If you are looking for ways to increase your paralegal salary you need to study for your paralegal certification. Most employers prefer the National Association of Legal Assistants qualification as it is seen to be the most difficult. The NALA exam takes two days and once you are certified you will have to complete a certain number of hours of additional education every year to maintain your certification. If you have worked as a legal assistant for years and don't want to sit any more exams you may want to look at the Federation of Paralegals or the American Alliance of Paralegals instead. They may offer you certification based on your relevant experience without making you sit an exam.
If you have previous relevant experience prior to joining the law firm this can have a positive impact on
paralegal salaries. For example qualified nurses who become paralegals will often earn more than those who become legal assistants straight from school. This is especially true if the nurse decides to work in the personal injury field where her previous experience could prove invaluable. The same applies to finance graduates who become bankruptcy paralegals or those with IT degrees moving into a paralegal position with a software company.
Relevant experience will also increase your potential salary as will gaining seniority. If you have supervisory experience you are likely to earn more. Some legal assistants find that moving jobs on a fairly regular basis will increase their salaries at a faster rate than if they had remained at the same firm. Taking additional exams should also help increase your pay packet and you may even convince your employer to pay for the study courses and provide you with study leave.
At the end of the day paralegal salaries will depend to a large extent on the demand for the particular skill set and the amount of people available that could fill that position. And don't forget it isn't all about money. You need to have some job satisfaction too or you might as well go and work in a fast food outlet.
