Average Paralegal Salary in United Kingdom for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Paralegal salary for 2024 in United Kingdom and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the British pound. To keep things simple, we are using the GBP currency code instead of the currency symbol £.

How Much Does a Paralegal Make in United Kingdom?

A Paralegal working in United Kingdom will typically earn around 50,600 GBP per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 22,400 GBP to the highest average salary of 84,900 GBP.

Average Annual Salary
50,600 GBP
Average Monthly Salary
4,216 GBP

Lowest Annual Salary
22,400 GBP
Lowest Monthly Salary
1,866 GBP

Highest Annual Salary
84,900 GBP
Highest Monthly Salary
7,075 GBP

These are average salaries for a Paralegal in United Kingdom and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Paralegal to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Paralegal salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Paralegal Salaries in United Kingdom

So we've looked at the average salaries a Paralegal will earn in United Kingdom. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Paralegal can earn between 22,400 GBP and 84,900 GBP on average in United Kingdom. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Paralegal in United Kingdom is 57,200 GBP. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 57,200 GBP, and 50% of the population earn more than 57,200 GBP.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Paralegal salary in United Kingdom, 25% of the population are earning less than 36,400 GBP while 75% of the population earn more than 36,400 GBP.

75% of the population earn less than 77,300 GBP, and 25% of the population earn more than 77,300 GBP.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Paralegal Salary by Experience Level in United Kingdom

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average paralegal salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Paralegal in United Kingdom that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 25,500 GBP.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Paralegal salary would increase to 35,000 GBP.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Paralegal, the average salary would be 52,300 GBP.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 64,400 GBP.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Paralegal with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 73,100 GBP.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Paralegal with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 78,100 GBP.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
25,500 GBP
2-5 Years +34%
35,000 GBP
5-10 Years +48%
52,300 GBP
10-15 Years +22%
64,400 GBP
15-20 Years +9%
73,100 GBP
20+ Years +8%
78,100 GBP

Paralegal Salary by Education Level in United Kingdom

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Paralegal in United Kingdom based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Paralegal in United Kingdom with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 32,200 GBP.

  • Master's Degree. A Paralegal in United Kingdom with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 63,200 GBP.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Bachelor's Degree
32,200 GBP
Master's Degree +93%
63,200 GBP

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United Kingdom is around 29,600 to 88,700 GBP and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Paralegal Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In United Kingdom, a male paralegal will earn an average of 49,300 GBP, while a female paralegal will earn around 54,100 GBP.

This means that a male paralegal earns approximately 9% less than a female paralegal for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in United Kingdom

Male
49,300 GBP
Female +9%
54,100 GBP

Paralegal Average Pay Raise in United Kingdom

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Paralegal in United Kingdom is around 11% every 14 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United Kingdom is around 9% every 15 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 11 ÷ 14 ) × 12  = 9%

What this means is that a Paralegal in United Kingdom can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 9% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in United Kingdom for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United Kingdom.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
3%
Energy
6%
Information Technology
9%
Healthcare
3%
Travel
6%
Construction
9%
Education
3%

Paralegal Bonus and Incentive Rates in United Kingdom

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Paralegal is a moderate bonus based job, with 61% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

39% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 2% to 7%.

Received Bonus
61%
No Bonus
39%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United Kingdom earn approximately 7% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
72,700 GBP
Private Sector -7%
68,200 GBP

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Paralegal

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Paralegal in United Kingdom.

Job Title Category Salary
Administrative Law Judge Legal 195,500 GBP
Arbitrator Legal 91,700 GBP
Associate Attorney Legal 90,600 GBP
Attorney Legal 140,200 GBP
Bailiff Legal 43,500 GBP
Barrister Legal 39,500 GBP
Candidate Attorney Legal 83,400 GBP
Conciliator Legal 68,900 GBP
Contracts Associate Legal 45,800 GBP
Contracts Manager Legal 78,700 GBP
Contracts Negotiator Legal 63,500 GBP
Contracts Specialist Legal 45,300 GBP
Conveyancing Secretary Legal 36,500 GBP
Corporate Counsel Legal 98,700 GBP
Counsel Legal 107,300 GBP
Court Clerk Legal 30,200 GBP
Court Judicial Assistant Legal 52,800 GBP
Court Liaison Specialist Legal 65,200 GBP
Court Reporter Legal 54,500 GBP
Court Representative Legal 39,800 GBP
Crown Prosecution Service Lawyer Legal 192,600 GBP
General Counsel Legal 172,200 GBP
Immigration Executive Legal 94,300 GBP
In House Counsel Legal 105,200 GBP
Intellectual Property Specialist Legal 72,800 GBP
Judge Advocate Legal 146,900 GBP
Law Clerk Legal 32,900 GBP
Lawyer Legal 148,300 GBP
Legal Administrative Assistant Legal 39,500 GBP
Legal Advisor Legal 86,400 GBP
Legal Assistant Legal 39,800 GBP
Legal Associate Legal 64,400 GBP
Legal Consultant Legal 83,400 GBP
Legal Consultant Legal 88,300 GBP
Legal Counsel Legal 97,400 GBP
Legal Editor Legal 69,700 GBP
Legal Executive Legal 127,600 GBP
Legal Executive Secretary Legal 36,500 GBP
Legal IP Officer Legal 34,400 GBP
Legal Officer Legal 43,500 GBP
Legal Secretary Legal 38,000 GBP
Legal Services Director Legal 156,200 GBP
Legal Services Manager Legal 153,700 GBP
Legal Support Worker Legal 27,300 GBP
Legislative Liaison Legal 70,100 GBP
Litigation Attorney Legal 169,700 GBP
Litigation Paralegal Legal 91,000 GBP
Magistrate Judge Legal 206,300 GBP
Patent Attorney Legal 102,700 GBP
Staff Attorney Legal 109,000 GBP

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United Kingdom, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Aberdeen 57,900 GBP
Abingdon 48,300 GBP
Armagh 50,600 GBP
Bangor 50,300 GBP
Belfast 57,800 GBP
Birmingham 59,200 GBP
Bradford 57,200 GBP
Brighton 58,200 GBP
Bristol 62,600 GBP
Cambridge 54,600 GBP
Canterbury 51,300 GBP
Cardiff 58,200 GBP
Chester 54,300 GBP
Coventry 57,100 GBP
Derby 54,500 GBP
Derry 51,800 GBP
Dundee 57,000 GBP
Durham 50,300 GBP
Edinburgh 55,300 GBP
Exeter 54,600 GBP
Glasgow 58,700 GBP
Gloucester 51,900 GBP
Hartlepool 53,300 GBP
Inverness 47,200 GBP
Kingston upon Hull 54,100 GBP
Kirkwall 48,600 GBP
Leeds 58,000 GBP
Leicester 59,000 GBP
Lincoln 54,600 GBP
Lisburn 51,600 GBP
Liverpool 63,200 GBP
London 62,300 GBP
Manchester 61,400 GBP
Newcastle 56,100 GBP
Newport 52,000 GBP
Newry 51,100 GBP
Norwich 51,800 GBP
Nottingham 56,400 GBP
Oxford 55,700 GBP
Peterborough 54,200 GBP
Plymouth 59,700 GBP
Poole 54,200 GBP
Portsmouth 51,900 GBP
Ripon 46,200 GBP
Salisbury 49,300 GBP
Sheffield 59,800 GBP
Somerset 63,000 GBP
Southampton 57,100 GBP
St Davids 44,500 GBP
Stirling 52,000 GBP
Stromness 47,200 GBP
Strontian 50,000 GBP
Swansea 54,200 GBP
Truro 49,100 GBP
Wakefield 46,700 GBP
Wells 46,400 GBP
Winchester 46,900 GBP
Wolverhampton 58,200 GBP
York 54,900 GBP

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United Kingdom.

City Average Salary
England 100,700 GBP
Northern Ireland 49,700 GBP
Scotland 77,400 GBP
Wales 48,300 GBP

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