In 2025, legal assistants are getting paid, on average, $48,215 USD annually in the United States. That’s approximately $23 USD per hour, with the lowest being $15.04 per hour and the highest pay being $31.05 per hour.
In this blog, we will explore the legal assistant pay rates in the United States and talk about outsourcing legal services for high-end businesses.
Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Legal Assistant in the United States
It is visible that cities in California and Virginia tend to pay their legal assistants more compared to other cities in the United States. The highest paying city is Corcoran, CA which pays an annual salary of $76,859 USD which is approximately $36.95 per hour.
| City | Annual Salary | Monthly Pay | Hourly Wage |
| Corcoran, CA | $76,859 | $6,404 | $36.95 |
| Soledad, CA | $72,126 | $6,010 | $34.68 |
| Mineral, VA | $70,075 | $5,839 | $33.69 |
| Surry, VA | $69,345 | $5,778 | $33.34 |
| Llano, CA | $69,077 | $5,756 | $33.21 |
| Ione, CA | $69,060 | $5,755 | $33.20 |
| Elberon, VA | $68,878 | $5,739 | $33.11 |
| Portola Valley, CA | $67,203 | $5,600 | $32.31 |
| Two Rivers, WI | $65,060 | $5,421 | $31.28 |
| Bumpass, VA | $64,538 | $5,378 | $31.03 |
(Table Source: ZipRecruiter)
What Type of Legal Assistant Are You Looking For?
Here is an intriguing discovery I made. A paralegal is a type of legal assistant; the main difference is that they have gone through specialized education and training processes in legal procedures and practices. In short, legal assistants stick to more administrative and clerical tasks.
Next, a family law paralegal is hired specifically to represent clients in family law cases such as custody disputes. Another well-known type is a case clerk. These guys are handed the responsibility of looking after court records and meeting preparations.
One more type of legal assistant: legal analyst.
This assistant is given the task of managing the company’s affairs, which include legal documents, contracts, legal advice, and compliance. Then, they might even be given the responsibility of running a team of lawyers and paralegals.
Their main duties involve helping with the firm’s legal strategy, offering legal advice to management in the firm, and staying updated with any change in laws and regulations by performing legal research.
This type of legal assistant often makes use of legal software tools similar to legal spend management software to support the team’s decision-making process.
Another popular type of assistant I would like to shine some light on is a marketing coordinator, also known as a law firm marketing assistant.
These experts are hired to enhance a firm’s marketing efforts. They not only support their marketing campaigns but also strategize better ways to promote their firm’s services.
| Type of Legal Assistant | Average Annual Pay Rate | Hourly Pay Rate |
| A Paralegal | $60,970 | $29.31 |
| A Family Law Paralegal | $60,964 | $29.31 |
| A Case Clerk | $45,663 | $22 |
| Legal Management | $87,763 | $42.19 |
| Law Firm Marketing | $50,705 | $24.38 |
However, the question arises, why is there a difference in pay rates? For instance, a legal management pay rate is way higher than a law clerk pay rate. Why is that?
What is Influencing the Legal Assistant Pay Rate?
Geographic Location
Long-term legal experts are well aware of how much income is affected by the location.
After all, it’s always an urban versus rural situation where professionals in urban areas get paid higher compared to those in a rural location. Thus, the benefits of outsourcing legal services have multinational companies hiring them for it.
Experience and Skill
This is a simple and basic calculation. Someone who is highly skilled can demand a higher salary, while an entry-level legal assistant may have to start small.
Don’t worry if you are an entry-level legal assistant; you can expect an increase once you have gained subsequent experience and expertise.
Firm Size and Environment
Compared to a startup firm, a larger law firm would generally offer a better salary range and more comprehensive benefits.
One factor we cannot overlook is the diversity in one’s working environment and training requirements. These components are also part of the reason for the difference in pay rates of legal assistants.
Practice Area Specialization
The industry the legal assistant plans on joining influences their salary. For example, healthcare corporations offer higher compensation to those in healthcare law. This is because of the difficulty and demand for expertise.
Education and Certification
An individual who has obtained higher education or professional certifications, for instance, someone with Advanced Certified Paralegal (ACP) credentials, often demands a higher salary.
Success and Performance
The legal assistant job market is quite competitive. Thus, those with a solid performance background often have higher earnings. Being successful or not impacts your income growth, be it very high wages or very low wages.
Cost of Living
Another factor that has the most influence on pay rates is the cost of living. In third world countries the cost of living is lower than developing countries.
For example, hiring a legal assistant in the Philippines would be much cheaper than hiring a higher one in the United States. As a result many legal firms have resorted to legal process outsourcing (LPO).
Reasons to Hire a Virtual Legal Assistant
Save Expenses and Time
The most popular advantage of outsourcing is saving expenses and resources. Most businesses have been switching to outsourcing and collaborating with LPO companies in 3rd world countries.
Like I mentioned earlier, calling on legal process outsourcing companies in the Philippines would cost way less compared to a local legal assistant in the United States.
Thus, business owners of multinational firms should make use of this line of action in order to not only save some resources and time but also shift their focus on matters that require their urgent attention.
Improves Efficiency
Virtual legal assistants in LPO companies have been strictly chosen to be highly qualified and later well trained. This promises quality standard output, confidentiality and work efficiency.
As a business owner, you will have more time to focus on tasks in your agenda that need your urgent attention.
Access to Agile and Experienced Team of Talent
A legal assistant job requires them to handle more than one role in the workspace. Sometimes, things can get out of hand and be very overwhelming.
LPO companies conduct an intense interview process where not only do they hire highly-skilled individuals but they also train them further to adapt to various legal case scenarios.
This makes the experts agile and a team worker. Basically someone who can cope with changing client demands without breaking down.
Expand Internationally and Work in Multiple Time Zones
Local firms that have the intention to grow globally, outsourcing is the best strategy to take on. Outsourcing helps you to work around and beyond time zones, there will be no geographical limitations.
That legal assistant can help you with your clients abroad and look after a case for you while you sleep. Thus, your business will be running 24/7.
Moreover, according to US statistics, there aren’t enough law school graduates to consider hiring. So, outsourcing talent is the best next choice in such a scenario.
A Quick Guide to Outsourcing Your Legal Assistance Needs
STEP1 – Identify Needs
You cannot do everything by yourself, and asking for help doesn’t hurt. Kick off this hunt by understanding your firm’s needs and long-term objectives. Ask yourself what it is that you are expecting from this investment.
Do you have a tall, dusty pile of tasks that you have yet to get done? Do you want to remove the burden of administrative tasks? Are you looking to cut down on certain costs? Is this about saving time?
STEP2 – Set a Budget
The purpose behind implementing this strategy is to make time for the attorneys and in-house staff to focus on more important matters.
To set your budget, you will need to consider various aspects such as the time it takes your present staff to complete the task and based on that you will have to set your pay rate.
After all the calculations are made, you can determine the budget worth investing in hiring a legal assistant.
STEP3 – Recruit, Interview and Hire
You can either search up career-intensive social platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Indeed, and Upwork. You could also look up LPO companies. The most time-saving and effective way would be to go with the latter.
LPO companies have skilled and well-trained experts within their networks. Eliminating the recruitment and interview process will save your firm time and resources.
STEP4 – Onboarding
Now that you have chosen your LPO company, the contracts are signed, and they have assigned an expert for your tasks.
In the initial stage, get your legal assistant to work in your time zone. Remember, coordination and communication are crucial.
Within a few weeks, you will get an idea of how the expert is doing. Whether the service provider will be able to work well with the firm.
Conclusion
Whether you are hiring a legal assistant or you are seeking a legal assistant job, it is your duty to stay well-informed about the current legal assistant pay rates.
This way an employer can set the right pay range when hiring an assistant, and a candidate can discuss and negotiate a reasonable compensation.
It is vital that a job-seeking legal assistant understand why the pay rate is a certain range and who or what is influencing these variations.
Lastly, we have suggested the best solution for employers to avoid all the hectic, time-consuming hiring process – legal process outsourcing.
Catch up with the recent trend of outsourcing and make everyone’s lives better!
Frequently Asked Questions
- How Much Do Entry-Level Legal Assistants Mak ?
Most of the entry level legal assistant salaries range between $38,000 and $55,000 yearly.
As you can see, the pay range of entry level legal experts vary considerably. This interprets that there is a good chance of growing and increased pay based on skill level, experience, and location.
- Do Legal Assistants Earn More With Experience ?
Yes, with more skills and field experience, a legal assistant can earn more. Sometimes, they even earn 20% to 40% more than entry-level assistants with limited experience.
- Do Law Firms Pay Legal Assistants More Than Corporate Offices ?
Yes. Large multinational companies tend to offer higher pay than corporate offices. However, the pay may still vary depending on the firm’s size, location and practice area.
- What Benefits Do Legal Assistants Typically Receive?
The benefits vary based on the industry the legal assistant is involved in. The usual benefits include sick leave, paid vacation, and health insurance.
Some firms even provide benefits like disability insurance, family leave, and life insurance.
- Can Legal Assistants Negotiate Their Salary?
Yes, legal assistants can absolutely negotiate their salary just like every other employee. They have all rights to discuss and negotiate their compensation. It is important that a legal assistant stand tall when making his/her demands during the negotiation.
If questions or doubts are brought to the limelight, it is best to prepare with evidence of their skills, experience, and the market value compared to similar roles in the local area. This strengthens their negotiation.
- Are There High-Paying Specialties for Legal Assistants ?
Definitely. In the US, Legal management is one of the highest paid legal assistant jobs with a pay rate of $87,763 per year. Also, there are legal executive assistants and legal office administrators that hold quite high pay rates too.
Rafia Alam Rowshni delivers a unique combination of legal knowledge and content creation talent using SEO Tools and SERP analysis. She has a solid background in public health and legal services and knows the complexities of the legal world. She can translate complex subjects into simple, concise, and entertaining information that audiences can actually use.
