to the major cities of Dallas, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio, there are numerous metropolitan areas that can help you locate Texas legal jobs. Houston has long been known as a major business hub, with perhaps the most extensive network of energy-related jobs of any city worldwide. With a strong base of international companies, you can find plenty of opportunities for Texas legal jobs that support a wide variety of client industries in this city. The major environmental center of the country can easily be found in Dallas, where a combination of environmental firms and legal services firms can offer legal professionals plenty of opportunity. Their educational institutions continually graduate top tier students in environmental law, many of whom find their way into a Texas legal job with one of the local firms. Austin has seen a tremendous amount of growth over the last few years, more than enough to cause other cities to take notice when it comes to their hiring practices. An influx of high-tech companies in the Austin area has consistently increased the availability of available Texas legal jobs. The San Antonio metropolitan area has become something of a surprise, as its had a much faster growth rate than most experts had known. A growing population creates a demand for legal services as well. A growing legal council has helped San Antonio become one of the top cities in the southwest for legal related jobs.
Legal Careers Available
The legal field encompasses a wide array of positions in Texas ranging from attorneys to paralegals, legal assistants, judges, clerks, legal administrators and receptionists. While each position requires specific skills and abilities, all legal jobs in Texas require a high level of professionalism and commitment to the work performed.
Attorneys represent clients in criminal and civil matters and have earned a license to practice law in Texas. All lawyers in Texas must graduate from law school, obtain a license to practice law in the State of Texas and have never been found guilty of a felony. Lawyers must also maintain a high level of professional conduct throughout their practice of law in Texas in order to provide appropriate representation for their clients.
Paralegals and legal assistants are responsible for assisting attorneys with a variety of tasks depending on the case at hand. Most often, paralegals and legal assistants perform research and maintain records. The tasks performed by these two professionals can depend on the specific area of law, but typically include filing pleadings, preparing drafts of documents and correspondence related to cases, maintaining client files and communicating with clients, witnesses and others regarding cases.
Judges are appointed or elected public officials that preside over court proceedings including hearings and trials. In Texas, judges serve on felony criminal cases, civil cases and handle family law matters such as divorce among other types of cases. Because judges are called upon to make decisions that have important implications for those involved in litigation, this is a vital position in the Texas legal field.
The clerk of courts administers the local legal "office" and is an important officer of the court, responsible for maintaining and distributing court records, filing pleadings, handling the court’s paperwork and notifying the court when cases have been settled out of court. Clerks of the court are important to ensure the court proceedings run smoothly and are essential to the function of the legal system.
Legal administrators and receptionists perform basic responsibilities necessary to keep the law office operating. These professionals perform daily administrative tasks including answering phones and gathering information for attorneys regarding cases.
Education and Licensing Needs
To pursue a career in law in Texas, you must complete several key educational milestones. All lawyers must first obtain a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. While there is no designated "pre-law" track, you may still benefit from courses relating to business, science, technology, public speaking, or history. After completing a bachelor’s degree, you must then earn a Juris Doctor through an American Bar Association (ABA)-accredited law school. You may apply to law school if you are in your final year of college or even with only three years of college under your belt. The Texas Consortium of An ABA-Approved Law School has partnered with the Thurgood Marshall School of Law and the University of Houston Law Center to allow applicants with only three years of college to apply to law schools in Texas.
Those seeking to take the Texas Bar Exam and ultimately practice law in Texas must complete their Juris Doctor. Additionally, you must also complete at least 10 hours of professional responsibility study, which is typically required by the Texas Supreme Court. Upon completion of those requirements, you may take the Texas Bar Exam. The exam is typically held in February and in July each year.
In addition to the above-mentioned educational requirements, you must also pass a state and federal criminal history background check. In order to do so, you must file an application with the Texas Board of Law Examiners online. The filing fee for the application is $300.
Unless otherwise exempt, Texas Law requires the successful completion of continuing legal education (CLE) in order to renew your license. Attorneys in private practice must take at least 15 hours of CLE for every lawyer in the firm, with the exception of those in their first year, whose requirement is 10 hours.
Industries Employing Legal Professionals
In Texas, the industries hiring the most legal professionals are oil and gas, technology, real estate, and finance. In oil and gas, the demand is primarily for attorneys with experience in acquisitions and mergers. Technology employers are looking for legal professionals related to software development and information technology, as well as those with educational expertise . Experts in "Teacher Tenure" are currently in demand. Companies in the real estate industry look for attorneys experienced in commercial litigation, title insurance, commercial leasing, and zoning. Most financial employers need attorneys with significant experience in dispute resolution matters like litigation and arbitration.
Legal Job Salary Statistics
Depending upon the type of legal job and location of job, the salary varies. When looking at the financial compensation that Texas lawyers earn, there are salary averages and ranges depending upon their experience levels, the area they practice in and the specialty they have in a particular field.
Corporate Law
Corporate lawyers who continue to work like crazy make somewhere between the mid $100,000s to low $200,000s unless they become senior partners where the pay can reach into the mid to high $300,000s.
Real Estate
Starting out as a real estate lawyer who works for a large law firm, you can expect to earn from the low to high $170,000s. If you happen to be a partner in a large law firm, your annual income can be around the low to mid $300,000s.
Government
If you are a federal government lawyer, you can expect to earn an annual salary that ranges from the mid to high $00,000s. If you work for a state government, you will make approximately the mid $00,000s.
Sports Law
The average salary for a sports lawyer is around the mid $70,000s.
Nonprofits
If you work for a nonprofit, expect to receive an annual salary of around the mid $70,000s.
Finding Legal Job Listings
A variegated array of online job boards will be available for you to peruse when starting your legal job search. Just like utilizing the Texas Bar or Lawyer Referral Service, your human resources perspective will have you searching for jobs at the following sites.
The most popular Texas-focused legal job boards are Texas Bar Career Center, LawCrossing, and AllLawyerJobs. They are a great resource for Texas attorneys looking to change jobs. If this is your first job, Texas Law Jobs has legal jobs targeted mainly to law students and recent grads. Check out BigLaw Recruit as they do post opportunities for full-time attorney and non-attorney positions in Texas. However keep in mind, gradually becoming more common are generalized online job boards. You might find what you are looking for at Monster.com, Robert Half Legal, and LawJobs. Looking for local opportunities? Check out American Lawyer Media’s regional publications.
Professional networking kept in the heart and mind can be and is invaluable. For starters, think of your own state bar’s platform; almost all state bar associations have bulletin boards where employers post their legal job opportunities. You may also want to create an account with Texas Recruit. Texas Recruit offers free e-mail notifications for attorney jobs in Texas. Many law firm websites and the employers themselves often list their job opportunities. You might get lucky at a legal charity event, attending events held by a bar association, and via attorney lunches. Networking with legal recruiters can be beneficial as well. Vendors can be an excellent source for job leads which could be a bit more up front than the Texas Lawyer enables. The internet is not the only source for job information. Newspapers monitored at the end of the week still contribute to new job postings.
Getting involved with a bar association could be a great way to meet "hidden" job opportunities. For example, at the Texas Young Lawyers Association, job postings are made to their members. You might also ask if a recruiter is interested in hiring you as a candidate for one of the firms to which they represent. An applicant could also be interested in placement services that are offered by bar associations. Finally, law schools are still a good font of regional employment for lawyers. Visit the career services office with your resume, and they may have referrals for you.
In Texas, most legal placement firms specialize in one area only and act as a liaison between the attorney and the employer. With boutique firms, lawyers can feel confident that they can get in the door for an interview or two. Local boutique legal searchers are also cheaper than national search firms due to the local information and expertise at hand. A legal research firm that specializes in all areas will also assist an attorney.
The Future of Legal Jobs in Texas
As the profession navigates an uncertain economy and a time of change within the market, it is hard to predict the immediate future in terms of legal jobs. However, certain factors can influence the demand for legal services and the available jobs for lawyers and paralegals in Texas.
Technological Advances
eDiscovery tools and legal management software have drastically increased the amount of work that can be handled by fewer people in Texas law firms and legal departments. This has enabled law firms to offer legal services at a lower rate by improving efficiency, but it has also reduced the need for human labor for many of these tasks.
Policy Changes
Legislation can significantly alter the legal field, creating new opportunities and jobs in the industry, or apprenticeships and para-legal work to supplement the legal field. Potential changes in law and policy may include state legislative calls for discovery processes in family law to focus on records instead of depositions.
The Impact of the Economy
As a general rule, the legal profession benefits from a strong economy. When companies and individuals prosper, they can afford to legal services to address complex issues outside of customer contracts and insurance policies , and often turn early on to preventive legal services even for small businesses. In leaner times, parties rely on documents and their understandings with outside counsel to fill in the gaps, as opposed to hiring dedicated legal services staff.
Human Resources Needs
As law firms in Texas follow the trend of consolidation to strengthen their middle tier and build market strength in specialized areas, their legal staff requirements will shift toward retaining high quality personnel across this tier. The 24-40 year-olds within the firm have the opportunity to step up and secure their positions, while more tenured professionals may reap the benefits of their contributions or transition to in-house positions to preserve or improve compensation. The growing consolidation of boutique firms further increases the possibilities for both opportunities and challenges.
The Future of Legal Work in Texas
Legal market forces such as consolidation, technological improvements, and economic conditions will continue to shape the market for lawyers in Texas. The burden will fall to the up-and-coming generation in the legal industry to forge their own paths, developing the right combinations of skills and experience to compete in this changing landscape.