An Average Annual Paralegal Salary Across the United States Of America

The modern world is fast-changing, and so are the lives of many people. It is not surprising that many men and women are dreaming of changing their careers dramatically. A paralegal job can be a worth-trying career option. A future paralegal can undergo a one-year training to earn a respectable paralegal salary. The highest wages are in the following US states: Massachusetts, New York, and California.

If you refer to the official data of the USA Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary for a paralegal is around $52,920. Note that your actual salary might be slightly different. The final income will depend on your current specialization within the chosen law field, place of work, years of paralegal experience, and some other factors, such as your reputation on the market, which you can enhance by visiting PRNEWS.IO. 

Paralegal Salary By US States

Are you still hesitating whether a professional paralegal is a suitable job for you? Please read the table below to see a paralegal average salary by US states.

What Duties Does A Paralegal Have?

If you plan to become a paralegal, you must be ready to perform different kinds of research for professional lawyers, such as legal, business, and regulatory-related research. You will easily find a vacancy in law companies or courts. You can provide basic legal services to professional attorneys. Your duties can vary, but usually, paralegals help lawyers fill legal materials, for example, court briefs, memoranda, pleadings, etc.

If you want to get an entry level paralegal salary, you must be able to interview clients in-office or by phone/email. You will deal with potential clients of lawyers in your organization and you can decide whom you will reject or accept for further cooperation. It is the right job for you if you can edit or review legal and technical documents. One of your responsibilities will be to travel to courts with a team of lawyers. 

To get accepted to the position of paralegal, you will require a certificate in state paralegal studies. Some serious legal organizations expect you to have a Bachelor’s diploma in a legal field. If you have previous experience, your senior paralegal salary will be much higher and will make around $59,654 yearly. 

If you have outstanding public speaking and written skills, know all the legal terminology and law principles, have computer proficiency, it will not be difficult for you to get a promotion soon and increase your yearly paralegal salary. Additionally, we would recommend you to learn about citation rules, the national rules of the US court, and the general filing requirements.

Once you get employed in a law company or a large business organization you will work in a legal department. Your duties and responsibilities might vary depending on the sphere of work of your organization. Usually, they include the following:

• Performing legal research;
• Negotiating with clients, lawyers, and court judges;
• Doing outstanding project management tasks;
• Managing a document workflow;
• Drafting numerous legal files;
• Providing high-level administrative support;
• Caring about clients and increasing the database of potential clients.

What Skills Are Must-Have For Paralegals?

An entry-level paralegal is expected to demonstrate a wide range of qualifications and personal skills. Work on the following points:

• Organizational skills;
• Communication skills;
• Public-speaking skills;
• Interest and deep knowledge of the US law;
• Attentiveness for details;
• Ability to work as a team; 
• Research/analytical skills;
• Flexibility and stress-resistance.

The Key Areas Paralegals Can Specialize In:

• Corporate law;
• Family law;
• Real estate law;
• Intellectual property law;
• Criminal law.

What Qualifications Will A Paralegal Require?

In the USA, there are no official requirements or qualifications to work as a paralegal. The only thing you should do is to consider what you study. It goes without saying that the paralegal salary is pretty attractive and this fact creates competition between both entry-level and senior specialists. You will benefit a lot if you have the following:

• Enough working experience in a certain law area where you want to specialize.
• A completed course in a relevant legal area.
• Ability to demonstrate your academic interest.
• Studies with an A-Level.

Nowadays, there is a big demand for paralegals in the US market. There are many companies where lawyers and attorneys-at-law delegate a lot of their tasks to experienced paralegals. Most big companies have in-house departments with both lawyers and paralegals who work hand-by-hand. The BLS predicts paralegal employment to grow up to 15 percent in 2026.