FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
James S. Wilber
Principal
Altman Weil, Inc.
414.427.5400
jswilber@altmanweil.com

Mike Mazur
Executive Director
International Paralegal Management Association
404.292.4762
mike@paralegalmanagement.org

NEW SURVEY REPORTS ON PARALEGAL COMPENSATION

(Newtown Square, PA, June 7, 2005) -- The 2005 Annual Compensation Survey for Paralegals /Legal Assistants and Managers has just been released. The survey was conducted by Altman Weil Publications, Inc. in partnership with the International Paralegal Management Association (IPMA).

The survey reports a broad spectrum of compensation for paralegal professionals based on their specialized roles in legal organizations.

"What was once a relatively flat system, has become more stratified as law firms and law departments get bigger and more sophisticated," notes Altman Weil principal James Wilber. "We are now seeing Paralegal Managers and other specialists earn twice that of a Paralegal and up to three times more than a Legal Assistant Clerk."

PARALEGALS
Nationally, the average salary for Paralegals was $49,677 according to the survey. An annual bonus added an average $2,694 to cash compensation. Two thirds (66%) of paralegals in law firms and law departments reported receiving an annual bonus.

Average overtime compensation was reported at $6,122/year. 76% of eligible, non-exempt law firm paralegals and 34% of eligible law department paralegals received overtime compensation.

MANAGERS
Legal Assistant Managers (full-time managers of a firm's paralegal program) earned an average salary of $88,017, according to the survey. Their average annual bonus was $9,039. Only 6% of Legal Assistant Managers reported receiving any overtime compensation.

Litigation Support Managers (responsible for the firm's litigation support technology and personnel) earned an average $93,318 in salary, $7,483 as an average bonus and an additional $16,017 in overtime, although only 21% received overtime payments.

"This is the first year we've included salary information for individuals working in the emerging field of litigation technology support," says Gary Melhuish, President of IPMA. "We've seen a rapid expansion in the number of Litigation Support Managers as law firms strive to keep up with new document production technologies."

SPECIALISTS
Paralegals with special training or expertise earned average total cash compensation (including salary, bonus and overtime) of $83,852 according to the survey. Corporate and Environmental Specialists each took home over $100,000/year in total cash.

BILLING RATES
The survey found average billing rates ranging from $87/hour for Paralegal Clerks to $136/hour for Paralegals and topping out at $177/hour for Litigation Support Managers. Specialists billed at an average rate of $174/hour, with Corporate Specialists billing at $215/hour and Environmental Specialists billing at $191/hour.

BILLABLE HOURS
Paralegals billed 1,412 hours/year on average. For Paralegals in law firms, the number of hours billed rose with the size of the law firm. Specialists billed an average 1,439 hours/year, but their hours were not significantly affected by the size of the firm. Litigation Specialists logged the highest number of hours at 1,562/year.

DATA COLLECTION AND REPORTING
The 2005 Annual Compensation Survey for Paralegals /Legal Assistants and Managers is based on data collected in 2005 from 296 law firms and 83 law departments and encompasses a total of 12,142 paralegal positions.

The Survey reports on ten distinct paralegal positions. Law firm and law department data is reported cumulatively and comparatively. Data was collected on salary, overtime, bonus, total cash compensation, benefits, billable hours, and billing rates - and is reported by position, type and size of organization, location, exempt/non-exempt status, years in the profession, and practice area where applicable.

ABOUT ALTMAN WEIL
Altman Weil Publications, Inc. conducts and publishes numerous surveys on the legal profession including the Survey of Law Firm Economics and the Law Department Compensation Benchmarking Survey. For additional information or to purchase a survey visit our website at www.altmanweil.com.

ABOUT IPMA
The International Paralegal Management Association (IPMA), formerly known as the Legal Assistant Management Association, promotes the development, professional standing and visibility of paralegal management professionals. More information on IPMA can be found at www.paralegalmanagement.org.

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