A paralegal in a major US metro now costs $55,000–$80,000 in base salary alone. Add benefits, PTO, taxes, office space, and recruiting, and a single seat runs $85K–$110K fully loaded.
The math no longer works.
The Remote Legal Staff Alternative
A pre-vetted remote legal assistant — paralegal-trained, Clio- or Filevine-fluent — costs $2,000–$4,000/month all-in. Two remote legal assistants replace one local paralegal at less cost, with double throughput.
What Remote Legal Staff Can Handle
The Confidentiality Question
Real Numbers
A 12-attorney PI firm replaced two local paralegal seats with two remote legal assistants. Placement took 6 days. Annualized savings: $144K. Case velocity unchanged, attorney satisfaction up.
Where to Start
Pick the highest-leverage seat first. Run one remote hire for 90 days. See remote staffing for law firms.
Aaron Klein
Founder & CEO, RealHires
Perspectives on building remote teams and finding the people who move your business forward.
