Paralegal Course

The salaries of paralegals vary considerably. In the United States the mean annual hourly wage of paralegals and legal assistants in 2010 was $23.87 and the corresponding mean annual salary was $49,640. The salary a paralegal earns depends on many factors, such as your relevant work experience and education, the industry you are working in, the size of your employer and the geographical area where the job is located.

Usually larger employers are able to pay higher salaries than smaller organizations. And paralegals that are working on larger metropolitan      areas typically earn more than their colleagues working in more sparsely populated regions.

In 2010, the bottom 10 percent earned annually less than $29,460, while the top 10 percent earned more than $ 74,870. The middle 50 percent   earned between $36,230 and $59,910.

For example, on Legal Services the annual mean wage was $47,690, on Federal Executive Branch $64,210, on Local Government $50,630, on    State Government $43,970 and on Management of Companies and Enterprises it was $58,440 (2010). The average annual salary in Insurance  carriers was $ 52,200 and in Employment services $50,050 (2008).

In 2008 about 70% of paralegals and legal assistants worked for private law firms. Most of the remaining 30% worked for government or for corporate legal departments.

Paralegals who work as freelancers may earn more than paralegal employees, but in order to work as a successful freelancer one should have a lot of work experience.

In addition to the actual salary, many paralegals get bonuses partly to make up for their long working hours. Paralegals also typically receive life insurance, dental insurance, paid sick leave, vacation and personal paid time off.