For many immigration law firms, the decision to scale comes with a big question: Do we hire more in-house staff, or do we outsource case preparation to a trusted partner?
The answer is often clearer when you break down the numbers. While hiring a full-time paralegal can seem like the straightforward solution, the costs — both financial and operational — can add up quickly. Outsourcing case prep to a specialized provider like Immigration Paralegals can often deliver equal or greater value, without the hidden expenses or management challenges.
The Real Cost of an In-House Paralegal
According to industry averages, the fully loaded cost of hiring an experienced in-house paralegal is around $81,400 per year. This figure includes:
- Base salary (often in the $65,000–$70,000 range for experienced immigration paralegals in U.S. metro areas)
- Payroll taxes
- Health insurance, retirement contributions, and other benefits
- Paid time off, sick leave, and holidays
When you spread that cost over 10 cases per month, the cost per case comes out to roughly $678. This doesn’t account for downtime, turnover, training, or the additional software licenses and office space that an in-house hire requires.
Outsourcing: The Immigration Paralegals Model
With Immigration Paralegals, you pay a flat per-case fee that remains consistent whether you’re handling 5 cases a month or 50.
At low volumes, you’re coming out close to even with 0.7% more of gross revenue if you’re doing 10 cases a month with an average $5,500 attorney fee per case. But at higher volumes, the math changes dramatically.
At 50 cases per month, our model can save a firm thousands per month compared to in-house staffing — often in the range of $4,000–$5,000 monthly savings or 2–3% of gross revenue.
The Hidden Value Beyond the Numbers
Price per case is only part of the equation. Outsourcing case prep delivers benefits an in-house hire simply can’t match:
Scalability
Need 5 cases this month and 25 the next? We adjust instantly without the delays and costs of recruiting and onboarding.
Zero Downtime
If an in-house paralegal takes vacation or calls in sick, the work stalls. We provide full coverage with backup paralegals who can step in so cases keep moving.
Full Team Coverage
With our approach, you’re not just getting one paralegal. You’re getting a paralegal, a legal assistant, a caseload administrator, and oversight from the company’s leadership team to ensure accuracy and efficiency.
End-to-End Client Management
From sending questionnaires and document lists to maintaining ongoing client communication, we handle the details so your attorneys can focus on legal strategy and client advocacy.
No HR Headaches
No recruiting, no onboarding, no payroll, no risk of sudden turnover.
Predictable Expense
One flat per-case fee makes budgeting easy with no surprise overtime or benefit cost increases.
The 50-Case Scenario: A Closer Look
Let’s walk through a high-volume example. At 50 cases per month with an average attorney fee of $5,500 per case, your gross revenue is $275,000 per month — over $3 million annually.
- In-house staffing costs are roughly 15% of gross revenue.
- Our cost for the same 50 cases is around 13% of gross revenue.
Along with savings, we eliminate hiring risk, training time, and management overhead. And because we provide full team coverage, your practice isn’t limited by the capacity of a single paralegal or vulnerable to service disruptions.
Structuring for Maximum Efficiency
Many growing firms find the sweet spot in a hybrid staffing model:
- Receptionists to manage incoming leads, calls, and front-end follow-up
- An office manager to supervise reception, handle walk-ins and billing, and coordinate directly with our team
- Immigration Paralegals to prepare all cases, keep clients updated, and ensure filing accuracy
This approach keeps fixed costs lean, maximizes flexibility, and ensures that every client receives consistent, high-quality service — no matter your monthly case volume.
The Bottom Line
For 2–3% savings at higher volumes, the team at Immigration Paralegals can take on the heavy lift of immigration case preparation, letting your firm scale without the risks and inefficiencies of in-house hiring.
The real question is: Would you pay a small percentage of your revenue to eliminate the need for multiple paralegals, avoid downtime, and gain instant scalability? For many firms, the answer is an easy yes.
If you’re ready to scale, schedule a call with us today.