ALMResearchBlog

Salaries: 2008 Guide from Robert Half Legal

Thanks to Geoffrey Gussis, who writes on Careers for the In-House Blog, for the tip that the 2008 Robert Half Legal Salary Guide  is now available. Gussis focused on the news for corporate attorneys: “In-house attorneys will see average gains of 3.8 percent over 2007 levels. First year associates can expect annual base compensation to rise 4.9 percent to between $63,750 and $91,000. Average starting salaries for licensed attorneys with 10 or more years of experience will rise 4.1 percent, to the range of $126,000 to $210,750 annually.” But the guide provides information for law firm attorneys also, as well as for paralegals, legal secretaries, and other legal support staff.

And don't forget that we offer a free Associate Salary Update spreadsheet to subscribers, which is free to non-subscribers with the purchase of one other product from the ALM Research Store. For more information, contact [email protected] or call 888-770-5647.

Salaries: Paralegal Pay on the Rise

According to a recent article in New York Lawyer, the results of a survey conducted by Altman Weil in May showed that compensation for paralegals is steadily climbing, and pay for paralegals in certain specialties tops the charts. IP paralegals are bringing home the highest pay, earning $69,675 in total cash compensation. That's 16.2% higher than the nationwide pay and 46% higher than their counterparts make in family law, the lowest-paid law firm practice area for paralegals.

Nationally, the median total cash compensation for paralegals is $59,973, up 9 percent from last year. The median total cash compensation for paralegal managers is $109,303, up 7.2 percent from last year -- but only 10 percent of paralegal managers report receiving overtime. Nationwide, paralegals in law firms earn 9.5 percent more in median total cash compensation than their in-house counterparts. The survey collected data this spring from 274 law firms of various sizes and 78 law departments.