Law Teachers, Postsecondary

United States SOC 25-1112.00 Education Confidence ★★★★★

Also called: Adjunct Law Professor, Business Law Instructor, Business Law Professor, Clinical Law Professor, Constitutional Law Professor, Contracts Law Professor, Criminal Law Professor, Environmental Law Professor

Teach courses in law.

Median annual pay
$128,500
25th–75th pct. $88,700–$176,490
Top pay (est.)
$374,300
Top 10% $287,900
Pay in 5 years
$146,100est.
2031
Pay in 10 years
$166,100est.
$142,800–$192,800
Outlook score
57/100
★★★☆☆ Average
AI replacement risk
61%
High
Job growth (10 yr)
+2.6%
1,800 openings / yr

What law teachers, postsecondary do

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

Typical tasks

Typical path into the job (BLS)

Education Doctoral or professional degreeRelated experience Less than 5 yearsOn-the-job training NoneO*NET Job Zone 5

Law Teachers, Postsecondary salary

The median annual wage for law teachers, postsecondary is $128,500 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $64,250 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $287,900. The mean annual wage is $144,770.

Median
$128,500
Mean
$144,770
10th percentile
$64,250
Entry level
25th percentile
$88,700
75th percentile
$176,490
90th percentile
$287,900
Top earners
In Japanese yen
¥20.21M
≈ at 157.25 JPY/USD

How does your pay compare with people your age?

Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).

Pay by percentile

Entry level (10th pct.)
$64,250
Early career (25th pct.)
$88,700
Mid career (median)
$128,500
Experienced (75th pct.)
$176,490
Top earners (90th pct.)
$287,900

Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.

How median, percentiles and the pay range are defined →

Projected pay for Law Teachers, Postsecondary (3, 5 and 10 years)est.

Today $128,500 → in 3 years $138,800 → in 5 years $146,100 → in 10 years $166,100 (10-year range $142,800–$192,800). The model assumes pay growth of +2.6% per year.

$128,500
Now
2026
$138,800
In 3 yrs
2029
$128,100–$151,000
$146,100
In 5 yrs
2031
$131,600–$162,700
$166,100
In 10 yrs
2036
$142,800–$192,800

What drives the annual growth rate

Base wage growth +3.0%Labor demand -0.07%AI impact -0.33%Total +2.6% / yr

Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →

Outlook score for Law Teachers, Postsecondary

57/100
★★★☆☆
Average · ranked #324 of all U.S. occupations
Pay level
92 pts
AI resistance
39 pts
Entry barrier
84 pts
Annual openings
49 pts
Projected growth
48 pts

Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.

Will AI replace Law Teachers, Postsecondary? AI replacement risk

61%
High
Ranked #655 safest from AI among all U.S. occupations
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

How AI is changing this job

A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.

AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →

Labor demand for Law Teachers, Postsecondary

Employment
20K
BLS OEWS
Projected employment
26K
2025–35
Projected change
+2.6%
ranked #418 for growth
Annual openings
1,800
growth + replacement needs
Demand score
Average
46/100
Typical entry education
Doctoral or professional degree
Work experience
Less than 5 years
in a related occupation
On-the-job training
None

Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.

Skills, education and requirements for Law Teachers, Postsecondary

Key skills

Reading Comprehension
5.1
Active Learning
5.0
Speaking
5.0
Writing
5.0
Critical Thinking
5.0
Active Listening
4.9
Learning Strategies
4.8
Instructing
4.6

O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).

Key knowledge areas

Law and Government
6.8
English Language
6.5
Education and Training
5.4
Philosophy and Theology
4.6
History and Archeology
3.7
Sociology and Anthropology
3.7
Administrative
3.4
Computers and Electronics
3.2

What the work involves

Getting InformationTraining and Teaching OthersUpdating and Using Relevant KnowledgeThinking CreativelyInterpreting the Meaning of Information for OthersMaking Decisions and Solving ProblemsAnalyzing Data or InformationEvaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards

Important abilities

Oral ExpressionSpeech ClarityOral ComprehensionWritten ExpressionWritten ComprehensionDeductive Reasoning

Education of workers

Professional degree
46%
Doctoral degree
35%
Master's degree
15%
Post-master's certificate
2%
Associate's degree
1%

Training before entry

None / short demo
61%
Up to 1 month
21%
1–3 months
7%
1–2 years
4%
6–12 months
4%
3–6 months
4%

Related work experience

2–4 years
68%
1–2 years
11%
4–6 years
11%
None
7%
6–12 months
4%

Job Zone 5 — extensive preparation needed (O*NET)

Difficulty of entry: ★★★☆☆ Moderate (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)

How to become law teachers, postsecondary

Typical education
Doctoral or professional degree
BLS
Related experience
Less than 5 years
On-the-job training
None

A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.

Career path and how to earn more as law teachers, postsecondary

Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.

Pay and employment figures are national statistics. Projected pay, outlook scores and AI replacement risk are estimates from the Shigoto Zukan model, not guarantees. To request a correction, use the contact form. How to read the data
Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35; O*NET 31.0 Database by USDOL/ETA (CC BY 4.0), modified by Shigoto Zukan. Pay ranges, projections and scores are Shigoto Zukan estimates.