Legal assistants are responsible for all of the small tasks within a law firm or court – the ones that lawyers and judges really don’t have time for. They take on a lot of clerical duties for their offices, and they also do research to help attorneys with cases. If you have been trying to find an assistant job to fall into in the future, you may want to look over the paralegal job description closely. You may find that it is the perfect role for you to fill.

Every legal assistant position is a little different, but they all pay about the same in the end. Before you commit to this career for good, you may want to figure out if you will be happy with the potential pay you will get from it. Here are some charts outlining paralegal salaries throughout the country. You can use this information to determine if this is the right career path for you.

Salary by Company Size

In most cases, larger law firms will lead to lager pay rates. That is not always the case, but it is a wise idea as a whole to strive to work with a large company in the future. Here is a look at how legal assistant salaries vary by company size:

• 1-9: $26,211 – $54,947 per year
• 10-49: $30,442 – $60,632 per year
• 50-199: $30,663 – $69,263 per year
• 200-599: $31,953 – $70,903 per year
• 600-1999: $35,792 – $80,069 per year
• 2000-4999: $36,786 – $76,073 per year
• 5000-19999: $40,887 – $81,971 per year
• 20000-49999: $39,745 – $88,590 per year
• 50000+: $46,050 – $74,219 per year

Salary by Certification

You will have the opportunity to get several different certifications when you become a paralegal, so you may want to figure out which one is going to lead to the highest pay check in the end. Here is a look at how legal assistant salaries vary by certification:

• Paralegal Certificate: $29,969 – $64,677 per year
• Notary Public: $26,829 – $57,351 per year
• Legal Administrative Assistant Certificate: $30,968 – $49,495 per year
• Certified Legal Assistant: $29,330 – $72,414 per year
• American Bar Association Certified: $37,696 – $52,072 per year

Salary by Employment Status

The amount of time you spend at work will obviously have an impact on the amount of money you make from your job. The longer you work, the more you earn. Here is a look at how legal assistant salaries vary by employment status:

• Temporary: $25,083 – $57,705 per year
• Temporary to Permanent: $24,059 – $72,457 per year
• Permanent: $29,614 – $63,428 per year
• Part Time: $14,942 – $51,521 per year

Salary by Employer Type

Most people are surprised to learn just how many employers are looking for legal assistants at the moment. You can find jobs in several different venues, and any one of them could lead to a great paycheck for you in the end. Here is a look at how legal assistant salaries vary by employer type:

• Self-Employed: $24,904 – $60,820 per year
• Private Practice/Firm: $29,153 – $61,032 per year
• Non-Profit Organization: $26,379 – $60,265 per year
• Hospital: $25,168 – $59,598 per year
• Government: $28,359 – $66,977 per year
• Foundation or Trust: $20,273 – $49,585 per year
• Federal Government: $35,622 – $77,935 per year
• Company: $30,230 – $64,630 per year
• College or University: $32,973 – $72,719 per year
• Other Organization: $29,453 – $68,124 per year

Salary by Years of Experience

The amount of experience you have as a paralegal will dictate a portion of your pay rate. If you manage to stay in this position for a long time, you should have the chance to make some pretty decent money at it. Here is a look at how legal assistant salaries vary by experience:

• <1 year: $24,410 - $43,453 per year
• 1-4 years: $26,395 – $50,740 per year
• 5-9 years: $31,434 – $61,068 per year
• 10-19 years: $34,314 – $70,273 per year
• 20+ years: $36,109 – $75,249 per year

Salary by State

Your location will also have something to do with your paralegal salary. The demand and cost of living in your area may raise or lower your pay rates, depending on where you are moving from/to. Here is a look at how legal assistant salaries vary by location:

• Texas: $29,290 – $61,398 per year
• Pennsylvania: $26,990 – $56,927 per year
• New York: $29,653 – $67,858 per year
• Illinois: $29,441 – $62,884 per year
• Georgia: $29,364 – $62,761 per year
• Florida: $29,695 – $58,228 per year
• California: $34,519 – $75,581 per year

As you can see, legal assistants make some pretty good money as a whole. It just depends on the factors surrounding a person’s job. Think about where you may be in the future and try to calculate your salary from there. Hopefully you will find the results to be satisfying in the end.