How much do paralegal's get paid in a year?

Question

An estimate?

I'm taking law courses in high school and I figured being a paralegal is a little more realistic for me and my parent's budget for college.

Answer 1

It completely depends on where you live and who you work for. I have a BA and I am getting ready to start my classes for a paralegal certificate. I have been doing a ton of research and the one thing that I have learned is you rarely become a paralegal immediately; you HAVE to have experience, even if you have a degree/cert.

The salaries will also depend on that experience. They can vary quite a bit. I am in NJ, and I have seen them range from 30,000 to 70,000. Most seem to be around 40-50,000 with a few years of law experience. You are definitely going to have to start out in an entry-level job. I have been applying to these kinds of jobs and the pay has ranged from 8-12 an hour.

If you go to salary.com, you can type in "paralegal" and the zip code of where the job is and it will give you a salary range based on your level of experience. Then, you have to figure it also based on the type of place. Smaller firms will not usually pay as much as larger ones.

Good luck! If you go to school for paralegal, make sure you choose an ABA-approved program.  

Answer 2

The opportunities for a paralegal really depends on the specialty. The most in demand paralegals are those in the litigation field; followed by corporate paralegals who are responsible for maintaining corporate records, articles of incorporation, etc. While the "least" markeable [but the "highest" paid] paralegals are in the field of intellectual property [i.e., patents, trademarks] and immigration law. In conclusion, choose your paralegal courses accordingly, with emphasis on litigation preparation [discovery], docketing/calendaring of incoming pleadings [calendaring] and trial preparation [creating Exhibit tabs, Bajii jury instructions, etc.]. The "pro" side of a litigation paralegal is often "unlimited" overtime which can amount to a high salary range of $65,000 to $75,000 per year, while the "downside," being constantly pressured to meet a monthly client billable quota. And failing to meet that quota, often results in the paralegal's overnight dismissal. It's not a pretty picture. I just want to lay out what really happens in the real world of litigators and their relationship with subordinate paralegals.

Good luck!