Average Lawyer Salary in Bulgaria for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Lawyer salary for 2024 in Bulgaria and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the Bulgarian lev. To keep things simple, we are using the BGN currency code instead of the currency symbol лв.

How Much Does a Lawyer Make in Bulgaria?

A Lawyer working in Bulgaria will typically earn around 78,160 BGN per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 38,340 BGN to the highest average salary of 115,220 BGN.

Average Annual Salary
78,160 BGN
Average Monthly Salary
6,513 BGN

Lowest Annual Salary
38,340 BGN
Lowest Monthly Salary
3,195 BGN

Highest Annual Salary
115,220 BGN
Highest Monthly Salary
9,601 BGN

These are average salaries for a Lawyer in Bulgaria and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Lawyer to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Lawyer salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Lawyer Salaries in Bulgaria

So we've looked at the average salaries a Lawyer will earn in Bulgaria. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Lawyer can earn between 38,340 BGN and 115,220 BGN on average in Bulgaria. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Lawyer in Bulgaria is 75,040 BGN. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 75,040 BGN, and 50% of the population earn more than 75,040 BGN.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Lawyer salary in Bulgaria, 25% of the population are earning less than 51,100 BGN while 75% of the population earn more than 51,100 BGN.

75% of the population earn less than 92,240 BGN, and 25% of the population earn more than 92,240 BGN.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Lawyer Salary by Experience Level in Bulgaria

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average lawyer salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Lawyer in Bulgaria that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 46,840 BGN.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Lawyer salary would increase to 60,020 BGN.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Lawyer, the average salary would be 78,940 BGN.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 94,400 BGN.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Lawyer with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 105,980 BGN.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Lawyer with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 107,880 BGN.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
46,840 BGN
2-5 Years +34%
60,020 BGN
5-10 Years +30%
78,940 BGN
10-15 Years +21%
94,400 BGN
15-20 Years +9%
105,980 BGN
20+ Years +5%
107,880 BGN

Lawyer Salary by Education Level in Bulgaria

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Lawyer in Bulgaria based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Lawyer in Bulgaria with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 57,620 BGN.

  • Master's Degree. A Lawyer in Bulgaria with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 70,840 BGN.

  • PhD. A Lawyer in Bulgaria with a phd education can earn an average salary of 116,960 BGN.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Bachelor's Degree
57,620 BGN
Master's Degree +24%
70,840 BGN
PhD +60%
116,960 BGN

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in Bulgaria is around 16,500 to 49,500 BGN and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Lawyer Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Bulgaria, a male lawyer will earn an average of 78,480 BGN, while a female lawyer will earn around 73,800 BGN.

This means that a male lawyer earns approximately 6% more than a female lawyer for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Bulgaria

Male
78,480 BGN
Female -6%
73,800 BGN

Lawyer Average Pay Raise in Bulgaria

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Lawyer in Bulgaria is around 11% every 20 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Bulgaria is around 7% every 20 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 11 ÷ 20 ) × 12  = 7%

What this means is that a Lawyer in Bulgaria can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 7% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Bulgaria for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in Bulgaria.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
6%
Energy
3%
Information Technology
9%
Healthcare
6%
Travel
3%
Construction
9%
Education
6%

Lawyer Bonus and Incentive Rates in Bulgaria

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Lawyer is a high bonus based job, with 77% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

23% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 6% to 8%.

Received Bonus
77%
No Bonus
23%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in Bulgaria earn approximately 2% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
40,040 BGN
Private Sector -2%
39,160 BGN

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Lawyer

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Lawyer in Bulgaria.

Job Title Category Salary
Administrative Law Judge Legal 106,980 BGN
Arbitrator Legal 46,880 BGN
Associate Attorney Legal 46,880 BGN
Attorney Legal 77,620 BGN
Bailiff Legal 22,400 BGN
Barrister Legal 20,000 BGN
Candidate Attorney Legal 48,820 BGN
Conciliator Legal 41,660 BGN
Contracts Associate Legal 25,160 BGN
Contracts Manager Legal 43,080 BGN
Contracts Negotiator Legal 36,940 BGN
Contracts Specialist Legal 23,080 BGN
Conveyancing Secretary Legal 23,520 BGN
Corporate Counsel Legal 57,860 BGN
Counsel Legal 60,480 BGN
Court Clerk Legal 19,200 BGN
Court Judicial Assistant Legal 31,380 BGN
Court Liaison Specialist Legal 35,500 BGN
Court Reporter Legal 31,340 BGN
Court Representative Legal 22,400 BGN
Crown Prosecution Service Lawyer Legal 107,880 BGN
General Counsel Legal 104,620 BGN
Immigration Executive Legal 55,940 BGN
In House Counsel Legal 56,140 BGN
Intellectual Property Specialist Legal 36,020 BGN
Judge Advocate Legal 84,580 BGN
Law Clerk Legal 17,740 BGN
Legal Administrative Assistant Legal 21,020 BGN
Legal Advisor Legal 48,820 BGN
Legal Assistant Legal 21,640 BGN
Legal Associate Legal 35,420 BGN
Legal Consultant Legal 45,600 BGN
Legal Consultant Legal 46,880 BGN
Legal Counsel Legal 57,820 BGN
Legal Editor Legal 37,740 BGN
Legal Executive Legal 74,060 BGN
Legal Executive Secretary Legal 21,020 BGN
Legal IP Officer Legal 19,020 BGN
Legal Officer Legal 22,400 BGN
Legal Secretary Legal 19,940 BGN
Legal Services Director Legal 92,680 BGN
Legal Services Manager Legal 95,760 BGN
Legal Support Worker Legal 17,260 BGN
Legislative Liaison Legal 36,020 BGN
Litigation Attorney Legal 92,240 BGN
Litigation Paralegal Legal 50,240 BGN
Magistrate Judge Legal 115,940 BGN
Paralegal Legal 32,620 BGN
Patent Attorney Legal 58,440 BGN
Staff Attorney Legal 64,040 BGN

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in Bulgaria, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Burgas 77,120 BGN
Plovdiv 83,200 BGN
Rousse 78,940 BGN
Sofia 86,520 BGN
Stara Zagora 73,800 BGN
Varna 80,060 BGN

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