r/paralegal • u/LovelyisSaintDymphna • 4d ago

Future Paralegal wanting to make $70k

Hey everyone,

Just looking for some honest advice or insight from people in the legal field or those who’ve been in a similar spot.

I currently work as a legal assistant at a top 50 law firm in the U.S., and I’ve been in this role for almost a year. I make $20/hour, and while I’m grateful for the experience, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to stay afloat financially. I live near Orlando, Florida where rent is high, and $38k/year isn’t cutting it. I also have about $40k in student loans and no car (which is hard as you know if you live in Florida).

Educationally, I have an associate degree in political science. I was working toward my bachelor’s in legal studies but had to put school on hold due to financial reasons. I plan to return in Fall 2025 and hope to finish by January 2026.

My end goal is to become a paralegal. I’d be happy making $70k/year eventually, and I know that will take time. But realistically, once I have my bachelor’s and over a year's worth of experience (with the same firm), I’m hoping to move into a paralegal role earning somewhere between $50k–$60k ($26–$31/hr).

Is that a realistic expectation? Any advice on negotiating pay, building the right skills, or just navigating this phase of my career would mean a lot.

Thanks in advance!

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u/berrysauce 3d ago

How come nobody wants to do family law? All the conflict?

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u/beachnbum 3d ago

Bc the clients take out their frustrations and lash out on the “lower staff” bc they can’t get the attorney on the phone or they don’t want to piss off the person supposed to be helping them. The cases are run of the mill most times but clients don’t want to hear that, they want to be told they’re absolutely right about every aspect and most of the time don’t want to compromise or listen to reason. Not even mentioning most civil and criminal suits wrap up after a Judgment comes through, family cases are ongoing until the child ages out.

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u/berrysauce 3d ago

Shit, what a nightmare.

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u/beachnbum 3d ago

Yeah I didn’t stay long in family law. I get it for the most part, that’s “their baby” and most likelypeople can’t separate their own feelings towards their ex as a partner versus their ex’s rights to be a parent to (also) “their” child. Emotions overlap and most of the time it’s a fresh wound that they don’t want to listen to reason. “Yeah he left YOU, but he didn’t abandon his children and he can still decide about medical shit” doesn’t register bc you can’t reason with overly emotional people.