Paralegal Salary Survey 2005

Download Salary Survey Executive Summary (PDF) Bar Journal, Vol. 18 No. 6, November/December 2005.

Download Salary Survey Detail (PDF)

Download Salary Survey Summary (PDF)

 

Salary Survey Questions Index

1. Are you a paralegal; legal administrator or an attorney?

2. What type of organization do you work for?

3. Please indicate the practice area(s) in which you (or, if you are an attorney, in which the paralegals in your office) are utilized:

4. In what county do you work?

5. Gender.

6. What is your working status?

7. How many paralegals are in your organization?

8. How many attorneys are in your organization?

9. How long have you been with your current employer?

10. What is the total length of time you have been employed as a paralegal/legal assistant?

11. If you are an attorney, how long have you employed or utilized a paralegal?

12. What is the minimum education requirement of your organization for paralegals?

13. Please indicate what YOU believe should be the minimum educational requirement for Utah paralegals.

14. What software and online programs are used by the paralegals in your organization in the performance of their duties?

15. FOR PARALEGALS ONLY: Please indicate your education level.

16. FOR PARALEGALS ONLY: If you earned a degree, was it in paralegal studies?

17. FOR PARALEGALS ONLY: If you have a degree or a certificate in paralegal studies, is it from an ABA-approved program?

18. FOR PARALEGALS ONLY: Have you completed any of the certifications listed?

19. What is your gross annual salary, excluding bonuses? (If you are an attorney, what is the average gross annual salary of the paralegals in your organization?)

20. Does your organization have a bonus structure in place?

21. Did you receive a raise within the past 12 months? (If you are an attorney did your paralegal(s) receive a raise in the last 12 months?)

22. What was the amount of that raise (per year)?

23. What percent of your salary was your raise?

24. Did you receive a bonus within the past 12 months? (If you are an attorney, did the paralegals in your organization
receive a bonus in the last month?)

25. How are bonus amounts determined?

26. Is your position Exempt (Salary) or Non-exempt (Hourly)? (or, if you are an attorney, what is the position of the paralegals in your office?):

27. How are you compensated for overtime? (If you are an attorney, how are the paralegals in your organization compensated for overtime?)

28. How many hours of overtime do you work in an average month? (If you are an attorney, what is the average number of hours worked by the paralegals in your organization in a month?)

29. What is the average number of hours you work per week? (If you are an attorney, what is the average number of hours the paralegals in your organization work per week?)

30. What organizations does your employer support?

31. What benefits are offered by your employer?

32. Are your Paid Time Off/ Vacation days determined by your length of time with employer?

33. Number of paid holidays excluding Paid Time Off/Vacation days.

34. If you are a paralegal, what are your billable hour requirements?

35. If you are an attorney, what is the average billable hour requirement for paralegals in your office?

36. Billing requirement application.

37. What percentage of the paralegal's time is spent on billable client work?

38. What percentage of the paralegal's time is spent on non-billable client work, such as pro-bono cases?

39. What percentage of the paralegal's time is spent on non-billable administrative work?

40. Are your hours billed to clients?

41. Are your bill rates varied depending on the type of work you do?

42. What range most accurately reflects your current average hourly billing rate?

43. If you are a freelance paralegal and clients are billed for your time, what range most accurately reflects your current average hourly billing rate?

ff. Can you or the paralegals in your organization delegate non-billable hours to support staff or outside vendor?

gg. If so how many?

44. What type of operational training does your organization provide for paralegals?

45. Would you be interested in attending CLE at which of the following events:

46. How often do you (as a paralegal) or do the paralegals in your organization perform the following duties:

a. Maintain case calendars and case files?

b. Draft, file, and/or serve pleadings?

c. Prepare for and attend client meetings?

d. Develop information retrieval systems, including computerized file maintenance and document control systems?

e. Attend document productions and coordinate organization/computerization of documents?

f. Review and analyze documents?

g. Draft privilege and redacted logs?

h. Draft discovery requests and responses?

i. Summarize and analyze discovery responses?

j. Gather and organize factual and background information about products, companies or witnesses?

k. Obtain and review reports from police or other public or governmental agencies?

l. Interview witnesses or others (not related to hiring new personnel)?

m. Perform legal research?

n. Obtain, review and analyze medical records?

o. Review and analyze deposition transcripts?

p. Draft motions?

q. Prepare and organize trial notebooks and demonstrative exhibits?

r. Take notes and track developments during trial proceedings?

s. Prepare and manage forms for administrative agencies (SEC, FDA, etc.)

t. Assist in the preparation of proxy statements?

u. Prepare federal and state filings?

v. Maintain the law library?

w. Draft agreements?

x. How often do you (as a paralegal) draft, distribute and file corporate documents?

y. Conduct or assist in due diligence for mergers and acquisitions?

z. Are the paralegals in your organization responsible for records management and retrieval?

aa. Maintain or create docket systems and intellectual property filings?

bb. Investigate and assist in proceedings for intellectual property infringement?

cc. Does your organization utilize paralegal supervisors?

dd. What percentage of the paralegal's time is spent on training and continuing education?

ee. FOR PARALEGALS ONLY: Do you supervise any employees?

ff. Can you or the paralegals in your organization delegate non-billable hours to support staff or outside vendor?

gg. If so how many?