2 points
It’s definitely bi-modal salary wise, but the bulk of the profession has effectively transitioned to a wage labor model. Even at the top of the salary range, fewer attorneys are actually making partner and fewer get any slice of the pie in terms of equity. Associates at big law firms do make quite a bit of money, but they’re also having the productivity squeezed out of them to the tune of 80 hours a week until they burn out.
At the bottom of the range, public defense/legal services is actually a better-paying and more secure job than a lot of what you’ll find with small-time law firms and solo practitioners.
You meet quite a few disillusioned lawyers nowadays.
