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Anonymous User wrote:I'm under a lot of stress. Applying for jobs as a paralegal, and the average salary posted for paralegal jobs in my city are around ~$35K, which I am willing to accept.

I am getting a lot of pressure from family members who say that a college graduate should be getting paid $60K or more for a regular full time job. I tried explaining to them that most of the jobs posted are not in that range, however, they keep pressuring me to set "high standards for myself" and state my salary expectations as $65K.

Based on the limited knowledge i have, this sounds a little ridiculous. I do agree that I should set as high standards as possible for myself, but I feel that saying I want 65K a year is an automatic ding from offices where attorneys are getting paid not much more than that.

So what's a good way to negotiate? or to expect? Thanks...

Dustin. wrote:I was applying to similar positions and never saw one that paid upwards of $60k for entry-level.$35k or so seemed standard.

You might have a bit of room to negotiate, but not much. You don't want to lose an offer.

However, remember that nearly all of the big firms give their professional staff overtime, so that can add a nice amount to your yearly salary.

Anonymous User wrote:I'm under a lot of stress. Applying for jobs as a paralegal, and the average salary posted for paralegal jobs in my city are around ~$35K, which I am willing to accept.

I am getting a lot of pressure from family members who say that a college graduate should be getting paid $60K or more for a regular full time job. I tried explaining to them that most of the jobs posted are not in that range, however, they keep pressuring me to set "high standards for myself" and state my salary expectations as $65K.

Based on the limited knowledge i have, this sounds a little ridiculous. I do agree that I should set as high standards as possible for myself, but I feel that saying I want 65K a year is an automatic ding from offices where attorneys are getting paid not much more than that.

So what's a good way to negotiate? or to expect? Thanks...

paratactical wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:I'm under a lot of stress. Applying for jobs as a paralegal, and the average salary posted for paralegal jobs in my city are around ~$35K, which I am willing to accept.

I am getting a lot of pressure from family members who say that a college graduate should be getting paid $60K or more for a regular full time job. I tried explaining to them that most of the jobs posted are not in that range, however, they keep pressuring me to set "high standards for myself" and state my salary expectations as $65K.

Based on the limited knowledge i have, this sounds a little ridiculous. I do agree that I should set as high standards as possible for myself, but I feel that saying I want 65K a year is an automatic ding from offices where attorneys are getting paid not much more than that.

So what's a good way to negotiate? or to expect? Thanks...

It's not uncommon for biglaw paralegals in places like NYC to start somewhere around $35k-40k. Do you have any experience relevant to the work? If you're fresh out of college, it's really totally unreasonable to even think that you could get $65k. I've been a paralegal for 6 years at some decently ranked Vault firms and I don't have a $65k salary (now, or even when I was working in Boston and New York). Keep in mind that paralegals usually get OT, so it's more than just the salary.

paratactical wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:I'm under a lot of stress. Applying for jobs as a paralegal, and the average salary posted for paralegal jobs in my city are around ~$35K, which I am willing to accept.

I am getting a lot of pressure from family members who say that a college graduate should be getting paid $60K or more for a regular full time job. I tried explaining to them that most of the jobs posted are not in that range, however, they keep pressuring me to set "high standards for myself" and state my salary expectations as $65K.

Based on the limited knowledge i have, this sounds a little ridiculous. I do agree that I should set as high standards as possible for myself, but I feel that saying I want 65K a year is an automatic ding from offices where attorneys are getting paid not much more than that.

So what's a good way to negotiate? or to expect? Thanks...

It's not uncommon for biglaw paralegals in places like NYC to start somewhere around $35k-40k. Do you have any experience relevant to the work? If you're fresh out of college, it's really totally unreasonable to even think that you could get $65k. I've been a paralegal for 6 years at some decently ranked Vault firms and I don't have a $65k salary (now, or even when I was working in Boston and New York). Keep in mind that paralegals usually get OT, so it's more than just the salary.

nonprofit-prophet wrote: My girlfriend worked at a V10 as a paralegal. Starting salary was around 40, but she made over 60 after all the OT.

Anonymous User wrote:

Dustin. wrote:I was applying to similar positions and never saw one that paid upwards of $60k for entry-level.$35k or so seemed standard.

You might have a bit of room to negotiate, but not much. You don't want to lose an offer.

However, remember that nearly all of the big firms give their professional staff overtime, so that can add a nice amount to your yearly salary.

Do you have any recommendations for good websites? I feel like I've hit up the major ones (including craigs list lol) but I;m running into a wall here

Tom Joad wrote:Sounds like mom and pop are stereotypical shitBOOMERS.

Anonymous User wrote:What planet do your parents live on?

Do they not realize that nearly a quarter of college graduates are unemployed? The degree clearly does not hold the same weight as it has in the past.

I'm a paralegal at V10 and I can say that the base at my firm in the Midwest is 38k. With the ridiculous amount of hours that I work, I'd say that I've easily cleared 50k approaching 60K. Those salaries are pretty much benchmarked with a 1-2k wiggle room dependent on experience.

paratactical wrote:

nonprofit-prophet wrote: My girlfriend worked at a V10 as a paralegal. Starting salary was around 40, but she made over 60 after all the OT.

I was at a V10 and the year I billed 2300 hours was redonkulous. NYC taxes fucking suck, though.

jurisx wrote:Was is a paralegal posting on a law school forum? Did you fail law school?

jurisx wrote: What's up with all the paralegals on the big kid forum?

Anonymous User wrote:I am getting a lot of pressure from family members who say that a college graduate should be getting paid $60K or more for a regular full time job. I tried explaining to them that most of the jobs posted are not in that range, however, they keep pressuring me to set "high standards for myself" and state my salary expectations as $65K.

jurisx wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:What planet do your parents live on?

Do they not realize that nearly a quarter of college graduates are unemployed? The degree clearly does not hold the same weight as it has in the past.

I'm a paralegal at V10 and I can say that the base at my firm in the Midwest is 38k. With the ridiculous amount of hours that I work, I'd say that I've easily cleared 50k approaching 60K. Those salaries are pretty much benchmarked with a 1-2k wiggle room dependent on experience.

What's up with all the paralegals on the big kid forum?

Anyways, you are wrong on that stat. You mean "in their field". More college grads have jobs than non grads. People just pick retard fields like MBA. (might as well be Doctor of Fetching my Coffee)

Anonymous User wrote:

jurisx wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:What planet do your parents live on?

Do they not realize that nearly a quarter of college graduates are unemployed? The degree clearly does not hold the same weight as it has in the past.

I'm a paralegal at V10 and I can say that the base at my firm in the Midwest is 38k. With the ridiculous amount of hours that I work, I'd say that I've easily cleared 50k approaching 60K. Those salaries are pretty much benchmarked with a 1-2k wiggle room dependent on experience.

What's up with all the paralegals on the big kid forum?

Anyways, you are wrong on that stat. You mean "in their field". More college grads have jobs than non grads. People just pick retard fields like MBA. (might as well be Doctor of Fetching my Coffee)

I don't know why you degrade paralegal 0Ls especially those considering law school. First, if you didn't recognize the subject line this was a posting about Paralegal salaries on a "Legal Employment" forum. Secondly, some people don't just jump on the bandwagon for a life time of debt without considering their options first. Being a paralegal at V10 has been an outstanding networking opportunity for me and I'd highly recommend it to anyone considering law school let alone big law before attending. It gives you an inside look at the lives of associates at bigger firms and the opportunity to decide whether or not that life is for you. I find this more productive then being some starry eyed lemming salivating over US News rankings and starting salaries without having any idea what the life of a lawyer is actually like.