Legal

Salario de Abogado en Tennessee (2026)

El salario promedio de un Abogado en Tennessee es de $128,000/año. Después de impuestos, tu sueldo neto estimado es de $98,754/año ($8,230/mes).

Desglose del Sueldo Neto

CategoríaCantidad
Sueldo Neto Anual
$98,754
Sueldo Neto Mensual
$8,230
Sueldo Neto Quincenal
$3,798
Sueldo Neto por Hora

basado en 2,080 hrs/año

$47/hr
Impuesto Federal
$19,454
Impuesto Estatal
$0
Impuestos FICA
$9,792
Tasa Efectiva de Impuesto

impuestos totales ÷ salario bruto

22.85%
Estimaciones solamente — no es asesoría fiscal. · Aviso legal completo →

¿Quieres modelar 401(k), HSA, o aportes antes de impuestos contra tu salario completo? Abrir la calculadora de salario

¿Recibes bono de fin de año, firma o retención? Ver la calculadora de bonos

¿Vendes activos apreciados (acciones, bienes raíces, cripto)? LTCG, NIIT, y cap-gains estatal todos importan. Abrir la calculadora de ganancias de capital

Términos clave:···

Rangos de Salario de Abogado en Tennessee

Nivel inicial (0–3 años)

$95,000

/año

Ver desglose fiscal →

Nivel medio (3–7 años)

$165,000

/año

Ver desglose fiscal →

Nivel senior (7+ años)

$280,000

/año

Ver desglose fiscal →

No todas las Abogados ganan lo mismo — ni de cerca

TN law splits across three corridors plus a specialty tier. Nashville is the corporate / healthcare / entertainment law capital. Memphis carries logistics + FedEx + AutoZone corporate plus Med District work. Knoxville anchors East TN federal litigation + UT research. Healthcare law (HCA, Brookdale, Community Health Systems, Vanderbilt UMC) is the TN-distinctive specialty no other South-Central state offers at this depth; Nashville Music Row entertainment law is the parallel niche.

BigLaw Partner (Bass Berry / Bradley / Holland & Knight)

$785,000–$1,600,000+ TC

Bass Berry Nashville HQ · Bradley Arant dual HQ · Butler Snow · equity buy-in $250-500K

Senior Associate (BigLaw Nashville satellite)

$245,000–$385,000

Latham · Kirkland · Sidley · Holland & Knight · Cravath-aligned with ~5% TN discount

In-House Counsel (HCA / Asurion / Brookdale / Oracle)

$245,000–$650,000

HCA ~700 in-house · Asurion · Brookdale · Oracle Nashville · AllianceBernstein

Healthcare Regulatory Partner

$485,000–$1,200,000

Bass Berry + Bradley healthcare · Stark + Anti-Kickback + ACA + 340B specialty bench

Entertainment / Music Law Partner

$385,000–$950,000

Loeb & Loeb · Adams and Reese · Milom Horsnell Crow · recording + publishing + tour mgmt

Logistics Law Partner (Memphis)

$385,000–$885,000

FedEx legal + Burch Porter & Johnson · AutoZone · transportation regulatory

Federal AUSA (M.D. / E.D. / W.D. TN)

$135,000–$200,000

Nashville · Knoxville · Memphis · GS-14/15 + locality · FERS + PSLF eligibility

Plaintiff PI / Med Mal Partner

$185,000–$585,000+

Morgan & Morgan Nashville + Memphis · Beasley Allen TN · contingency · auto + premises + Med Mal

State AG / DA Office

$95,000–$185,000

Tennessee AG · 31 elected District AGs · TCRS pension · capital + criminal trial work

New Associate (Year 1 BigLaw)

$215,000–$240,000

Bass Berry · Bradley · Butler Snow · Holland & Knight · Cravath-aligned · ~5% discount

Vale la pena saber: Healthcare law is the TN legal specialty no other US market matches at this depth. HCA Healthcare HQ Nashville (largest US hospital operator, ~190 hospitals + ~50 surgery centers, ~$65B revenue) plus Community Health Systems plus Brookdale Senior Living plus Ardent Health plus Lifepoint all maintain Nashville HQs. The Nashville healthcare cluster employs ~50K healthcare-corporate workers plus a deep regulatory-counsel bench. Bass Berry & Sims, Bradley Arant, Butler Snow, plus Holland & Knight (post-Waller) all maintain dedicated healthcare-law practice groups of 20-40+ attorneys. Stark + Anti-Kickback + ACA + 340B + CMS + EMTALA + state CON regulation are the daily practice depth. Senior healthcare regulatory partners at Bass Berry clear $785K-$1.4M TC. Requires 6-10 years of healthcare regulatory plus Medicare reimbursement plus state CON depth — scarce talent.

The TN legal market — Bass Berry HQ Nashville, healthcare-law specialty, Oracle + AllianceBernstein corporate relocation, Memphis logistics

0%

TN state income tax (Article II §28 constitutional bar; Hall Tax fully repealed 2021)

0%

TN municipal income tax — no city or county overlay anywhere in state

~250

Bass Berry & Sims Nashville HQ attorneys — largest TN-anchored AmLaw 200 firm

~190

HCA Healthcare hospitals — largest US hospital operator anchors TN healthcare-law depth

Licensed attorneys are exempt under the Learned Professional exemption. TN bar admission requires JD from ABA-accredited school plus passing the Uniform Bar Exam (TN adopted UBE in 2019) plus character and fitness review — once licensed, exempt classification applies by definition. Salaried with substantial bonus components at BigLaw.

Bass Berry & Sims HQ Nashville is the largest TN-anchored firm at ~250 attorneys across Nashville + Memphis + Knoxville + DC. Equity partner buy-in $250-500K with 8-12 year track. Other TN-anchored firms: Bradley Arant Boult Cummings (~750 attorneys, dual Birmingham AL / Nashville HQ post-2014 merger), Butler Snow Nashville + Memphis, Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison, Adams and Reese, plus post-2024 Holland & Knight Nashville (incorporating Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis's healthcare-specialty bench).

Nashville BigLaw satellites have grown materially since 2020 driven by the corporate-relocation wave: Latham, Kirkland, Sidley, Hogan Lovells. Cravath-scale associate comp ($215K → $385K senior) with a Nashville lifestyle discount of ~5% from NY rack rates. Most satellite associates feed partner-track TN firms or in-house corporate by year 6-8 — the in-house option at HCA / Asurion / Brookdale / Oracle / AllianceBernstein is the genuine TN alternative.

Healthcare law is the TN specialty driven by the corporate cluster. HCA Healthcare HQ (~190 hospitals + ~50 surgery centers) plus Community Health Systems plus Brookdale plus Ardent plus Lifepoint plus Vanderbilt UMC drive the largest healthcare-regulatory bench in any US market outside DC. Bass Berry healthcare practice (~75 attorneys), Bradley Arant healthcare (~50), Holland & Knight Nashville (post-Waller, ~85) anchor the senior healthcare-law tier.

Country music + entertainment law on Nashville Music Row is the parallel TN-distinctive specialty. Loeb & Loeb Nashville, Adams and Reese, Milom Horsnell Crow plus dedicated Music Row boutiques handle recording contracts, publishing, performance rights (BMI / ASCAP / SESAC Nashville-headquartered), tour management, plus the post-streaming digital rights bar. Senior entertainment partners earn $385-950K cash plus equity stakes in client recording rights.

Memphis carries the South-West TN legal market — FedEx HQ legal (~250 in-house), AutoZone HQ, International Paper, Smith & Nephew, ServiceMaster, plus the Med District (Methodist Le Bonheur, UTHSC). Burch Porter & Johnson, Adams and Reese Memphis, Baker Donelson Memphis anchor the regional firm bench. Memphis logistics + transportation regulatory law is FedEx-driven specialty.

Tennessee as a lawyer — Nashville corporate corridor, Memphis logistics, Knoxville federal, Music Row entertainment

Nashville's downtown legal corridor concentrates around the Capitol + Music Row. Bass Berry & Sims at 150 3rd Avenue South, Bradley Arant at 1600 Division Street, Butler Snow + Sherrard Roe at 150 3rd, Holland & Knight at 511 Union Street (post-Waller HQ). US District Court M.D. Tenn at Estes Kefauver Federal Building plus the Tennessee Supreme Court at Cordell Hull Building define federal + state practice geography. Healthcare law + corporate transactions + entertainment law all walking-distance from a 10-block downtown core.

Oracle Nashville + AllianceBernstein + Amazon HQ East reshaped Nashville corporate law since 2018. Oracle's $1.2B Cumberland riverfront campus (~9K jobs by 2031) drives corporate-transactions work. AllianceBernstein's full HQ from NYC (2018, ~1,250 employees) brought senior in-house counsel. Amazon HQ East ($230M, ~5K jobs at Nashville Yards). Senior associates routinely pivot to these in-house roles by year 6-8.

Memphis is the South-West TN federal + logistics corridor. US District Court W.D. Tenn sits in Memphis. FedEx HQ (~250 in-house plus transportation regulatory specialty), AutoZone HQ, International Paper HQ, Smith & Nephew, ServiceMaster, Lifepoint drive the regional in-house bench. Burch Porter & Johnson, Adams and Reese, Baker Donelson Memphis anchor the regional firm bench. Med District (Methodist Le Bonheur, UTHSC) adds healthcare-law depth.

Knoxville carries East TN federal + Oak Ridge National Lab + UT research. US District Court E.D. Tenn sits in Knoxville. ORNL ($2B/yr DOE research) drives nuclear / energy / IP / classified-research law. Pilot Flying J HQ, Scripps Networks (Discovery, post-2018 merger but Knoxville HQ remained), Tennessee Valley Authority HQ (federal corporation, ~10K employees), plus UT research portfolio. Smaller bar than Nashville but distinct federal + research specialty depth.

How TN taxes work for lawyers — 0% income tax, Hall Tax fully repealed 2021, federal-AGI conformity, regressive sales-tax offset

TN charges 0% state income tax — Article II §28 constitutional bar requires an amendment to enact any state income tax. The Hall Tax (6% on dividend and interest income, originally enacted 1929) was fully repealed effective Jan 1, 2021 per HB 977 of 2016 phase-down. No state tax on wages, dividends, interest, capital gains, or partner-distribution income. At $350K senior associate comp, $0 TN vs $28,000 CA (8.0% blended) or $26,200 NY (7.5%, plus NYC 3.876% adds $13,567 for Manhattan).

TN federal- conformity is clean. No state tax means no add-back of federal pre-tax , , FSA, or IRA contributions. Mega Backdoor Roth at HCA, Asurion, AllianceBernstein, Oracle Nashville flows through at federal-only level. Senior healthcare regulatory partner equity buy-outs face only federal LTCG (15-20%) plus NIIT (3.8%) — no state CGT pickup like WA's 7% above $270K.

TN property tax ~0.71% effective — well below TX 1.6-2.5% peers. The 'no state income tax' framing is genuinely favorable in TN versus TX because property tax doesn't offset the savings. A Bass Berry senior equity partner at $1.5M comp owning a $2M Belle Meade home pays ~$14,200/yr property tax versus $32,000-50,000 on equivalent Austin or Dallas peer.

The regressive offset is sales tax — TN combined state + local averages 9.55% (highest in the country alongside Louisiana). For senior partners earning $1M+, sales tax is small relative to comp; for new associates at $215-240K it's a more meaningful effective tax tier. TN does not exempt groceries from sales tax (one of 13 states fully taxing food).

  • Capture employer match before anything else. Bass Berry, Bradley Arant, Butler Snow, Holland & Knight Nashville, plus major TN in-house match 4-6% on $215-500K comp — $8,600-$30,000/yr of instant free money.
  • Max your ($24,500 in 2026). At TN 0% state plus federal 24-32% brackets, every $1,000 deferred saves $240-$320. At equity partner $750K+ comp in the 32-37% bracket, every $1,000 saves $320-$370.
  • at large-firm + in-house plans. §415(c) cap $72,000 (2026). Bass Berry, Bradley Arant, Butler Snow, plus HCA, Asurion, AllianceBernstein, Oracle all offer after-tax with in-plan Roth conversion. After $24,500 employee plus $18-25K match, $22-30K room remains. At TN 0% plus federal 32-37%, MBR converts $25K of after-tax space into perpetual Roth tax-free growth.
  • Section 199A does NOT apply to law-firm partnership income — law firms are Specified Service Trade or Business () and the QBI deduction phases out at federal $201,775 single / $403,550 . Most TN equity partners exceed these thresholds and lose QBI entirely. Plan accordingly when comparing law-firm partner comp to non-SSTB partnership income.
  • TN healthcare-law specialty premium: Stark + Anti-Kickback + ACA + 340B + CMS depth at Bass Berry / Bradley / Holland & Knight Nashville produces 20-30% premium over generalist corporate at equivalent experience. Requires 5-8 years of dedicated healthcare regulatory practice plus Medicare reimbursement + state CON depth.
  • Music Row entertainment-law specialty: dedicated entertainment partners at Loeb & Loeb Nashville, Adams and Reese, Milom Horsnell Crow earn $385-950K cash plus equity in client recording rights. Country + Christian + Americana plus the streaming-rights / publishing bar make Nashville the second-largest US music-law market after LA. Entry requires established music-industry relationships plus 5-7 years of recording / publishing / tour-management depth.

Three TN metros for lawyers — Nashville corporate + healthcare, Memphis logistics + federal, Knoxville Oak Ridge + research

TN legal careers split sharply by region. Nashville is BigLaw, healthcare regulatory, corporate transactions, entertainment, federal M.D. TN. Memphis is FedEx + AutoZone + logistics + federal W.D. TN. Knoxville is ORNL + TVA + UT research + federal E.D. TN.

Nashville (Bass Berry HQ / HCA + Oracle / Music Row)

New associate $215-240K · Senior associate $245-385K · Junior partner $385-685K · Equity partner $785K-$1.6M+

TN's legal capital. Bass Berry & Sims HQ ~250 attorneys is the largest TN-anchored AmLaw 200. Bradley Arant (~750 dual HQ) plus Butler Snow plus Holland & Knight Nashville (post-Waller) anchor the senior tier. Nashville satellites: Latham, Kirkland, Sidley, Hogan Lovells. HCA healthcare-law cluster + Oracle + AllianceBernstein + Amazon HQ East. Music Row entertainment law.

Belle Meade / Forest Hills ($1.4-3.5M+ for SF senior-partner), Green Hills ($875K-$2.4M established), Hillsboro Village / Sylvan Park ($550K-$1.2M historic), Germantown / The Nations ($650K-$1.4M urban townhomes). Davidson County property tax 0.71% effective.

Memphis (FedEx / AutoZone / Federal W.D. TN / Med District)

New associate $185-225K · Senior associate $235-365K · Junior partner $325-585K · Equity partner $585K-$1.2M

TN's South-West federal + logistics corridor. FedEx HQ (~250 in-house attorneys plus transportation regulatory specialty), AutoZone HQ, International Paper HQ, Smith & Nephew, ServiceMaster, Lifepoint Health drive the regional in-house bench. Burch Porter & Johnson, Adams and Reese Memphis, Baker Donelson Memphis anchor regional firm bench. Methodist Le Bonheur + UTHSC Med District adds healthcare law depth. Federal W.D. TN at Clifford Davis Federal Building.

East Memphis ($550-1,100K SF — solid mid-career), Germantown / Collierville ($650-1,400K family-stage senior), Midtown / Cooper Young ($375-750K historic urban), Bartlett ($425-825K family). Shelby County property tax 1.31% effective — higher than Davidson.

Knoxville (ORNL / TVA / UT / Federal E.D. TN)

New associate $185-225K · Senior associate $215-345K · Junior partner $285-485K · Equity partner $485K-$885K

East TN's federal + research corridor. ORNL ($2B/yr DOE research) drives nuclear / energy / IP / classified law. TVA HQ (federal corporation, ~10K employees) plus Pilot Flying J HQ plus Scripps Networks (Discovery) plus UT research portfolio. Federal E.D. TN at Howard Baker Courthouse. Smaller bar size than Nashville / Memphis but distinct federal + research specialty depth. Cherokee Bluffs + Westmoreland Heights residential.

Sequoyah Hills / Westmoreland ($650K-$1.6M senior-partner), West Knoxville ($425-825K SF family), Bearden ($385-685K established), Fountain City ($325-585K). Knox County property tax 0.85% effective.

The TN lawyer career arc — new associate through equity partner, in-house GC, or healthcare specialty

TN lawyer careers typically start with Bass Berry & Sims, Bradley Arant, Butler Snow, Holland & Knight Nashville, or a major Nashville satellite hiring 10-20 first-years annually from Vanderbilt Law (~190 JD/year), UT Knoxville Law (~140), Memphis Law (~95), plus out-of-state Stanford, Berkeley, NYU, Harvard, Michigan. Year 1 base $215-240K (Cravath minus ~5% TN discount). Hours 1,900-2,050 chargeable; healthcare regulatory + corporate transactions push 2,200+ during busy season. TN UBE pass rate ~80% first-time.

Senior associate (years 3-7): comp climbs $245K → $385K with bonus. Specialty fork at year 4-5 between corporate / litigation / healthcare regulatory / entertainment / tax / IP / transportation. Federal AUSA pivot at year 5-7 common at M.D. TN / E.D. TN / W.D. TN — base $135-180K plus FERS + 4-day workweek + eligibility. Healthcare regulatory specialty at this stage carries 20-30% premium over generalist corporate.

Partner-track / junior partner (years 8-12): equity buy-in $250-500K via firm bank loans. Income partner $385-685K. Equity partner first-year $585-985K growing with origination. In-house GC pivot at HCA Healthcare ($385-685K), Asurion ($385-650K), Brookdale, Oracle Nashville, AllianceBernstein routinely available — Nashville corporate cluster offers the deepest in-house alternatives outside DC + NYC.

Senior partner / GC (years 15+): senior partner at Bass Berry / Bradley / Butler Snow / Holland & Knight Nashville $785K-$1.6M+ depending on book. Healthcare regulatory senior partners at Bass Berry / Bradley clear $1.2-2M+. In-house GC at HCA / Asurion / Brookdale $485-885K. TN's 0% income + 0.71% property + 0% municipal produce favorable math vs coastal peers — over 25 years, TN-vs-CA-or-NY compounds to $1.5-3M+.

Where TN lawyers live — Belle Meade, Green Hills, East Memphis, Sequoyah Hills

TN has three distinct legal-market geographies plus a country-club residential pattern. Nashville senior partners gravitate to Belle Meade / Forest Hills (top), Green Hills (established), Hillsboro Village (mid-career walkable). Memphis senior to East Memphis / Germantown / Collierville. Knoxville senior to Sequoyah Hills / Westmoreland.

Belle Meade / Forest Hills (Nashville senior partner)

5-15 min downtown · top-tier · $1.4-3.5M+ SF · senior-partner neighborhood · country club density

Green Hills / Oak Hill (Nashville established)

10-20 min downtown · $875K-$2.4M SF · mid-career partner + senior associate standard

Hillsboro Village / Sylvan Park (Nashville mid-career)

5-15 min downtown · historic · $550K-$1.2M SF · senior associate / new partner

Germantown / The Nations (Nashville urban)

Walkable urban · $650K-$1.4M townhomes · best for senior associates · light rail planned

Brentwood / Franklin (Williamson Co commute)

20-30 min downtown · top schools · $750K-$2.5M · in-house corporate residential

East Memphis (Memphis senior partner)

10-15 min downtown · $550-1,100K SF · mid-career + senior · East Memphis country club density

Germantown / Collierville (Memphis family senior)

20-30 min downtown · $650-1,400K SF · top schools · in-house corporate

Sequoyah Hills / Westmoreland (Knoxville senior)

5-10 min downtown · $650K-$1.6M SF · top-tier Knoxville · UT campus proximity

TN public transit is minimal — Nashville WeGo bus plus the planned light rail (delayed) covers downtown but doesn't reach Belle Meade or Brentwood. Memphis MATA serves downtown + Med District but most attorneys drive. Knoxville KAT covers downtown + UT but most practice is car-based. I-65 Nashville-Franklin and I-40 Nashville-Memphis are the intercity arteries. Country-club residential pattern is strong in Nashville (Belle Meade CC, Richland CC, Hillwood CC) and Memphis (Memphis CC, Chickasaw CC).

¿Es la decisión correcta?

TN for lawyers — who it actually works for

A tu favor

  • +TN 0% state income tax (Article II §28 + Hall Tax fully repealed 2021) plus 0.71% property tax — saves $25-150K+ annually at $500K-$1.5M tier vs CA / NY
  • +Bass Berry & Sims + Bradley Arant Boult Cummings + Butler Snow + Holland & Knight Nashville provide genuine TN-anchored AmLaw 200 partner-track plus regional office network
  • +HCA Healthcare HQ Nashville (~190 hospitals) + Community Health Systems + Brookdale + Ardent + Lifepoint anchor the deepest healthcare-law bench in any non-DC US market — 20-30% premium
  • +Oracle Nashville + AllianceBernstein + Amazon HQ East + post-2020 corporate-relocation wave create senior in-house alternatives unusually deep for a non-coastal market
  • +Music Row entertainment law (Loeb & Loeb, Adams and Reese, Milom Horsnell Crow) + Memphis logistics law (FedEx-driven) + Knoxville ORNL + TVA research law are TN-distinctive career tracks

Vale la pena saber antes de firmar

  • TN combined sales tax averages 9.55% (highest in the country alongside LA) — regressive offset at new-associate income tiers
  • Nashville BigLaw senior-partner comp ($1.4-1.6M top-end) trails NY ($2.5-4M) and SF / Bay Area — career-cap matters for senior associates
  • TN does not exempt groceries from sales tax (one of only 13 states fully taxing food) — meaningful tax burden at lower income tiers
  • Section 199A QBI does not apply to law firms (SSTB + income threshold) — most senior TN partners lose this federal deduction entirely
  • Memphis MSA is a smaller bar — career-trajectory ceiling for senior Memphis partners trails Nashville and Knoxville peers

Calcula Tu Sueldo Neto Exacto

Agrega contribuciones al 401(k), HSA, dependientes y más para ver tu sueldo neto personalizado.

Abrir Calculadora Completa

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to common questions about your taxes and our calculator.

Comparar dos estados

Compara el impuesto sobre la renta, el salario neto y la carga fiscal total entre cualquier par de estados de EE.UU.

Estado 1

Estado 2

Salario de Abogado en Otros Estados

Más sobre Tennessee