COLUMBIA, 2/2/12  (Beat Byte) --  The Goldilocks Effect may be at work among lawyers in Columbia.  Their pay, according to newly-released U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, isn't too high and isn't too low and may be just about right relative to other parts of the country.

Lawyers in Columbia take home an average $105,350 annually.  
 
Compare that to annual pay for lawyers in Kansas City ($117,310) in St. Louis ($114,060); St. Joseph, Mo. ($115,130); Springfield, Mo. ($103,580); Joplin, Mo. ($91,880); Jefferson City ($76,180); and Cape Girardeau, Mo. ($59,690).   
 
Outside the state, lawyers in Topeka, Ks. averaged $68,840 while San Jose, Calif. attorneys in the heart of Silicon Valley average $184,660.   
 
Best news of all, Columbia Law beats Lawrence (Ks.) Law.  In Jayhawk country, lawyers average a comparatively measly $86,890.