Your firm is getting busier. Something new comes up every week, and the calendar you used to manage on your own now needs someone’s full attention.
It’s a little more stressful, but it’s also the growth you’ve been working toward.
At some point, you’ll sit down with your bookkeeper to figure out what another administrative hire would cost. When you add up law firm overhead costs, the total is usually well above the salary you planned to offer.
Posting a local job may be your first thought. Another option is a remote administrative assistant for your law firm: a full-time professional who works during your business hours and handles tasks like scheduling, invoicing, and client follow-up.
Before deciding, review what each option costs and where your team needs the most help.
The True Cost of Hiring On-Site Legal Administrative Staff in the U.S.
In 2025, the median salary for a legal secretary or administrative assistant was $55,570, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. If your firm is in a major metro area, you may need to budget more.
Your firm’s share of Social Security and Medicare adds 7.65% to that salary, or about $4,250 a year at the median. You’ll also pay federal and state unemployment taxes.
And, let’s not forget about benefits.
According to the BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation survey, wages and salaries made up 68.5% of total compensation costs for full-time private industry workers in June 2026. The remaining 31.5% covered benefits, including paid leave, insurance, retirement contributions, and legally required payroll taxes.
Using that ratio, a legal administrative employee earning $55,570 would cost roughly $81,100 a year in total compensation.
Here’s the breakdown:
Median annual salary: $55,570
Estimated benefits and payroll costs: About $25,550
Estimated total compensation: About $81,100
The payroll taxes mentioned above are already included in that total. Because the benefits ratio comes from the private industry as a whole, this is a starting estimate, not a quote for your next hire. Your market and benefits package will move it up or down.
You’ll also need to account for a computer, workspace, and software subscriptions. If you already have an open desk, that may be manageable. If another hire means expanding your office, the commitment gets bigger.
Turnover is harder to quantify, but it belongs in the conversation.
In his book, Shore Up!, personal injury attorney Jason Melton describes a period when new hires at his firm left after just a few months for slightly higher salaries elsewhere. Each departure meant recruiting and training someone new while the rest of the team covered the work.
Top 5 Daily Bottlenecks That Slow Down Law Firm Cash Flow
Clio’s 2025 Legal Trends benchmarks put the average law firm utilization rate at 38%, or a little over three billable hours in an eight-hour day. The same benchmarks show a median total lockup of 93 days between when work gets done and when the firm collects payment.
Several factors can cause those gaps, and to see where administrative support could help your firm, start with the work that keeps getting pushed back.
Invoices That Go Out Late
Reviewing time entries and sending invoices takes time. When attorneys handle billing between calls, meetings, and casework, it can get pushed to tomorrow more than once.
Someone who keeps billing moving can prepare invoices for review, follow up on approvals, and send them on schedule.
Payment Follow-Up Nobody Owns
Clio’s 2025 benchmarks put the average law firm collection rate at 93%. That means firms collect about $93 for every $100 billed.
At your firm, the question is who’s following up on the outstanding balances.
If checking the aging report and contacting clients falls to whoever has time, another week can pass without an update. Giving someone responsibility for that work makes follow-up part of the routine.
Calendar Conflicts and Missed Scheduling Windows
You’re in meetings most of the afternoon and miss an email about opposing counsel’s deposition dates. By the time you check your calendar and reply, the only date that worked for you is no longer available. Now you’re back to another round of emails, taking up more of your time you shouldn’t be spending on this.
An administrative assistant can check availability and follow up while you’re occupied. They can also keep the calendar updated and flag conflicts for your review.
Client Calls Waiting on a Callback
A client calls for an update while you’re working on their case. You plan to call back later, but tasks pile up, and you forget. The next morning, they call again, and whoever answers has to track down the status of that first message.
Having someone follow up gives the client a response without making them keep trying. An assistant can share updates you’ve approved or arrange a call when the question needs your attention. Bilingual support helps when a Spanish-speaking client would otherwise have to wait for your one available Spanish-speaking employee.
Intake and CRM Data Entry Backlogs
The engagement letter is signed, but you haven’t entered the new matter into your system. The information is still sitting in an email, waiting for someone to get to it.
That unfinished work can catch up with you when it’s time to record hours, prepare an invoice, or follow up with the client. An administrative assistant can enter the details and check for anything missing while the matter is still new, saving your team from having to hunt through emails later.
On-Site vs. Nearshore vs. Offshore Legal Staffing
If you’ve always hired locally, you know what the search looks like. You post the opening, interview candidates, and hope the right person lives close enough to make the commute. Once they join, you need a desk ready and budget room for salary, benefits, and equipment.
Looking outside the U.S. gives you more candidates to choose from, but you’ll need to align on working hours before hiring. Manila, for example, is 12 to 13 hours ahead of New York. If your assistant is working a regular daytime schedule there, they may be off the clock by the time you need help that afternoon. Some offshore providers arrange overnight shifts to cover your office hours, so ask how they handle that.
With nearshore staffing, the time difference is smaller. Someone working in Mexico can be available for client calls and scheduling requests while your office is open. In Shore Up!, Melton also highlights the value of team members who speak the language, understand how U.S. firms operate, and live close enough for an in-person visit.
Here’s how the options compare.
On-site: The employee works in your office during your business hours. Your firm pays salary, benefits, and payroll costs and provides the equipment and workspace.
Nearshore: The professional works remotely from a nearby country. Monterrey is one to two hours behind U.S. Eastern time. Costs and workspace arrangements depend on the staffing partner.
Offshore: The professional works remotely from a more distant country. India and the Philippines are roughly 9.5 to 13 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time. Live coverage during your day may require adjusted shifts.
The nearshore vs. offshore legal staffing decision often comes down to when you need the work done.
For scheduling confirmations and live client calls, you need someone available during your office hours. Other tasks may work well with an overnight turnaround. Before choosing a provider, ask what hours your staff member will actually work.
For Melton, nearshoring also meant meeting candidates with legal knowledge and language skills who simply didn’t live within commuting distance of his office.
Grow Your Firm’s Back-Office Support Without Expanding Your Office
Melton started looking south of the border because his own firm kept losing good people. When he asked a staffing contact in Mexico about hiring a paralegal, the response was:
“Why would you hire a paralegal when you can hire a lawyer?”
That contact was Andres, and the two went on to found Regents Remote Services to bring the same approach to other firms.
Today, a Regent is a university-educated, bilingual professional who works full-time for one firm during U.S. business hours.
Your Regent works from our Monterrey office, and every candidate undergoes a background check before starting. They learn your tools and processes as they join your team.
For administrative work, that could mean managing calendars, confirming appointments, and preparing invoices for attorney review. Payment follow-up can become a regular part of their week, rather than something your team tries to squeeze in.
They can also return routine client calls in English or Spanish and keep your CRM current as matters move forward.
That support comes through one monthly fee. You can add a dedicated legal administrative assistant without setting up a separate U.S. employee benefits package or finding room for another desk.
Nick Mendez of Horton and Mendez described his firm’s experience this way: “Regents have been more reliable than people we’ve hired domestically.”
If billing or client follow-up keeps getting pushed to the end of your week, talk with the Regents team about what a dedicated Regent could take on at your firm.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average overhead cost percentage for a law firm?
You may see estimates of 45% to 50% of revenue, while firms using the rule of thirds aim to keep overhead closer to one-third. Those figures are general benchmarks. Your own costs will depend on factors such as staffing, office space, and practice area. Before adding another hire, review what your firm spends today and how the full cost of that hire would change.
Can remote administrative assistants handle sensitive legal billing and CRM tasks?
Yes, with appropriate supervision and procedures for handling client information. Decide what the assistant needs access to, which tasks they can handle, and what requires attorney review. Ask the staffing provider how they protect confidential information, and make sure those practices meet your firm’s requirements.
What is the difference between nearshore and offshore administrative staffing for legal practices?
Nearshore staffing places professionals in nearby countries, such as Mexico, in or close to U.S. time zones. Offshore staffing often involves professionals in more distant countries, such as India or the Philippines. If the role includes client calls and same-day scheduling, ask about working hours and live coverage before you decide.
