The Events Of Sept. 11 And The Apparent Deepening Of The US Recession Have Left Many Employees Feeling As Though Their Share Of The Financial Pie Has Run Out. But According To Legal Assistant Todays (LAT) 2001 National Paralegal Salary Survey, This Is Not So With Paralegals. On The Contrary, Paralegals And Legal Assistants Enjoyed One Of The Largest Paralegal Salary Increases In More Than Six Years. According To The LATs Findings, Paralegal Salary In 2001 Actually Increased By An Amazing 9.4 Percent Over The Paralegal Salary Rates In 2000, Reaching 41, 599 Despite A Year Marked By Steep Economic Decline. Moreover, Majority Of Paralegals And Legal Assistants Also Received Bonuses From Their Employers. According To The LAT Survey, 70.6 Percent Of The Total Respondents Reported That They Received A Bonus, Averaging Nationally At About 3, 058. Mary Ellen Perkins, President Of The Legal Assistant Management Association (LAMA) Has Expressed Surprise At Hearing Of A Nearly 10 Percent Paralegal Salary Growth Rate Between The Years 2000 And 2001.She Explained, If (law Firms) Are Turning More To Legal Assistants From A Cost-cutting Perspective Giving Work To Paralegals Instead Of Associates (the Average Salary Increase) Would Make Sense.Echoing Perkins Surprise, National Association Of Legal Assistants (NALA) President, Pat Elliot, Said That She Hoped Reason For The Paralegal Salary Growth In 2001 Was Due To A Better Use Of Paralegals As A Cost Cutting Measure. We Can Save Clients Money, She Added.Besides The LAT Findings, There Were Also Other Studies That Aimed To Analyze Paralegal Salary Scales In 2001, Conducted By Other Organizations. These Included The National Federation Of Paralegal Associations (NFPA), LexisNexis, And The Affiliates.Indeed, Things Are Looking Up For The Paralegal Profession. But Why This Sudden Increase In Paralegal Salary Scales When The Rest Of The Economy Is Clearly Sliding Down?Looking Beneath The Surface The National Averages For 2001 In The Paralegal Marketplace Could Be Attributed To Several Factors That Have All Come Together. According To The LAT Survey, 53 Percent Of Its Respondents Were Classified As Nonexempt Employees By Their Employers While 47 Percent Said That They Were Considered Exempt. The Nonexempt Employees Earned An Average Of 498 More Than The Paralegal Salary Of Their Exempt Counterparts. Another Factor Could Be Billing Practices Used By Legal Offices. The LAT Survey Showed That About 53.2 Percent Of Paralegals Said That Their Employers Billed Their Clients For Paralegal Time Spent On Client Matters. On The Other Hand, Only 46.8 Percent Stated That They Did Not Bill For Their Time. Out Of The 53.2 Percent Who Did Bill For Their Time, 20.7 Percent Reported That They Billed Their Clients Within A Range Of 76 To 85 Per Hour.
