Regional Comparison. The top paying region for lawyers was the District of Columbia, where they made an average of $3,097 weekly, or $161,050 annually, as of May 2011, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. California lawyers were the next highest paid, coming in at $3,011 weekly, or $156,570 per year. Delaware came in third highest, paying an average of $2,909 weekly, or $151,290 annually. The state that had the highest employment level was California with 67,260 jobs.