The average salary of an attorney in the United States is over $100,000!  These hefty six figures make lawyers some of the highest paid professionals in the United States.  With all that dough comes  tons of perks, and therefore many lawyers are living the good life, consisting of big homes, expensive wines, and of course, hot cars.

Most attorneys like to drive one of the “Big Three” – BMW, Mercedes, or Lexus.  While these cars are not the most expensive that money can buy, they are classy, practical, and the ultimate status symbol in the United States today.  These cars are symbolic of what many young professionals, especially lawyers, strive to be: simplistically powerful, and always professional.  Even if they can afford it, few lawyers drive flashy, but much more expensive cars such as the Lamborghini or Bugatti, because the flamboyance of such automobiles goes against the profession that they represent.  Lawyers are meant to be intelligent, practical, and behind-the-scenes, and that is exactly what BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus each embody in their cars.  Also, since lawyers have to go through a grueling seven years combined of schooling (4 years undergraduate + 3 years of law school), the attainment of a BMW, Mercedes, or Lexus is the ultimate status symbol that shows everyone that they have finally made it in professional world.

However, not all lawyers can afford a status car like the Beemer: it is important to remember that there are many legal costs associated with being an attorney.  For example, if a lawyer works for a non-profit firm or government agency, their salary is likely much less than an attorney who works for a private firm.  Also, in the case that the lawyer is self-employed or working for a small firm as opposed to a large corporation, he most likely has to cover his own costs of hiring a paralegal, as well as paying for legal malpractice insurance. Also known as legal professional liability insurance, all lawyers need legal malpractice insurance in order to protect themselves and their firms from potentially being sued by former (or even current) clients who believe that their lawyer did not properly represent them.  Just like being a surgeon, being an attorney is a high-risk, high-reward job.

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