Legal assistants support lawyers with various tasks, including conducting legal research, drafting and reviewing documents, communicating with clients, preparing hearings, trials, and meetings, and organizing and maintaining files.
Below are salaries earn by Legal Assistant In South Africa
A person working as a Legal Assistant in South Africa typically earns around 16,400 ZAR per month. Salaries range from 8,550 ZAR (lowest) to 25,200 ZAR (highest).
This is the average monthly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Legal Assistant salaries vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
Legal Assistant Salary Distribution in South Africa
The median, the maximum, the minimum, and the range
Salary Range
Legal Assistant salaries in South Africa range from 8,550 ZAR per month (minimum salary) to 25,200 ZAR per month (maximum salary).
Median Salary
The median salary is 15,800 ZAR per month, which means that half (50%) of people working as Legal Assistant(s) are earning less than 15,800 ZAR while the other half are earning more than 15,800 ZAR. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.
Percentiles
Closely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of Legal Assistant(s) are earning less than 10,900 ZAR while 75% of them are earning more than 10,900 ZAR. Also from the diagram, 75% of Legal Assistant(s) are earning less than 19,600 ZAR while 25% are earning more than 19,600 ZAR.
Legal Assistant Salary Comparison by Years of Experience
How does experience and age affect your pay?
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally the more years of experience the higher your wage. We broke down Legal Assistant salaries by experience level and this is what we found.
A Legal Assistant with less than two years of experience makes approximately 9,710 ZAR per month.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 13,000 ZAR per month, 34% more than someone with less than two year’s experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 16,900 ZAR per month, 30% more than someone with two to five years of experience.
Additionally, Legal Assistant(s) whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 20,500 ZAR per month, 21% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.
If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 22,400 ZAR per month, 9% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.
Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 23,600 ZAR per month, 5% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
Legal Assistant average salary change by experience in South Africa
| 0 – 2 Years | 9,710 ZAR | |
| 2 – 5 Years | +34% | 13,000 ZAR |
| 5 – 10 Years | +30% | 16,900 ZAR |
| 10 – 15 Years | +21% | 20,500 ZAR |
| 15 – 20 Years | +9% | 22,400 ZAR |
| 20+ Years | +5% | 23,600 ZAR |
Legal Assistant Salary Comparison By Gender
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? Male Legal Assistant employees in South Africa earn 7% less than their female counterparts on average.
| Male | 15,900 ZAR | |
| Female | +8% | 17,200 ZAR |
Legal Assistant Average Annual Salary Increment Percentage in South Africa
How much are annual salary increments in South Africa for Legal Assistant(s)?
How often do employees get salary raises?
Legal Assistant
Legal Assistant(s) in South Africa are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 10% every 17 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 8% granted to employees every 18 months.
Legal Assistant Bonus and Incentive Rates in South Africa
How much and how often are bonuses being awarded?
A Legal Assistant is considered to be a moderate bonus-based job due to the generally limited involvement in direct revenue generation, with exceptions of course. The people who get the highest bonuses are usually somehow involved in the revenue generation cycle.
49% of surveyed staff reported that they haven’t received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 51% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 3% to 5% of their annual salary.
| Received Bonus | 51% |
| No Bonus | 49% |
Legal Assistant Average Hourly Wage in South Africa
The average hourly wage (pay per hour) in South Africa is 95 ZAR. This means that the average Legal Assistant in South Africa earns approximately 95 ZAR for every worked hour.
Is legal assistant a good career In South Africa?
There are great jobs, and there are bad jobs, but most positions fall somewhere in between. A career as a paralegal, also known as a legal assistant, can be a wonderfully fulfilling profession, but it also has its disadvantages, from a lack of respect to high levels of stress.
Is legal assistant stressful In South Africa?
Being a paralegal is stressful, and paralegal burnout is real. Paralegals work notoriously long hours, and their tasks include everything from office management to doing case research and preparing and editing legal contracts and documents. Paralegal’s tasks have a direct impact on the outcomes of matters and cases.
Are Legal Assistants in demand In South Africa?
In Alberta, the 1242: Legal administrative assistants occupational group is expected to have an above-average annual growth of 2.3% from 2019 to 2023. In addition to job openings created by employment turnover, 172 new positions are forecasted to be created within this occupational group each year.
What is the difference between paralegal and legal assistant In South Africa?
Paralegals are more involved with the actual technicalities of the law, whereas legal assistants undertake broader tasks. If you are looking for a more hands-on law career, becoming a paralegal may interest you more.
Is a legal assistant a lawyer In South Africa?
Paralegals and legal assistants are both non-qualified roles in law firms and, confusingly, the terms are often used interchangeably. If you are interested in working in the legal industry but do not want to be a lawyer, you could consider working as a paralegal or a legal assistant.
What are the duties of a legal assistant In South Africa?
Legal Assistant Roles & Responsibilities
Have a strong understanding of legal terminology.
Attend meetings and take notes for lawyers in attendance.
Transcribe, proofread, and file legal documents before deadlines.
Manage travel logistics for one or more attorneys.
Answer phones and take messages.
Manage schedules.
What do legal assistants wear In South Africa?
Men have it rather easy, they wear a suit and they fit in nicely. For women, there’s a wider range from tailored pant and skirt suits to more casual dress slacks and blouses.