Have you ever been curious about the average starting salary for a paralegal? Well, here it is! Before reading further, you should note that the salary you earn may be different, depending on whether you work in a large law firm or an individual lawyer’s office. Regardless, your ultimate earning potential in this industry is impressive. According to PayScale.com , paralegals make an average of $38,038 per year, with a range of $27k to $53k. The best part? Starting salaries hover around and above the national average salary ($35,500)!
What is the average salary for a paralegal? That’s a common question and one that requires an answer that takes into account many factors. Factors such as job type, years of experience, size of firm and location can affect average salary.
Average starting salary for paralegal
Paralegal is one of the more popular jobs for students graduating from legal studies. An average starting salary for paralegal is about $43,000. It may be harder to land a job but it pays better than most other law jobs.
In a larger market like Manhattan or Washington DC there are hundreds of law firms that offer paralegal careers, but in small markets the variety is smaller. Paralegals in small cities may only have one or two law firms to choose from for paralegal jobs. This may also make it easier to get a job because many paralegal jobs in smaller markets are not very competitive, but the downside is that pay rates may be lower. On average, however, wages for paralegals nationwide have increased in recent years. For example, in California between 2008 and 2012 the salary range went from $48,000/year to $56,000/year. In Texas the same period it went from $45,000/year to $55,000/year. The national average for salaries for paralegals has been reported at around $47,000 a year. It can definitely vary depending on location and firm though so it is important to do your research and shop around before you accept a position as a paralegal just be sure that you get paid fairly!
Paralegals can make anywhere from $25,000 to $50,000 a year. Their salaries vary depending on their education and the organization they work for.
Salaries for paralegals can vary greatly depending on the industry and years of experience. In 2010, the median annual salary for paralegals was $49,220 per year, or about $23.57 per hour. The lowest-paid 10 percent earned less than $27,570, and the highest-paid 10 percent earned more than $72,990.
Paralegals are very important to law firms and many law firms will have a paralegal on staff or have one that they work with regularly. In order to be a paralegal you must go to college, get a degree and then become accredited as well. It is also important that paralegals have excellent communication skills so that they can communicate effectively with lawyers who might be busy and cannot give the case their full attention. Paralegals are very important to the attorneys they are working with because they handle very detailed work and will go the extra mile if need be.
A paralegal is a legal professional who assists lawyers in attending to their legal tasks. Although paralegals are essentially law office assistants who typically handle non-litigation tasks, their duties may range from filing papers to research work.
