International Day of the Lawyer: How is Legal Employment in Mexico?
The International Day of the Lawyer is celebrated on February 3rd, recognizing the work of legal professionals who have comprehensive knowledge of laws and are authorized by the state to provide advice, consultation, and legal representation.
In Mexico, the Day of the Lawyer is celebrated on July 12th since 1960, while internationally February 3rd was designated as the commemorative date for legal professionals, though the reasoning behind this choice remains unclear.
History of the Lawyer’s Day in Mexico
The celebration of the Lawyer’s Day in Mexico began in 1960, following a request from the newspaper El Diario de México to then-President Adolfo López Mateos. The date was chosen because July 12, 1533 marked the establishment of the first law teaching chair in New Spain.
Current State of Legal Employment in Mexico
According to Data México, a division of the Secretaría de Economía, the legal workforce in the first quarter of 2025 consisted of 449,000 individuals with an average salary ranging from 8,000 pesos per week for approximately 38.2 hours of work.
The average age of lawyers was 40.4 years, with 57.5% being male earning an average salary of 9,000 pesos and 42.5% being female earning an average salary of 6,000 pesos.
Among informal workers, 34.8% were female earning an average of 4,800 pesos and 65.2% were male earning an average of 21,100 pesos.
Tlaxcala had the highest percentage of informal workers at 88.3% (3,870 out of 4,380), while Baja California Sur had the lowest at 3.62% (116 out of 3,200).
Evolution of Legal Workforce and Salaries
In the first quarter of 2025, there were 449,000 lawyers employed, a 0.5% increase from the fourth quarter of 2024 (447,000).
The average salary during the same period was 8,130 pesos, marking a 4.87% increase from the fourth quarter of 2024 (7,750 pesos).
Legal Workforce Distribution by Federal Entity
The entities with the most lawyers in the first quarter of 2025 were the Mexico City (98,600), State of Mexico (95,700), and Puebla (23,600).
Compared to the first quarter of 2021, Mexico City and Baja California saw significant positive growth of 16.7% and 19.3%, respectively. However, Jalisco and Puebla experienced negative variations of 5,800 and 3,760, respectively.
Lawyer Salaries by State
Baja California Sur, Ciudad de México, and Durango had the highest average salaries for lawyers in the first quarter of 2025 at 19,700 pesos, 16,600 pesos, and 15,100 pesos, respectively.
Chihuahua and Zacatecas saw the most significant salary increases from the first quarter of 2021 to the first quarter of 2025, with growth of 4,960 pesos (57.1%) and 4,090 pesos (116%), respectively.
Distribution of Occupied Population and Salaries by Industry
The visualization displays the distribution of lawyers across various industries and economic sectors.
In the first quarter of 2025, the majority of occupied lawyers were in Legal Services (66.4%), Regulation and Economic Development Promotion (15.3%), and Public Administration in General (10.6%).
Key Questions and Answers
- What is the International Day of the Lawyer? It is a global celebration on February 3rd recognizing legal professionals with comprehensive knowledge of laws and authorized to provide advice, consultation, and legal representation.
- How many lawyers were employed in Mexico in Q1 2025? There were 449,000 lawyers employed in Mexico during the first quarter of 2025.
- What were the average salaries for lawyers in Mexico in Q1 2025? The average salary for lawyers in Mexico during the first quarter of 2025 was around 8,130 pesos per week.
- Which states had the highest lawyer salaries in Q1 2025? Baja California Sur, Ciudad de México, and Durango had the highest average salaries for lawyers at 19,700 pesos, 16,600 pesos, and 15,100 pesos, respectively.
- How has the legal workforce evolved in Mexico? The number of lawyers employed increased by 0.5% from Q4 2024 to Q1 2025, while average salaries rose by 4.87% during the same period.
