Paralegal Salary Information

Salary information from Salary.com paints a rosy picture for paralegal salary growth as paralegals gain work experience:

Paralegals are usually given more responsibility and authority as they gain work experience, and with the added responsibility comes a higher paralegal salary. Experienced paralegals may also have a high degree of autonomy, particularly in the areas of real estate and estate planning, where a great deal of client work can be done with only minimal supervision of an attorney.

Experienced paralegals working in large law firms, corporate legal departments or government agencies may supervise and delegate assignments to other paralegals and clerical staff. Some law firms and legal departments employ one or more paralegal managers, typically very experienced paralegals, to oversee the assignments, workflow and personnel issues for all of the organization's paralegals.

Advancement opportunities also include promotion to other law-related managerial positions. However, due to the competitive legal market and the high demand for skilled paralegals, some paralegals find it easier to move to another law firm when seeking increased responsibility, advancement and higher salaries.

According to the BLS, more than 70 percent of all paralegals work for private law firms. In general, law firms pay the highest average paralegal salary. Law offices are typically well appointed, and most paralegals enjoy private offices and above-average perks and benefits, including performance bonuses. Paralegals are also employed by corporate legal departments and various government offices. In corporate or government jobs, it is more common for paralegals to work in cubicles or to share common office areas.

There are many different types of paralegal specialties. These include civil litigation, personal injury, corporate law, criminal law, employee benefits, intellectual property, employment law, bankruptcy, immigration, family law, estate planning and real estate. There is no one paralegal specialty that stands out as having the highest paralegal salary.

As the law has become more complex, paralegals have become more specialized. Within specialties, functions often are broken down further so that paralegals may only deal with one specific area. For example, paralegals specializing in corporate law may concentrate exclusively on tax matters.

If you're interested in the paralegal profession, find a paralegal school and get the education you need to meet your career goals.