Paralegals help tip the scales of justice.
A vital part of the law firm team, paralegals are the foundation upon which lawyers are able to prepare for cases, conduct research and organize correspondence. In large law firms, paralegals may be assigned to lawyers on a one-on-one basis or work out of a pool serving multiple lawyers or law firm departments. Paralegals often maintain the law firm's law library, tap into legal-specific search engines and seek information on precedents and legislation.
Average Wages
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2009 Occupational Employment and Wages report revealed the country's average salary in the paralegal profession to be $50,080 per year. The report also singled out several industries paying significantly higher paralegal salaries. The petroleum and coal products manufacturing industry led the country with paralegal wages of $81,150. Medical and diagnostic laboratories were the country's second-highest payers, with wages of $72,560 per year. Software publishers also paid their paralegals higher-than-average salaries of $70,680 annually.
Location
No single pattern emerged from the bureau's list of top-paying states for paralegal salaries. The District of Columbia was the country's highest-paying area, with salaries of $64,760 per year. The District was also the country's largest per-capita employer of paralegals. New York placed second in the highest-paying list, with salaries of $60,140. New York was the country's third highest per-capita employer of paralegals, behind West Virginia, though West Virginia's annual salary of $36,020 was one of the lowest in the country. California earned third place in top-paying states for paralegals, with salaries of $59,270 per year. Illinois and Alaska, at $54,690 and $52,640, respectively, rounded out the top five.
Considerations
The main requirement for earning a salary as a paralegal is postsecondary education in paralegal studies. Community colleges and technical schools offer paralegal training; hundreds of these programs have received American Bar Association approval, such as Fayetteville Technical Community College in North Carolina, Middlesex County Community College in New Jersey and Santa Ana College in California. Larger law firms may pay higher salaries to paralegals who have achieved voluntary certifications (or in some cases, require them) such as American Alliance Certified Paralegal, Registered Paralegal and Certified Paralegal.
Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 28 percent growth rate in employment of paralegals, adding 74,100 jobs by 2018 -- much faster than many other occupations. The bureau notes that paralegal areas such as medical malpractice, product liability, international law, environmental law and elder-care issues will be in high demand.
Tags: with salaries, Bureau Labor, Bureau Labor Statistics, Certified Paralegal, Community College, employer paralegals