In 1954, according to a study by the Department of Commerce, the average income of lawyers in the United States was $10,220, more than twice as much as the average family income of the time. Slightly more than a quarter of these lawyers made less than $5,000 a year, and 18 percent earned $15,000 a year or more. The majority, almost twothirds, earned between $5,000 and $10,000 yearly. A lawyer's earnings could also vary widely depending on where he practiced, the study found. Those who practiced in a city with a population of one million or more earned more than twice as much as those in small towns of a thousand people or less. Average income also varied from state to state, with California offering the nation's high ($12,186) and Florida the nation's low ($7,830). The study also reported that fewer lawyers were practicing on their own as opposed to. forming partnerships or...