Trends In Paralegal Hiring And Pay
" '2009 was one
of the toughest years in decades for the legal industry. In the midst of a recession that helped put 15 million Americans out of work, the legal industry experienced record layoffs, hiring freezes and salary reductions. Therefore, it’s not surprising that paralegal salaries fell slightly in 2009,' said Sally Kane, editor in-chief of Paralegal Today. “
However, the paralegal industry itself is still growing and paralegal roles are expanding.”
While paralegal salaries decreased, the number of paralegal positions within law firms and other work environments largely remained the same.
72% of respondents reported that the number of paralegal positions in their organization did not change in 2009; however, 11% of respondents reported an increase in paralegal positions.
Top earning paralegal specialties in 2009 were intellectual property, commercial law and securities law while the lowest paying specialties were family law, criminal law and plaintiff’s personal injury law, according to survey respondents."
article: here
end 2009 - early 2010 trend= up