Occupations · Educational Instruction and Library

Law Teachers, Postsecondary

Teach courses in law. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 25-1112.00

$126,650median annual wage, May 2024

22,800people employed, United States

▲ 2.2%projected change, 2024→2034

2,200openings a year, incl. replacements

What it pays

A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage

Pay over time

Median up 53% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.

BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.

Where the jobs are

Metro area	Median wage	Employed
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA	$129,440	2,750
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA	$130,150	1,260
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	$164,000	850
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	$128,490	760
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	$107,220	450
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	$85,520	290
Austin-Round Rock, TX	$131,450	230
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	$153,730	200
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ	$106,510	180
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	$134,320	160
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY	$127,190	140
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN	$66,560	130

BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation

Typical education to enter: Doctoral or professional degree · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34

What people in this job actually do

Ordered by how important the work is rated.

Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, papers, and oral presentations.
Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as civil procedure, contracts, and torts.
Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.
Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.
Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks.
Advise students on academic and vocational curricula and on career issues.

O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale

Skills that matter most

Importance, rated 1 to 5.

Speaking4.6

Learning Strategies4.2

Active Listening4.2

Reading Comprehension4.2

Writing4.0

Active Learning4.0

Critical Thinking4.0

Monitoring3.4

Mathematics2.0

Science1.6

O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale

Software and tools

A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.

Google Docs●Microsoft Excel●Microsoft Office software●Microsoft Outlook●Microsoft PowerPoint●Microsoft Word●ACD Systems CanvasAbacusNext HotDocsBlackboard LearnCT Summation iBlazeCenter for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction CALI AuthorCenter for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction CALI ClasscasterCollaborative editing softwareCollateral Consequences CalculatorCourse management system softwareDOC CopDesire2Learn LMS softwareEmail softwareExamSoft Exam IntelligenceImage scanning softwareLearning management system LMSLexisNexisLexisNexis CaseMapMicrosoft PublisherPanoptoPiazzaSakai CLEThomson Reuters Westlaw

O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag

What this work is actually like

Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.

5 / 5Extensive preparation — graduate school, and often a licence on top.

O*NET 30.3 Job Zones

Working conditions that stand out

Public Speaking+1.9 above average

Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets−1.9 below average

Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls−1.5 below average

Importance of Repeating Same Tasks−1.4 below average

Exposed to Contaminants−1.4 below average

Health and Safety of Other Workers−1.3 below average

Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body−1.3 below average

O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2019-08

How people actually get in

Share of workers by the education they hold.

First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.46%

Doctoral Degree35%

Master's Degree15%

Post-Master's Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master's degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.2%

O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2019-08

What kind of person the work suits

Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.

Social6.5

Investigative5.3

Conventional3.7

O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)

What you take with you

Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.

Instructing4.1

Judgment and Decision Making3.9

Complex Problem Solving3.5

Systems Analysis3.1

Systems Evaluation3.1

Social Perceptiveness3.1

Coordination3.0

Persuasion3.0

O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale

Knowledge the work draws on

Law and GovernmentEnglish LanguageEducation and TrainingComputers and ElectronicsCommunications and MediaCustomer and Personal Service

Abilities it leans on

Oral ExpressionWritten ComprehensionSpeech ClarityOral ComprehensionDeductive ReasoningInductive Reasoning

O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale

How this job is advertised

The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.

TeacherProfessorInstructorLaw LecturerLaw ProfessorLaw InstructorFaculty MemberCollege ProfessorAdjunct ProfessorAdjunct InstructorAssistant ProfessorLabor Law ProfessorAssociate ProfessorTorts Law Professor

O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation

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What changed since 2015

Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning. 4 entries that were only relabelled between releases are left out.

Now listed 4

+Thomson Reuters Westlaw+AbacusNext HotDocs+Microsoft Publisher+Desire2Learn LMS software

No longer listed 5

−Thomson West Westlaw software−Data entry software−LexisNexis HotDocs−Calendar and scheduling software−Desire2Learn

Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.

O*NET 30.3 related occupations

Also called

TeacherLecturerProfessorInstructorLaw LecturerLaw LibrarianLaw ProfessorLaw InstructorFaculty MemberProfessor of LawCollege ProfessorAdjunct Professor

O*NET 30.3 alternative titles

The same work in Europe

ESCO occupation	ISCO	Match
law lecturer	2310.1.22	exact
higher education lecturer	2310.1	broader

Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)

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