She had two paralegals (or legal assistants or administrative assistants or whatever we’re calling people who help us get our work done now) in her office. They were each getting paid hourly at a rate of about $12 an hour. That’s about $25,000 per year.

The people in the positions kept coming and going. She’d get one up and running and then she’d quit. She’d get a new one going, and she’d be terrible and have to be fired. Then she tried to get the senior one to train the junior one. That was a disaster. What a mess. This went on for nearly five years of revolving paralegals.

Ending the Revolving Door

Suddenly, they were both gone. She wasn’t entirely sure how it happened, but one day she showed up for work and she was the only one there. She’d lost track of the comings and goings, and she was on her own now.

She ran an ad for a new person. She described the position, and instead of offering $25,000 per year, she offered $50,000. The position was filled quickly. The applicants were of a higher caliber and had better experience. She found someone with a background that was perfect for the job, and the training required was minimal.

When One Is Better Than Two

Fast forward five years, and the same person she hired five years ago is still working for her. She’s now paying $72,000 per year plus some reimbursement for benefits her paralegal buys through her husband. She’s paying at the high end in her market.

How’s it working out? It’s great. Clients are happy. The work is getting done. Revenues are up, and the lawyer is taking home more than she ever has before.

They say you get what you pay for. For the lawyer in this story, that turned out to be true.