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Job title · Michigan

Government Attorney (agency counsel) in Michigan

Michigan Civil Service Commission lists 2 job classes for this work in the Michigan state pay plan: Attorney Staff-E, Attorney Senior-A.

$71,843 – $153,483
state pay plan range, a year
2
classes in the state plan
$130,520
median pay in MI, all employers
16,620
workers in MI (SOC 23-1011)

Sources: Michigan Civil Service Commission, Michigan Civil Service Commission Compensation Plan, Sections A (Alphabetic List of Pay Ranges) and B (Numeric List of Pay Ranges); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — state estimates. Data captured September 30, 2026.

Michigan state pay plan Sourced

Published rates for each class, lowest first, effective October 1, 2026. These are the ranges Michigan sets for its own state employees; cities, counties and school districts have their own pay plans.

Class and gradePublished rate
Attorney Staff-E
Class ATTORNYE · class description
Grade 15A · NERE-280
$34.54 – $48.75 a hour
$71,843 – $101,400 a year
7 steps
  • Base Minimum: $34.54 a hour
  • End of 1 Year: $36.63 a hour
  • End of 2 Years: $38.73 a hour
  • End of 3 Years: $41.11 a hour
  • End of 4 Years: $43.41 a hour
  • End of 5 Years: $46.03 a hour
  • End of 6 Years: $48.75 a hour
Grade 15B · NERE-280
$40.51 – $58.55 a hour
$84,261 – $121,784 a year
7 steps
  • Base Minimum: $40.51 a hour
  • End of 1 Year: $43.04 a hour
  • End of 2 Years: $45.63 a hour
  • End of 3 Years: $48.75 a hour
  • End of 4 Years: $52.05 a hour
  • End of 5 Years: $55.32 a hour
  • End of 6 Years: $58.55 a hour
Grade 15C · NERE-280
$45.07 – $64.99 a hour
$93,746 – $135,179 a year
7 steps
  • Base Minimum: $45.07 a hour
  • End of 1 Year: $48.31 a hour
  • End of 2 Years: $51.51 a hour
  • End of 3 Years: $54.73 a hour
  • End of 4 Years: $57.92 a hour
  • End of 5 Years: $61.43 a hour
  • End of 6 Years: $64.99 a hour
Attorney Senior-A
Class ATTORNYA · class description
Grade 16 · NERE-077
$52.97 – $73.79 a hour
$110,178 – $153,483 a year
7 steps
  • Base Minimum: $52.97 a hour
  • End of 1 Year: $56.37 a hour
  • End of 2 Years: $59.78 a hour
  • End of 3 Years: $63.30 a hour
  • End of 4 Years: $66.29 a hour
  • End of 5 Years: $70.32 a hour
  • End of 6 Years: $73.79 a hour

Rates are as the plan publishes them; "a year" figures are conversions (hourly × 2,080). Classes are matched to this job by title (GovJobsWiki editorial rule).

Source: Michigan Civil Service Commission, Michigan Civil Service Commission Compensation Plan, Sections A (Alphabetic List of Pay Ranges) and B (Numeric List of Pay Ranges). Data captured October 1, 2026.

Pay in Michigan, all employers Sourced

Lawyers (SOC 23-1011) in Michigan, all employers combined: BLS state estimates do not separate government from private.

MeasureMI
Workers16,620
10th percentile$77,180
Median$130,520
90th percentile$238,370
National median, government employers$134,680

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — state estimates; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — national estimates by ownership. Data captured September 30, 2026.

Free practice tests for Michigan

Source: Open Exam Prep, Open Exam Prep free practice tests. Data captured October 1, 2026. Each link was opened and its exam title checked on the date shown.

More about this job

Requirements, hiring process, training, schedule and day-to-day work are on the national Government Attorney (agency counsel) page.

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