How Much Do Lawyers Earn; Assuming you want to become a lawyer in Nigeria, how much do you think lawyers in Nigeria will earn in a month? It is very obvious that the law profession is a well-recognized and respected one in Nigeria, and as such, most people are of the opinion that lawyers earn a lot of money, while some believe also that they don’t earn much as you may presume it to be.
Whatever the case, it is in this article that we will know how much Nigerian lawyers earn every month. So if you want to know how much Lawyers in Nigeria earn, diligently follow us on this article and ensure that you read it to the end so as to get full details of the salary of Nigerian lawyers.
About the Law Profession
The law profession is a very respected one. They are a set of people who are saddled with the responsibility of standing in for their clients in a court of law. lawyers are required to advise their clients, write wills, and defend their clients for whatsoever they want them to do for them.
Duties of a Lawyer
- Analysis of legal problems.
- Advocate for clients in the law court
- Advise and represent clients in courts,
- Interpret laws, rulings, and regulations
- Prepare and file legal documents,
Determinants of Lawyers’ Salary
As a lawyer, what are the basic things that determine the amount of salary that you receive in a month in Nigeria? That is what we are going to consider in the section.
Years of experience as the lawyer
One important factor that determines how much a lawyer collects in a month in Nigeria is the year of experience the lawyer. Experience is a key factor in the practice. That is why you cannot compare a young per who is just called to the bar with a lawyer who has been defending clients in the law courts for years, or better still one who has been winning cases for their clients, let alone a SAN.
Size of the law firm
A young lawyer who just get into a law firm to learn proceedings will not have the same experience and knowledge as those in smaller and unpopular firms. There are some law firms that are more popular and well-recognized than others based on the fact that they have been winning cases and have expanded their firm over the years. Banwo, Aluko and Oyebode, Ikeyi, and many others are very big and famous law firms in Nigeria.
Ability to win cases
Another determinant of the salary of a lawyer in Nigeria is the ability of the lawyer to be winning cases and be ready to work. If you are not lazy or confined to sitting down in a particular place, you are bound to make a lot of money than some other lawyers.
How Much Do Lawyers Earn?
Below is the salary structure of the Nigerian Lawyers, based on their level of experience.
Interns lawyers salaries
Interns are those sets of lawyers that are yet to be employed in law firms. They are usually employed to work with law firms for some time after they have graduated. In Nigeria most intern lawyers work without being paid, only a few law firms pay their interns.
For those intern who is lucky to find themselves in a firm that pays them, here is how much they receive every month. Banwo & Ighodalo, Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie, Abdulai, and others pay their interns and the interns receive about N5,000 to N30,000 every month
Junior Associates:
These are the type of lawyers that are newly employed in the law firm without any experience. As junior associates, they have no understanding of the grounds of the law profession. Their stay in the firm will help them to gather the skills needed to become sound in their judgment.
Lawyers in this category do not receive so much money as a salary. Their salary is estimated at about N15,000 – N100,000 monthly, depending on the size of the firm. Banwo, Aluko, Oyebode, etc, pay their Junior Associates around N100,000 every month.
Senior Associates
These are lawyers who have been working for at least, 3 – 5 years. They are working as fully employed lawyers for a law firm. Before you graduate to the level of a senior associate, you must have worked for a law firm for about 3 to 5 years as a lawyer.
Senior associate lawyers receive about N50,000 to N300,000 as salary every month, depending on the size of the firm. But Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie who are well-renowned law firms give senior associates lawyers allowances like Medical care and other bills incentives in addition to their salaries.
Company Lawyers
There are some lawyers that work in private companies, and such lawyers earn a lot of money from those companies. Companies such as MTN, and Dangote Group of companies, just to mention but a few, have lawyers and they earn a lot of money. Their salaries is between N500,000 to N1,000,000. Some big firms pay bigger than that anyways.
Partners
They are largely those set of lawyers who own or open law firms and have practiced for so many years at least 5 to 10 years in the profession. Partners earn so much money as salary and their salary is estimated at about N100,000 to N1,000,000 per month, all depending on the size of the firm.
Salaries of Lawyers of the Federal Ministry of Justice
There are some lawyers who also work at the federal ministry of justice, they also receive a good sum of money as their monthly salaries. This set of lawyers is paid by the federal government of Nigeria. Lawyers who work with the Federal Ministry of Justice receive about N450,000 to N800,000
Salaries of Attorneys
Attorneys receive a lot of money as their salary. They are lawyers who have up to two-year experience or less in the profession. The salaries of Attorneys are estimated at about usually 75,000 – 90,000 NGN very monthly.
Read Also:
Here is the 2023/2024 List of Accredited Faculties of Law in Nigeria
Top 10 Best Law Schools In Nigeria (2023 Latest Update) and Their Locations
Opportunities for Law Students in Nigeria 2023 (Latest Update)
Breakdown of Lawyer’s Salary in Nigeria
| Level of Lawyers | Salaries |
| Interns lawyers salaries | N5,000 to N30,000 |
| Junior Associates: | N15,000 – N100,000 |
| Senior Associates | N50,000 to N300,000 |
| Company Lawyers | N500,000 to N1,000,000 |
| Partner Lawyers | N100,000 to N1,000,000 |
| Federal Ministry of Justice | N450,000 to N800,000 |
| Salaries of Attorneys | 75,000 – 90,000 |
Conclusion
Thanking for reading the salary structure of the Nigerian lawyers to the end.