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San Francisco and Dallas top the list of metropolitan areas that have the highest median salaries for attorneys in 2008.

According to Payscale.com, the salary research site, San Francisco offers a median salary of $105,800 for associates with at least three years of experience, nearly $10,000 more than the second-highest area on the list, New York City ($96,100). Washington, D.C. ($93,500), Los Angeles ($90,800) and Dallas ($90,500) complete the top five.

For mid-career lawyers (typically with at least 10-15 years experience), Dallas shoots to the top of the list, offering a median compensation of $146,100. San Francisco comes in second at $143,700. Miami ($142,700), San Diego ($141,500) and Phoenix, Ariz. ($140,600) round out the top five, with New York, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles all dropping lower on the list.

The up tick in hiring for corporate governance, securities litigation and intellectual property has increased demand in the largest metro markets, according to Chad Volkert, an executive director for Robert Half Legal, a national legal recruiting firm.

The San Francisco Bay Area has a high demand for corporate attorneys with competition from Palo Alto, Silicon Valley and other nearby areas, says Volkert.

Dallas and several Texas markets have seen an increase in demand due to oil and gas litigation. Volkert also predicts an exodus north of the border to Canada for similar reasons.

“What [law firm] clients are looking for more than ever are lawyers with three to six years of experience who can bring substantive experience to their firm,” says Volkert. “With the spike in first-year salaries over the last few years, big firms have to [pay higher salaries] to attract the right talent.”

The list of salaries in the nation’s top 20 metropolitan areas is below. Statistics are for salaried attorneys only. Solos and senior partners are not included.

The national figure represents the median for the United States as a whole. The top 20 metropolitan areas (by population, as determined by 2005 U.S. Census figures) are ordered based on median salaries.

Associate attorneys (at least three years)

Metropolitan Area Median Salary

National $79,500

1 San Francisco Bay Area $105,800
2 New York City $96,100
3 Washington, D.C. $93,500
4 Los Angeles $90,800
5 Dallas-Fort Worth/Arlington $90,500
6 Philadelphia $89,200
7 Houston $86,300
8 Atlanta $86,000
9 Phoenix $82,500
10 San Diego $81,600
11 Seattle $81,200
12 Cleveland $80,600
13 Boston $80,300
14 Miami $79,700
15 Denver $75,000
16 Tampa $74,600
17 St. Louis $72,400
18 Chicago $71,700
19 Minneapolis $68,000
19 Detroit $68,000

Mid-career lawyers (at least 10-15 years)

Metropolitan area Median salary

National $120,500

1 Dallas-Fort Worth/Arlington $146,100
2 San Francisco Bay Area $143,700
3 Miami $142,700
4 San Diego $141,500
5 Phoenix $140,600
6 Los Angeles $134,800
7 Washington, D.C. $134,700
8 Chicago $131,500
9 Houston $128,600
10 Denver $126,400
11 New York $124,200
12 Detroit $122,400
12 Cleveland $122,400
13 Seattle $122,300
14 Tampa $120,500
15 Philadelphia $111,700
16 Boston $111,500
17 Atlanta $111,200
18 St. Louis $107,000
19 Minneapolis $106,200

Copyright PayScale, Inc.

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