The pay scale of a legal secretary is determined by various parameters and fluctuates depending on the work experience, type of organization and the success of the client. Here is some information about the same.
Lawyers and professionals in law field have plethora of responsibilities and duties to handle. A day in the life of a successful lawyer is filled with hectic schedule and meetings. Since an individual can’t handle every possible detail and multitask every possible work, he/she needs skilled people who can manage various important facets related to his/her work.
Every lawyer has to, at some stage of his career, hire legal secretaries that can assist them for works pertaining to their field. In the recent years, when the law field has gained recognition to be one of the most reputed and successful careers in the US, the need of law secretaries have also risen.
Being a legal secretary, though may not demand knowledge like law graduates, but still they are supposed to have good knowledge about government and legal procedures. This article details its readers about the parameters that have impact in determining law secretary salary.
Average Salary
There is a general misconception that paralegal and legal secretary earn the same salary. The fact is that, although paralegals or lawyer assistants share some of the same duties, they may not earn equal and their educational qualifications may differ drastically.
While legal secretaries need not have extensive degrees in law subjects, paralegals have bachelor’s or associates degree in paralegal studies. In the initial years, the salary, like for various other jobs, is less and they can make around US $30,000 annually. Dominantly, the salary depends on following factors:
- Work Experience
- Educational Qualifications
- Type of Employer
- Size of Employer
- Geographic Location
With excellent administrative skills, legal secretaries can demand very good salaries and can work with top law firms. Lawyers of big firms generally want people who can manage their accounts and also prepare legal documents pertaining to their finances.
Generally, the smaller a firm is, the lesser would be the pay scale of a legal secretary. Salaries in the initial years is expected to be very less. After some years of work experience, one can work with larger firms were there are various career opportunities. Bigger firms provide health benefit insurance covers, 401(k) match and annual bonuses.
The legal secretaries having work experience of more than a year and less than four years, can earn anywhere between US $30,000 to US $45,000. Those having work experience between five to nine years, can earn a salary of about US $38,000 to US $54,000. With 20 or more years of work experience, they can earn anywhere between US $36,000 to US $60,000.
The salary of a legal secretary, as we can see, averages near about US $50,000, and with increase in the work experience, one can increase his earning potential. Completing certificate programs helps an individual to increase the scope of better employment opportunities and consequently, higher salaries.