An Introduction to Legal Administrator Jobs
The role of a legal administrator is critical to the efficiency and effectiveness of any law firm or corporate legal department. By providing administrative support, maintaining the firm’s or department’s finances, and coordinating the operations among staff, a legal administrator serves as the backbone of an organizational legal structure. Depending on the size, scope, and specific needs of their employer, legal administrators can be responsible for a wide range of administrative and management activities.
Some of the most common responsibilities of a legal administrator include preparing documents, scheduling meetings, managing and overseeing budgets, running payrolls, managing human resources tasks, managing vendor relationships, ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, billing, collections , and ensuring the effectiveness and efficiency of administrative systems and procedures. Since their job involves the oversight of virtually every aspect of a law firm’s or a corporate legal department’s internal operations, legal administrators must have the ability to multitask and be able to draw on their communication, organization, leadership, problem-solving, analytical, bookkeeping, accounting, and technology skills.
As they are tasked with the responsibility of overseeing and managing the day-to-day operations of a law firm’s administrative functions, as well as the supervision of junior-level legal support staff, legal administrators are typically found in both law firms and corporate environments. The variables associated with each type of environment include the size of the law firm or corporate legal department, the structure of the law firm or corporate legal department, the size and scope of the legal administrative team, and the specific expectations of the law firm or corporate legal department.
The Influencers of Legal Administrator Compensation
As with any profession, the compensation package for legal administrators is influenced by a variety of factors. For legal administrators in particular, prominent among these are geographic location, level of experience and education, and the size of the employing firm.
Geographic location reflects the cost of living as well as regional salary levels. For example, positions in major metropolitan centers tend to pay better than those in smaller cities.
Experience and education are obvious factors. Those with more years of experience and higher academic credentials will invariably earn more than their inexperienced and less-educated peers.
The size of the employing firm – sole practitioners, small, medium and large firms – is a major factor in compensation as well. As a general rule, larger firms pay in excess of smaller firms, though this is not always the case. The size of the firm is also an indication of law department budgets, clinical profitability, trust fund balances and the stability of the practice. These factors can be further broken down into specific categories:
Firm Size
Small (1-19 employees) : $63,250-$81,599
Medium (20-99 employees) : $85,525-$120,916
Large (100-499 employees) : $121,679-$177,419
These income ranges are national averages for the legal administrator position in small, medium and large firms. Averages vary state by state, week by week and month by month, as a result of the free market economy, which creates demand for the best and the ability to pay commensurately for such talent.
The Compensation for other positions (including non-attorney posts) in the firm are key factors in assessing compensation levels. If a firm’s paralegals are paid a relatively higher salary than market values, the administrator’s salary will be proportionately high as well. The same is true for other areas of the firm, which should be considered when evaluating the salary of the administrative position.
Professional Affiliations is another consideration. Salaries in firms where members of the management team are credentialed by professional associations tend to be higher than in firms without such professional affiliations.
Legal Administrator Average Earnings Trends
As of 2020, the average salary for legal administrators is $90,415, as reported by Robert Half Legal. This figure is just slightly higher than the average salary for 2019 ($89,370) and 2018 (by a mere $400). While this is a modest increase, it is actually significant in its consistency and reliability. As noted by LegalManagement.org, "We’ve had a couple of years of relatively flat salary growth, so the increases (however minor) we’ve seen are a good sign that the economy is in stable growth mode. . . . It’s no surprise to see that once again legal administrators’ salaries raise proportionately to firm size and region." In fact, this is the fifth consecutive year of flat salary growth, though the salary rate itself has fortunately remained on a relatively consistent upwards trajectory.
Comparative Salary Insights for Related Legal Professions
In the legal profession, variations in job titles often come with significant variations in salaries. A legal administrator, for example, has a distinctly different role than a legal secretary and a paralegal. While all of these roles are vital to the health of the legal field, the prior role is typically held in higher regard—and paid a better salary—as a result. Although there are no universal definitions for legal support titles, some distinctions can be drawn . While a legal secretary helps to ensure that the office runs smoothly, a legal administrator oversees that office. Where secretaries keep everything organized—a job unto itself—administrators are responsible for the entire back office. Paralegals work directly alongside lawyers, with a similar set of responsibilities. In particular, they help prepare and organize cases while also coordinating with all involved. Since legal administrator education requirements are lower than those of paralegals, it follows that salary averages vary as well.
Opportunities for Career Growth as a Legal Administrator
For new legal administrative assistants, the career path is usually straightforward, as at this stage, many professionals need to gather experience across a wide area of responsibilities. As they move forward in their careers, they seek to increase their specialization, and depending on the size of their employer, this may be in one or several practice areas. Over the years, many legal administrators may progress into managerial or even executive roles, such as Chief Administrative Officer of a law firm or corporate legal department, or even Chief Operating Officer of a business. For these higher-level opportunities, desired skills may include a strong background in accounting and finance, an understanding of current business best practices, and the ability to effectively manage people.
Spending the majority of their careers with a single employer means that legal administrators typically earn relatively generous severance packages upon their departure. On top of being highly sought after, experienced professionals may also negotiate excellent early retirement packages, providing the freedom to branch out and explore new opportunities. Because they are able to retire much earlier than most other professionals, the professionals in this role tend to have a significant amount of experience by the time that they reach traditional retirement age.
Getting Paid more as a Legal Administrator
With the recent increasing demand for legal administration and management, salaries are on the rise for these jobs. However, not every law firm or corporate legal department understands this trend, and if you are new to the profession, you may be underpaid. If you’re an entry-level legal administrator or manager and find yourself looking for a new job in 2023, you will undoubtedly want to get paid what you’re worth. Here’s what you need to know about negotiating a higher salary.
Timing is Everything
Gone are the days of having to wait a year or two to negotiate a higher salary, thanks to the War on Talent. Now, even if you’ve only been in the door for a few months, companies expect you to be able to negotiate a raise. Still, timing is essential, and there are certain situations where asking for a raise is advantageous for both you and the firm.
When to Ask for a Raise
When You Get a Job Offer. Timing is everything. If a potential employer makes you a job offer that seems a bit low, ask for more money. Remember, whether you’re a legal assistant, law office administrator, or managing partner, you have a range that’s expected of your position. If they’re offering you something below that range, make a counteroffer that reflects the industry standards. It’s completely reasonable to ask for more and to negotiate, regardless of whether you’re happy with your current position.
When You Get a Promotion. Ask for a raise when you get promoted, even if it’s only a small promotion. For example, if the firm is bringing in a senior partner, it is typically expected that everyone gets a raise . Ask your boss about your salary, and make a request for an increase if your salary rate has remained static.
When You’re Overlooked for a Promotion. If you’re passed up for a promotion that you feel you deserve, ask for a meeting with your boss to discuss it. It could be that one of your co-workers gets a promotion due to favoritism, and you should definitely ask for a raise if you’re doing the same work that your co-worker is doing but not being compensated for it. Don’t simply go to your manager’s office and ask for a raise, however; request a meeting to address your title, duties, and salary expectations, versus simply wanting to place a monetary value on your work.
When You’ve Been with the Firm for Over a Year. If you haven’t already received a raise in the past year, you should consider approaching your firm about a salary increase on your own. Implementing a salary raise policy is up to the managing partners, so make it easier for them by asking specifically about getting a raise based on the date you were hired.
When You’re Asked to Perform More Responsibilities. If your law firm or corporate legal department sends you a request, such as to learn software on your own, consider asking for a raise in order to do so. You were hired to perform a specific job. If the firm now expects you to learn how to use new software programs, without any additional compensation, you should consider negotiating a higher salary for the additional responsibilities.
How to Approach Salary Negotiation
Asking for a higher salary can seem intimidating, especially if you’re not sure how your firm will respond. There are several ways that you can go about negotiating a higher salary, however.