Lawyer / Attorney total compensation: base vs bonus vs equity

Base pay is only part of the story. A Lawyer / Attorney's total compensation runs about $232K (range $209K–$255K) once bonus, equity, and benefits are included — base is roughly 66% of that.

Where the money comes from

Base salary
Guaranteed cash
$153K
66%
Bonus (mid)
10–40% of base
$38K
16%
Equity / RSUs
~5% of base, annualised
$8K
3%
Benefits
~22% (health, 401k, etc.)
$34K
14%

Total (mid): $232K. Equity and bonus vary widely by employer and performance — treat these as planning ranges, not a guaranteed offer.

Related

Full Lawyer / Attorney pay data →Negotiate total comp →Pay by experience →

Common questions

What is a Lawyer / Attorney's total compensation?

A Lawyer / Attorney's total comp is roughly $232K at the mid estimate (range $209K–$255K): base $153K plus a 10–40% bonus, ~5% equity, and ~22% benefits.

How much of Lawyer / Attorney pay is base vs bonus and equity?

Base is about 66% of total comp for a Lawyer / Attorney. The rest comes from bonus ($38K mid), equity/RSUs (~$8K/yr annualised), and benefits (~$34K).

Do Lawyer / Attorneys get stock or RSUs?

Typically yes in this field — around 5% of base in annualised equity, though it varies widely by employer (startups skew higher and riskier; large public firms pay liquid RSUs).

Bonus/equity/benefits modelled from category norms (Levels.fyi, Robert Half, employer benefit-cost data); estimates, not an offer.