What is a Paralegal's Salary?

With legal costs on the rise, law firms are more and more likely to turn to paralegals to assist in their day-to-day work. Handling a legal case involves an incredible amount of research, writing, and management, and hiring a paralegal to assist with this workload frees up an attorney's time to focus on winning the case. This allows the lawyer/law firm to take on more cases without shelling out for additional lawyer salaries. A great deal of trust is involved in a lawyer-paralegal relationship, as the lawyer is ultimately responsible for the quality and accuracy of the paralegal's work. A paralegal who can foster this sense of trust can look forward to a long and lucrative career. While a paralegal may not be making as much as a full-fledged lawyer, paralegals entering the field are asking: what is a a paralegal's salary? The factors affecting paralegal salary range from industry to location to experience and more. PayScale's salary survey data provides an in-depth look at the average salary of a paralegal.

Paralegal Salaries - Data

There are as many kinds of paralegals as there are lawyers, and just like lawyer salary, a paralegal's salary will fluctuate depending on the kind of law being practiced. The Paralegal Salaries by Industry report shows a paralegal salary range from real estate at the low end to intellectual property law at the high end. Measuring Paralegal Salary Range by Employer Type shows that, as with lawyer salaries, paralegal salaries are highest in the corporate, business, mergers & acquisitions area. The average salary of a paralegal also increases along with his or her level of expertise, which is why the chart for Paralegal Salaries by Years Experience shows a direct correlation between experience and salary. Perhaps because paralegals are more in tune with gender equality laws, paralegal salaries are pretty even between men and women. In fact, researching Paralegal Salary by Gender shows that women actually make more than men in this field, a rarity even in our modern times.

Average Salary of a Paralegal

For more on this rewarding, fast-paced career, read "Average Salary of a Paralegal," the true confessions of paralegal Michael Forester, in the Salary Stories blog.