Legal Assistant Salary Range
A legal assistant or paralegal is a professional who assists attorneys with preparation for cases. He performs research tasks, such as studying previous cases or legal precedents, researching background information, and conducting interviews of witnesses and experts. He also completes paperwork and necessary forms and performs some administrative tasks like filing. According to Payscale.com, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Legal Assistant Today, the average salary of a legal assistant depends largely upon a number of factors, including how many years of experience he has in the field and his specialty.
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Work Experience
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A legal assistant's salary depends largely upon how much work experience he has in the field. In July 2009, assistants with less than one year of experience earned between $26,931 and $39,665, while those with one to four years of work experience earned an average salary of between $28,928 and $40,520. The average salary range for five to nine years of experience was between $33,746 and $47,021. From years 10 to 19, assistants averaged salaries of between $36,252 to $52,721. Once an assistant worked in the field for 20 years or more, he would have the potential to earn about $56,190.
Specialty Type
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The type of specialty a legal assistant worked in also affected his average salary range in 2009. Intellectual property, tax, and securities paralegals earned the highest average salaries at between $65,200 and $67,500. Some of the largest specialties for paralegals were litigation, contract law, personal injury plaintiff, and medical practice, where assistants averaged $53,615, $48,100, $47,680, and $53,181, respectively. Some of the lowest paying employers of paralegals were workers compensation at average salaries of $36,200, family law at $39,078, estates at $39,750, and personal injury defense at $38,465.
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Geography
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In May 2008, the location where a legal assistant worked also had an effect upon his average salary. Some of the states with the highest concentration of assistants were West Virginia, Connecticut, and Delaware, where paralegals earned average salaries of $36,620, $49,590, and $51,020, respectively. The areas with the highest average pay for legal assistants were the District of Columbia at $61,660, New York at $57,910, California at $56,400, Alaska at $53,830, and Illinois at $52,330.
Education
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The education level of legal assistants also affected average salary ranges in July 2009. The highest paid assistants held bachelor of science degrees, earning between $32,670 and $49,497, while those with bachelor of arts degrees earned between $35,470 and $49,285. Assistants with associate of science degrees were the lowest paid at between $28,851 and $42,606.
Benefits
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In July 2009, many paralegals received additional benefits that increased their overall compensation packages, including between 1.2 and 2.8 weeks of paid vacation time. Legal assistant also received annual bonuses of between $970 and $1,553, average annual commission of between $989 and $9,826, and average annual profit sharing payments of between $1,024 and $2,521. Professional paralegals also reported a number of other benefits, including paid sick leave, 401(k) retirement plans, life or disability insurance, and flex time.
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