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Bureau of Labor Statistics > Occupational Requirements Survey > Publications > Factsheets

Lawyers

Lawyer working on a laptop . Represent clients in criminal and civil litigation and other legal proceedings, draw up legal documents, or manage or advise clients on legal transactions. May specialize in a single area or may practice broadly in many areas of law.

For terms and definitions in this profile, see definitions of major terms.

Cognitive and mental requirements

The qualifications that workers need to use judgment, make decisions, interact with others, and adapt to changes in jobs.

In 2025, work was controlled by people for 30.0 percent of lawyers. Work was self-paced for 70.0 percent.

Table 1. Percentage of lawyers with cognitive and mental requirements, 2025
Requirement	Yes	No
Work schedule varies	47.8	52.2
Ability to pause work (and take brief unscheduled breaks)	91.9	8.1
Working around crowds	<0.5	>99.5
Telework routinely allowed	68.6	31.4
Supervising others	22.7	77.3
Supervisor present in immediate work area	46.0	54.0
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey

Education, training, and experience requirements

The minimum level of formal education required, credentials necessary, on-the-job training, and prior work experience necessary for average performance in jobs. The time associated with these requirements is combined to calculate the specific vocational preparation level needed for the job.

In 2025, prior work experience was required for 56.1 percent of lawyers and on-the-job training was required for 66.1 percent.

A professional degree was required for greater than 99.5 percent of lawyers.

Environmental conditions

The various hazards or difficulties that are in the area where workers perform their critical tasks.

In 2025, a quiet noise exposure was present for 42.2 percent of lawyers. Another 57.8 percent were exposed to moderate noise, less than 0.5 percent were exposed to loud noise, and less than 0.5 percent to very loud noise. Personal protective equipment (PPE) was used by less than 0.5 percent of workers to mitigate noise exposure and was not used by greater than 99.5 percent.

Physical demands

The physical activities required to perform tasks in jobs. The presence and, in some cases, duration of these activities are published.

In 2025, speaking was required for greater than 99.5 percent of lawyers and was not required for less than 0.5 percent. For less than 0.5 percent of workers, speaking was seldom required, for 51.7 percent speaking was occasionally required, for 47.6 percent speaking was frequently required, and for less than 5 percent speaking was required constantly.

Performing work in low postures was required for 1.6 percent of lawyers and was not required for 98.4 percent.

The choice to sit or stand when performing critical tasks was available to 91.2 percent of lawyers. On average, workers spent 86.4 percent of the workday sitting and 13.6 percent of the workday standing.

Table 2. Percentage of lawyers with physical demands, 2025
Requirement	Yes	No
Ability to choose to sit or stand for tasks	91.2	8.8
Driving	47.7	52.3
Climbing structure-related ramps or stairs	7.6	92.4
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey