Is it really possible to hit six figures as a paralegal? For those of you who’ve made it, what steps did you take? I'm a legal assistant in my early 30s, and going back to school for my paralegal associate’s degree, I’d love to hear your advice. Is it all about experience, networking, or something else?

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Switch jobs regularly or get an offer for another job and negotiate with your current one aggressively. I’ve done both. I am on track for $200k this year

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What LP2 asked please answer lol

In corporate and in biglaw, yes. I hit $100k total comp after two years. But it was biglaw, I have a bachelors degree, and live in NYC.

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yea, i’m a year out of undergrad at 100K in biglaw

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Yes it is. I am actually making in the 90s (94k) but I am in-house. I’ve had a few recruiters from law firms reach out to me and the starting base salary was around $115k. For personal reasons, I chose to decline accepting interviews because right now I like the quality of life I have in house. I am well aware I am underpaid and I will address that in 2025.

I am a senior paralegal, civil litigation on the defense side.

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Honestly, absolutely no cons. Aside from the money, I have been infinitely happier working in house legal. I was about to leave the paralegal profession altogether because of my experience at my last firm. You will have plenty of work life balance in house. I have no billable targets. My mental health and my physical health has started thriving again when I left big law.

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Yes, six figures are certainly possible for paralegals with the right approach. Focus on specialization, strong networking, and getting as many certs/degrees as you can.

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This definitely possible, but largely depends on the city you live in.

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I see paralegals in ECVC firms make over 200K easily. Many even make more than 2rd year/3rd year associates. Depends on what you do.

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Yes, with experience. And the best way to get large increases is to change firms, including if you follow a partner somewhere. I’m also talking Biglaw.

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Definitely possible.

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Yes, very possible especially if you are in a specialized field.

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Yes, completely doable on salary alone without taking into account OT and bonuses. Big law firms pay the best because they charge high billing rates to their clients.

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Having a specialization and moving around every two years or so is the best way to increase your earning potential. But at some point you must stay put.

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Absolutely, easily in big law. I have legal secretaries over six figures.

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Yes, six figure paralegal here. I'm in DC and have a bachelors degree (no paralegal certificate). I have about 12 years of experience and now work in-house, remotely at a global insurance company.

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Yes it is possible, even in-house. Currently over $100k plus bonus.

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I think it is possible. For one, you will probably need a Bachelors degree. Second, you will probably need to work in a large city and probably for a BIGLAW firm. NYC, LA, Chicago, Dallas, etc.

I would also think that work/life balance may not be there. For $100K, I would think the firm is going to expect you to work lots of hours past your normal hours, but I could be wrong about that.






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Absolutely! I started making 6 figures about 7 years ago. I'm in the Seattle area at a mid-size firm. I have a bachelor's degree and about 20 years experience.

Yes. Corporate paralegals make over six figures regularly. Been doing this for 19 years and started making six figures 3 years ago or so. I have a bachelor's and paralegal certification.

It also depends on the field of practice. But it’s possible. I want to know how I can get to the $200k mark. 🤣

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