Paralegal Division Salary Survey 2015: Highlights and Analysis
| Publication year | 2015 |
| Pages | 63 |
May, 2015
Karen C. McCall, J.
From February 6 through April 3, 2015, the Paralegal Division conducted a salary survey to assess the current state of our profession. This survey encompassed not only salaries but also included benefits, billables, education, CLE opportunities, work tasks, and membership in professional organizations. The survey was open to Division members and non-members alike. The following is a reporting and analysis of some of these results.
As of this writing, we have had a total of 173 responses, more than double the number we received in our 2012 salary survey. Your participation leads to more meaningful data for everyone, and we appreciate it.
Our survey was divided into three parts. The first part focused on the participants, including their education and experience. Over 91% of respondents are employed as paralegals versus 8% as legal assistants. As expected, the overwhelming majority of respondents are employed in Salt Lake County, with just 8% in Utah County and 3.5% in Weber County. Women account for over 97% of respondents, which is up quite a bit from nearly 90% in our 2012 survey.
Nearly one-third of respondents have been employed in the field for over twenty years. As for current employment, roughly one-third have been with the same employer for over ten years, while slightly more have held their current positions for between one and five years, indicating some mobility among Utah paralegals.
Membership in paralegal organizations has remained robust, with 52% of respondents belonging to the Paralegal Division and approximately 25% enjoying membership in the Utah Paralegal Association (formerly known as the Legal Assistants Association of Utah). Roughly 20% are members of the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA). The vast majority of respondents, over 91%, are not required to have passed a national paralegal certification exam prior to being hired. This number has held steady since our 2012 survey. Twenty-three percent of respondents have achieved a national paralegal certification.
Forty percent of Utah paralegals have earned a bachelor's degree, while 39-5% have a paralegal certificate. As for employers, 60% require their paralegals to have met a minimum education level; of these, 44% require a certificate from an American Bar Association-approved paralegal program, which...
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