Today's edition of the Legal Mirror (法制晚报) featured a new financial column called 'Checking Your Pockets' (钱包大兜底). The aim of the column is to inform the readers about how much money people in selected industries make in Beijing. To pay respect to its name, Legal Mirror kicked off with lawyers. Here are the results of the report:

#1 If you want to earn the megabucks in the law business forget about being a prosecutor. The real money comes from deal-making consultancy and legal services provided to big companies and multinationals. Beijing lawyers specialized in this field - especially if they've studied abroad and have international experience - can make up to 10 million RMB a year (1,28 million USD).

#2 With an average salary of 300.000 RMB a year (36,136 USD) top Real Estate lawyers can't really complain. The ever soaring real estate market in Beijing, gives them plenty of work to write and check on contracts, agreements, disputes and so forth.

#3 Moving down in the ranking we find lawyers that come from out of town, working for Chinese legal firms from other provinces and with branch offices in the Capital. If they work hard enough the waidi lüshi (外地律师 or lawyers from out of town) can make up to 6,000 RMB a month (726 USD).

#4 Like in every other country, at the bottom of the pyramid we find the apprentice lawyers. According to Legal Mirror, these poor chaps have to work hard and do the most boring jobs in the firm for at least five years, before starting to make some decent money. In the meantime, they have to make do with around 1,000 RMB a month (121 USD).