Commonly asked overtime pay law questions about Legal Assistants:
- What is a Legal Assistant?
- What is the Salary Range for a Legal Assistant?
- How Many Legal Assistants Are Nationally Employed?
- Where Are Most Legal Assistants Employed?
- Legal Assistant Overtime Pay Lawsuit News
- What are the Laws for Legal Assistant Overtime Pay?
- Are Legal Assistants Entitled to Overtime Pay?
- Legal Assistant Overtime Pay Lawyer Review
What is a Legal Assistant?
Legal Assistants help lawyers by investigating facts, preparing legal documents, and researching legal precedent. They may conduct research to support a legal proceeding, to formulate a defense, or to initiate legal action.
What is the Salary Range for a Legal Assistant?
Depending on the work setting and state where Legal Assistants are employed, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) noted that in 2016, Legal Assistants made between $31,000 and $81,000, with the average annual salary being approximately $54,000.
How Many Legal Assistants Are Nationally Employed?
According to the United States Department of Labor, employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation are as follows:
Employment | Employment RSE* | Mean Hourly Wage | Mean Annual Wage | Wage RSE |
290,410 | 1.1% | $25.92 | $53,910 | 0.5% |
*RSE: The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
According to the United States Department of Labor, the percentile wage estimates for a Legal Assistant is as follows:
Percentile | 10% | 25% | 50% (Median) | 75% | 90% |
Hourly Wage | $14.97 | $18.57 | $24.24 | $31.10 | $39.03 |
Where Are Most Legal Assistants Employed?
According to the United States Department of Labor, states with the highest employment level in this occupation are as follows:
State | Employment | Employment Per Thousand Jobs | Location Quotient | Hourly Mean Wage | Annual Mean Wage |
California | 30,790 | 1.84 | 0.91 | $28.71 | $59,720 |
Florida | 27,460 | 3.26 | 1.60 | $23.61 | $49,110 |
New York | 24,240 | 2.63 | 1.29 | $27.89 | $58,000 |
Texas | 22,730 | 1.91 | 0.94 | $26.41 | $54,940 |
Illinois | 12,070 | 2.04 | 1.00 | $27.40 | $56,990 |
Legal Assistant Overtime Pay Lawsuit News
Legal Assistant Overtime Pay Lawsuit News
Read All Legal Assistant News on Overtime Pay Cases and Settlements
What are the Laws for Legal Assistant Overtime Pay?
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, Legal Assistants are often entitled to overtime pay for all hours worked over 40 in one week. If an employer denies a Legal Assistant overtime wages, it could give rise to an overtime pay lawsuit.
There are strict time limitations for filing a claim so it is important that you discuss your case in a timely manner. If you wait too long, you may lose your ability to recover some or all of your back pay. An experienced Legal Assistant overtime pay attorney can determine whether you are entitled to overtime wages based upon your job description, job duties, rate of pay, and number of hours worked.
Some states have their own overtime pay laws that may be slightly different from the FLSA with respect to overtime pay for Legal Assistants. There are strict time deadlines for filing lawsuits so it is essential that you contact an attorney immediately.
Are Legal Assistants Entitled to Overtime Pay?
Because Legal Assistants work with lawyers to prepare legal documents and conduct research, they often work far more than 40 hours in a workweek. Many of them are not paid overtime for these excess hours as required under the FLSA. The employer’s failure to pay required overtime to a Legal Assistant can result in a lawsuit for overtime pay.
To determine whether you are eligible for filing a wage claim, contact our experienced Legal Assistant Overtime Pay Lawyers at (855) 754-2795 for a Free Consultation to discuss your case or complete the Free Unpaid Overtime Case Review Form on this page.
We will discuss your situation and determine if you have a claim. If you are owed unpaid wages, we will represent you under our No Fee Promise, which means there are never any legal fees or costs unless you receive a settlement.