While Big Law salaries started to increase last month with some New York firms offering rookie lawyers up to $190,000 a year, public sector lawyers in Georgia and around the country are focused on much smaller numbers.

In Georgia, starting pay for prosecutors and public defenders is $44,828. Nationally, the median entry-level salary for a local prosecutor is $56,200 and $58,300 for public defenders, according to the National Association for Law Placement, which released its 2018 Public Service Attorney Salary Survey last month.