Should You Hire an In-House or Contracted Paralegal?
When looking for paralegal support, one of the first questions to ask yourself is if you should hire someone in house or bring on a contract paralegal.
Both options can provide valuable support, but the costs can differ between the two. It is important to take a close look at what you’re actually paying for. You may not know that a contract paralegal could give you more room in your budget than you realize!
So, let’s talk money!
The true cost of an in-house paralegal
When you hire an in-house paralegal, the cost is not just their salary. Other expenses are included that come along with having an employee, such as:
Overhead costs
Payroll taxes
PTO
Employee related expenses
Equipment and office costs
These costs can add up very quickly.
What about a contract paralegal?
A contract paralegal works a little differently.
Rather than bringing on another employee to your payroll, a contract paralegal brings support only when needed. You pay for the work and services without all the other additional costs with an in-house employee. With a contract paralegal, you’re NOT responsible for:
Payroll taxes
PTO
Additional office overhead
The long term commitment of adding another employee
Employee benefits
This can add flexibility for those that don’t need a full time paralegal.
You’re paying for the work, not the overhead
This is when a contract paralegal can show the difference between the two. When taking on a new employee, in this case an in-house paralegal, your budget also goes towards maintaining the cost of a new employee. With a contract paralegal, more of your budget can go towards the work that needs to be done, because you're saving from the overhead costs.
For example, you may need help with discovery for only one case or your current team is overloaded with work and has several deadlines coming up. You don’t necessarily need to hire someone new to get the help you need.
Which one is right for you?
The thing is, there isn’t one right answer. Every law firm is different!
An in-house paralegal may make sense if you are looking for someone to be working every day with a full time workload. On the other hand, a contract paralegal may be a better fit for you if you’re looking for:
Support on an as-needed basis
Have a temporary increase in workload
Avoiding employee overhead
Need help with a specific case/project
Want flexibility
Bottom Line
Before deciding which to hire, look beyond the salary and compare with what you actually need help with!
If you’re trying to decide, let’s talk! I offer a free 30-minute consultation where we can go over your current workload, what you may need help with, and what contract support could look like. Reach out to me directly brooke@knoxvilleparalegal.com or book a time with me HERE.
If we haven’t met yet, I’m Brooke—founder of Knoxville Paralegal Services (KPS) and paralegal of 20+ years 😊 We are a contract paralegal company based in Knoxville but serve attorneys NATIONWIDE. We handle assignments remotely and as an “on-demand” service.
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