Press Room

NEW YORK – June 18, 2014 – Hourly base pay continued to rise last year for paralegal, litigation support and docketing workers at both law firms and law departments, according to the ALM/IPMA Annual Compensation Survey for Paralegals and Managers, 2014 Edition, released today.

The survey by ALM Legal Intelligence, a leading source of business intelligence for the legal profession, in partnership with the International Practice Management Association (IPMA), tracks compensation, billing rates and billable hours for paralegals.  Conducted annually since 2002, the 2014 survey included 298 law firms and law departments reporting on over 9,500 paralegal, litigation support and docketing positions.

Key survey findings include the following:

• Salary increases were reported by 91.2% of law firms and 91.7% of law departments. The average expected increase for paralegals is 2.9% for both exempt and non-exempt paralegal positions.
• At law firms, the highest hourly-pay positions are Litigation Support/Technology/eDiscovery Manager at $79.66 and Paralegal Director at $76.42. Among law departments, Paralegal Supervisor was the highest paid position at $70.32, followed by Litigation Support/Technology/eDiscovery Director/ Manager at $65.35.
• Law firm paralegals, the largest group reported, increased average hourly base pay to $36.57 from $35.98 in 2013, while law department paralegal pay jumped to $34.30 from $31.46.
• Average law firm bonuses increased most sharply for Paralegal Directors at $18,421, compared to $16,149 the prior year. Specialists/Industry Analysts bonuses rose to $6,939 from $5,749.
• Law firm billing rates for paralegal positions increased about 4% on average.

To purchase a copy of the survey, visit www.almlegalintelligence.com. IPMA members or organizations with IPMA members may be eligible for a discount and should phone 888-770-5647 to order.

About ALM Legal Intelligence
ALM Legal Intelligence offers detailed business information for and about the legal industry, focused on the top U.S. and international law firms. The division’s online research Web service, www.almlegalintelligence.com, provides subscribers with direct, on-demand access to ALM LI’s extensive database of surveys, rankings and lists related to law firms and the legal industry. The site also includes an online store where non-subscribers can, on an individual basis, purchase and download preformatted individual law firm reports, research reports and selected current-year survey data. ALM Legal Intelligence is a division of ALM.

About the IPMA
The International Practice Management Association (IPMA), established in 1984 as the Legal Assistant Management Association (LAMA), and known from 2004-2014 as the International Paralegal Management Association (IPMA), is an international association of managers of practice support programs in law firms, in corporate law departments, and in government, judicial and legal agencies. More information on the IPMA can be found at its website at www.theipma.org.

About ALM

ALM is the most trusted media, information and intelligence company supporting both the practice of and business of professionals in the legal, insurance, commercial real estate and financial services industries. ALM delivers leading data, intelligence, insights, events and audiences essential for growing businesses globally to over 7 million professionals. Please visit www.alm.com for more information, and visit www.alm.com/events/ to learn about our upcoming events. Please follow us on Twitter at @ALMGlobal_.