Mississippi paralegals earn a median of $46,180 per year, or $22.20 per hour, as of May 2025. The state doesn’t license or register paralegals. Rule 5.3 of the Mississippi Rules of Professional Conduct requires lawyers to supervise nonlawyer assistants, so paralegals work under attorney supervision. Certificate and degree programs are offered statewide.
Wayne-Sanderson Farms in Laurel, the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi Power in Gulfport. They’re all employers of paralegals in Mississippi, and just a few of the reasons a career in the legal services field opens real opportunities here. Morgan & Morgan PA in Jackson, Stockham Law Group in Waveland, and Blackledge Law Firm in Biloxi are a sampling of the many law firms that call Mississippi home, and where both new and established paralegals earn their credentials and climb through the ranks.
Mississippi is one of the more open states for entering this profession. There’s no license to apply for, no registration, and no state board setting education standards. What the state does have is an ethics rule that puts every paralegal under attorney supervision, and a job market where the credential you hold often decides which jobs you’re considered for. This guide covers the requirements, the schools, current salary figures, and the state’s employment outlook.
JH
Former Program Director, Paralegal Technology, Itawamba Community College
Jamie directed the Paralegal Technology program at Itawamba Community College in Fulton and was listed as the program’s contact in ICC’s 2018-19 catalog. In April 2018 the college announced that ParalegalEDU had named ICC’s paralegal program its top recommendation in Mississippi, and Hall spoke for the program in that announcement. She was interviewed for our paralegal faculty series that year, and her comments on the program’s internship requirement and its career-specific curriculum appear below. Hall has since left the college, and we haven’t been able to confirm her current role.
Interviewed for our faculty series. Not an author of this page.
Mississippi Paralegal Requirements
In Mississippi, paralegals and those who employ them must follow Rule 5.3 of the Mississippi Rules of Professional Conduct, which addresses a lawyer’s responsibilities for nonlawyer assistants. Under this rule, paralegals work under the supervision of an attorney who accepts responsibility for their professional conduct. Supervising attorneys are also expected to give guidance in ethics and confidentiality.
Mississippi does not require state licensure or registration for paralegals. There’s no licensing board, no registration process, and no state-set standard for training or education. That gives you more than one way in. You can pursue a certificate or degree in paralegal studies, or you can find employment that provides on-the-job training and learn the work in place.
Both routes are legal. They aren’t equally competitive. Many Mississippi employers ask for formal paralegal education in their job postings, and a credential is often what gets an application past the first cut. Education can also satisfy eligibility requirements for some national certification pathways, though requirements vary by credential and several also recognize work experience.
What Rule 5.3 Actually Requires
Rule 5.3 is a rule about lawyers, not a licensing scheme for paralegals. It obligates the supervising attorney to make reasonable efforts to ensure nonlawyer assistants act in a way compatible with the lawyer’s own professional obligations. The practical effect on you is straightforward. A Mississippi paralegal works under a licensed attorney’s supervision and cannot offer legal services directly to the public, because doing so would be the unauthorized practice of law.
Nothing in the rule sets an education requirement, a continuing education mandate, or a credential you have to hold. Those decisions belong to employers.
Education and Certification Pathways
Educational Options
Earning a certificate or a degree distinguishes entry-level candidates from their peers and can satisfy eligibility requirements for national certification. Mississippi students have three main options: certificates, associate degrees, and bachelor’s degrees. Some programs carry approval from the American Bar Association, and institutions are separately accredited. Explore our complete directory of ABA-approved paralegal programs nationwide. ABA program approval and institutional accreditation may affect eligibility under particular certification pathways, and both carry weight with employers, but requirements vary by certifying organization.
Certificate programs award a certificate of completion, which makes you a certificated paralegal. They concentrate on paralegal coursework and carry few general education requirements. Entry requirements vary widely. Some programs accept students with no previous college work. Others admit only applicants who already hold a degree in another field and want to add paralegal coursework to it.
Degrees in paralegal studies combine general education with focused legal coursework. An associate degree typically takes two years and builds a working foundation in legal principles and procedures. A bachelor’s degree takes four years and goes deeper, often with specialized courses in litigation, contracts, and legal research.
Faculty Voice
“Student internships are included in the two-year curriculum and allow students to apply concepts learned in the classroom in a supervised work setting and to gain practical experience before graduating and entering the workforce.”
JH
An internship is worth asking about specifically when you compare programs. Supervised placement is where classroom work turns into something you can describe in an interview, and in a state with no licensure it’s often the closest thing to a verifiable signal of readiness.
Certificate Versus Certification
These two words get used interchangeably and they mean different things. A certificate is an educational credential awarded by a school. Certification is a professional credential earned by passing an exam administered by a national paralegal association. You can hold either one, both, or neither, and still work as a paralegal in Mississippi.
National Certification
Paralegals in Mississippi may choose to become certified to demonstrate tested competence in the field. Certification isn’t required anywhere in Mississippi law, and no employer is obligated to ask for it. These are national private credentials, although state laws and employer requirements governing paralegal work can differ if you relocate.
Several national organizations offer voluntary paralegal credentials, and the list below covers the major options rather than every one available. Note that some of these are exam names rather than the credential you end up holding:
- NALA’s Certified Paralegal (CP) credential, earned by passing NALA’s exam, offered by the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA). NALA now generally uses the CP designation, though some longstanding certificants continue to use CLA, so you’ll see both in older sources. Anyone may take an ACP course, but NALA awards the Advanced Certified Paralegal credential only to Certified Paralegals who meet its requirements, so it isn’t an entry route.
- The PACE exam, offered by the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA). Passing PACE earns the RP, or Registered Paralegal, credential.
- The PCCE exam, also offered by NFPA. Passing PCCE earns the CRP, or CORE Registered Paralegal, credential.
- The PP, or Professional Paralegal, offered by NALS, which changed its name to the National Association of Legal Support Professionals in September 2021. The PP is open to graduates of an ABA-approved legal studies or paralegal studies program, or to those with at least five years of paralegal experience. Confirm current exam availability with NALS before planning around it.
- The AACP, or American Alliance Certified Paralegal, offered by the American Alliance of Paralegals. This one is awarded through a review of education and experience rather than an exam.
The Mississippi Paralegal Association is a NALA affiliate, so NALA certification is especially visible within that association. You can learn more about NALA certification and what the exam covers.
Paralegal Schools in Mississippi
The body of knowledge required to perform legal support work effectively usually comes from formal education in paralegal studies. As attorneys, corporations, and government agencies work within an increasingly complex legal framework, the responsibility they hand to paralegals has grown with it. Many Mississippi employers rely on paralegals with the kind of expertise a certificate or degree provides.
Law firms, corporate legal departments, financial services firms, and government agencies from Jackson to Gulfport all depend on qualified paralegals. The programs below serve a wide range of students, from recent high school graduates starting out, to mid-career professionals moving into the legal field, to experienced paralegals returning to school to add credentials.
Note: Program offerings and availability may change. Please verify current program details directly with each institution before applying.
Coahoma Community College
Associate’s Degree in Paralegal Studies – Campus
Copiah-Lincoln Community College
Associate’s Degree in Paralegal Studies – Campus
Hinds Community College
AAS in Paralegal Technology – Campus and online
Paralegal Technology Certificate – Campus and online
Holmes Community College
AAS in Paralegal Technology – Campus
Paralegal Technology Certificate – Campus
Itawamba Community College
AA in Paralegal Studies – Campus
AAS in Paralegal Technology – Campus
“The program allows students to pursue a career-specific degree and provides training for entry-level employment as a paralegal in law firms, businesses and organizations.”
Jamie Hall · Itawamba Community College
Jones County Junior College
AAS in Paralegal Technology – Campus
Mississippi College
BS in Paralegal Studies – Campus and online
Certificate in Paralegal Studies – Campus and online
Minor in Paralegal Studies – Online
Mississippi University for Women
BS/BA in Paralegal Studies – Campus
Legal Studies Minor – Campus and online
Northeast Mississippi Community College
AAS in Paralegal Technology – Campus
Paralegal Certificate – Campus
Northwest Mississippi Community College
AAS in Paralegal Technology – Campus and online
Paralegal Certificate – Campus and online
Paralegal Technical Certificate – Campus and online
University of Mississippi
BPS in Paralegal Studies – Campus
Minor in Legal Studies – Campus
University of Southern Mississippi
BA in Legal Studies – Campus
Paralegal Salaries in Mississippi
A business-friendly climate has kept Mississippi’s economic engine running and its legal services industry growing. Wayne-Sanderson Farms, formed when Wayne Farms and Sanderson Farms merged in 2022, runs a regional office in Laurel that houses its legal function alongside sales, marketing, and human resources, and firms such as Copeland, Cook, Taylor & Bush, P.A. and Daniel Coker Horton & Bell, P.A. in Jackson look for paralegals with specialized knowledge in commercial litigation, bankruptcy, and family law.
Statewide Salary Overview
As of May 2025, Mississippi employed 2,270 paralegals. Here’s the full pay distribution, hourly and annual:
- Median (50th percentile): $22.20 per hour, $46,180 per year
- Mean (average): $23.80 per hour, $49,500 per year
- 10th percentile: $17.14 per hour, $35,660 per year
- 25th percentile: $17.74 per hour, $36,900 per year
- 75th percentile: $28.26 per hour, $58,790 per year
- 90th percentile: $32.67 per hour, $67,960 per year
These are pay-distribution percentiles, not experience brackets. A paralegal with twelve years in a small rural practice can sit near the 10th percentile, and someone three years into a Jackson litigation firm can sit above the 75th. Market, practice area, and employer type move the number as much as tenure does.
Mississippi’s median of $46,180 runs well below the national median of $62,890 for paralegals and legal assistants, a difference of $16,710. Cost of living is lower here than the national average, which offsets part of that gap, but the two figures aren’t directly comparable without adjusting for it. The mean sits above the median here, which is consistent with higher earners pulling the average upward. It doesn’t tell you which employers or specialties account for the top of the range.
Paralegal compensation is almost evenly divided between hourly and salaried pay. NALA survey data found that 51% of paralegals were salaried, while about 49% were paid hourly. Being paid hourly is not the same as freelancing. An hourly paralegal is usually a firm employee on the payroll, paid by the hour rather than billing clients directly.
Paralegal Salaries by Metropolitan Area
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports three Mississippi metro areas separately for this occupation. Here’s how they compare as of May 2025:
| Metropolitan Area | Paralegals Employed | Mean Hourly Wage | Mean Annual Salary | Median Annual | 90th Percentile Annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson | 960 | $25.53 | $53,110 | $50,470 | $68,690 |
| Hattiesburg | 100 | $23.33 | $48,520 | $45,050 | $71,280 |
| Gulfport-Biloxi | 290 | $23.08 | $48,010 | $46,240 | $65,170 |
Two things stand out. Jackson holds 960 of the state’s 2,270 paralegal jobs, roughly 42% of the total, and it’s the only metro area paying above the state mean. If you want the deepest job market in Mississippi, it’s in the capital.
Hattiesburg is the more interesting case. Its mean sits between the other two, but its 90th percentile is the highest of the three at $71,280, above Jackson’s $68,690. The top of that small market pays better than the top of the largest one. The wage data shows the gap without explaining what causes it, so treat it as a reason to look at Hattiesburg postings rather than a conclusion about the market.
Mississippi has no separately reported nonmetropolitan wage figures for this occupation in the May 2025 data. If you’re working outside these three areas, the statewide distribution above is the better reference point.
Employment and Job Outlook
State Employment Projections
Mississippi’s projected growth is unusually strong for this occupation. ProjectionsCentral’s 2024-34 state projections put Mississippi paralegal employment at 2,180 in 2024, rising to 2,450 by 2034. That’s growth of 12.1%, or 260 net new positions over the decade, with about 270 average annual openings.
Read the two numbers together. Roughly 26 net new jobs a year against 270 total annual openings means most hiring still comes from replacement, meaning paralegals retiring, changing careers, or leaving the workforce. The difference from a flat market is that Mississippi is adding seats as well as backfilling them, which is not true everywhere.
How the State Outlook Compares Nationally
The national picture comes from a separate program on a separate cycle, and it points the other way. The Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025-35 projections describe little or no change for paralegals and legal assistants nationally, moving from 404,900 jobs in 2025 to 403,800 in 2035, with about 40,800 average annual openings. BLS attributes the limited growth partly to advances in technology including artificial intelligence, which are expected to make paralegals more efficient at research and document preparation.
So Mississippi is projected to grow 12.1% on the state cycle while the occupation nationally is projected flat on the federal cycle. These are two different data programs measuring on different base years, so treat them as separate readings rather than one correcting the other. What the state figure suggests is that Mississippi’s legal services sector still has room to expand from a comparatively small base.
What’s Driving Paralegal Demand in Mississippi
Factors shaping demand across the state include:
- Healthcare systems and manufacturers generating contract, compliance, and employment work
- Insurance defense and personal injury caseloads
- Steady real estate, banking, and probate volume
- Firms assigning paralegals billable work that would otherwise cost attorney time
- State agencies, county offices, and the courts needing legal support staff
Professional Associations
Mississippi Paralegal Association (MPA)
Since 1980, the Mississippi Paralegal Association has worked to raise the standing of paralegals within the state’s legal community. The MPA promotes the profession through relationships with related organizations and by pushing members toward continuing education and professional development. It sponsors monthly CLE lunches, spring and fall seminars, and on-demand continuing education for members. It also assists members with certification and with finding work.
An affiliate of the National Association of Legal Assistants, the MPA offers several levels of membership. Please verify current membership requirements and benefits directly with the Mississippi Paralegal Association, as criteria may be updated periodically.
- Student Membership – Open to students in good standing who are enrolled in a paralegal program
- Associate Membership – Open to members of the bar association, the educational field, law firms, and paralegal program representatives who endorse the paralegal concept
- Affiliate Group Membership – Open to a paralegal group or a school-affiliated paralegal club
- Inactive Membership – Open to paralegals who don’t meet the requirements for active membership
- Active Membership – Open to any individual who meets one of the following:
- Passed NALA’s Certified Paralegal (CP)/Certified Legal Assistant (CLA) exam
- Graduate of an ABA-approved paralegal program and current employment as a paralegal
- A graduate of an institutionally-approved paralegal studies program that included at least 60 semester credits, and who is also currently employed as a paralegal
- Graduate of a paralegal program, plus at least six months of in-house paralegal training
- Bachelor’s degree in any field plus six months of in-house paralegal training
- Three years of law-related experience that includes six months of in-house paralegal training
- Two years of in-house paralegal training
Mississippi Legal Professionals Association (MSLPA)
Organized in 1962, the MSLPA is the Mississippi affiliate of the National Association of Legal Support Professionals, which is what NALS renamed itself in September 2021. It’s currently composed of three local associations:
- Gulf Coast Legal Professionals
- Jackson Legal Professionals Association
- Pine Belt Legal Professionals
Membership is a tri-level arrangement, so one set of dues makes you a member of the national, state, and local associations at once. Current membership classifications are (verify current requirements with the organization):
- Individual – Legal professionals who agree to comply with the NALS Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility. Voting members, and eligible to hold elected office
- Associate – Those interested in collaborating with legal support professionals, including judges, attorneys, educators, and mediators. Non-voting
- Student – Active students taking at least nine hours per semester or quarter in an accredited program relating to legal work. Non-voting
- Life – Qualified individual members who pay a one-time life membership. Voting members
- Company – Lets a legal employer register multiple staff members at a discount, with the membership owned by the company
- Retired – Members in good standing with five consecutive years of membership immediately before retiring, who have reached age 62 or retired due to disability. Voting members
Career Resources and Contacts
Major Law Firms
Large firms employ many paralegals as part of their teams. Mississippi has several prominent firms that have historically hired paralegals. Verify current openings directly with each firm:
- Adams and Reese
- Baker Donelson
- Balch & Bingham
- Bradley Arant
- Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes, PLLC
- Burr & Forman
- Hand Arendall
- McGlinchey Stafford
- Mitchell McNutt & Sams
- Phelps Dunbar
- Wise Carter Child & Caraway, P.A.
Important Contacts
- Mississippi Paralegal Association (MPA), affiliated with NALA
- The Mississippi Bar
- Mississippi Secretary of State
- State of Mississippi Judiciary
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a license to work as a paralegal in Mississippi?
No. Mississippi doesn’t license or register paralegals, and no state agency sets education or training standards for the role. What applies instead is Rule 5.3 of the Mississippi Rules of Professional Conduct, which requires lawyers to supervise nonlawyer assistants and ensure their conduct is compatible with the lawyer’s own professional obligations. The practical effect is that you work under a licensed attorney’s supervision, and that attorney is responsible for your conduct and for guidance on ethics and confidentiality.
What’s the difference between a paralegal certificate and certification?
A paralegal certificate is an educational credential awarded when you finish a school program, which makes you a certificated paralegal. Certification is a professional credential earned by passing a national exam. NALA’s exam leads to the Certified Paralegal (CP) credential, NFPA’s PACE exam leads to the RP, and NFPA’s PCCE exam leads to the CRP. NALS offers the PP, and the American Alliance of Paralegals awards the AACP through an education and experience review rather than an exam. The certificate demonstrates education. Certification demonstrates tested competency.
How much do paralegals make in Mississippi?
As of May 2025, Mississippi paralegals earn a median of $22.20 per hour, or $46,180 per year. The mean is $23.80 per hour, or $49,500 per year. The 10th percentile sits at $35,660 and the 90th at $67,960. Among metro areas, Jackson pays the highest average at $53,110, while Hattiesburg has the highest 90th percentile of the three at $71,280.
Are there ABA-approved paralegal programs in Mississippi?
Mississippi has multiple institutions offering paralegal programs from certificates through bachelor’s degrees. Not all of them hold ABA approval, though the institutions themselves are accredited. ABA approval matters most if you plan to pursue national certification or apply for MPA active membership, since some eligibility routes reference it specifically. Verify current ABA approval status directly with each institution before you enroll.
What’s the job outlook for paralegals in Mississippi?
ProjectionsCentral’s 2024-34 state projections show Mississippi paralegal employment moving from 2,180 to 2,450, growth of 12.1%, with about 270 average annual openings. That’s much stronger than the national picture, where the separate BLS 2025-35 projections describe little or no change for the occupation, with about 40,800 average annual openings. Most Mississippi hiring still comes from replacement rather than newly created positions.
Can I become a paralegal with on-the-job training in Mississippi?
Yes. Because Mississippi doesn’t regulate paralegals, on-the-job training is a legitimate way into the field, and some employers still hire and train. It’s the harder road. Many employers ask for formal paralegal education in their postings, and education can satisfy eligibility requirements for some national certification pathways. Both routes are legal, but they aren’t equally competitive.
What does Rule 5.3 mean for Mississippi paralegals?
Rule 5.3 addresses a lawyer’s responsibilities regarding nonlawyer assistants. It requires the supervising attorney to make reasonable efforts to ensure your conduct is compatible with their own professional obligations, and it makes them responsible for that conduct. In practice it means you work under a licensed attorney’s supervision and cannot provide legal services directly to the public, which would be the unauthorized practice of law.
Should I join the Mississippi Paralegal Association?
It’s optional and has no bearing on your ability to work. What it offers is monthly CLE lunches, spring and fall seminars, on-demand continuing education, certification support, and a network in a state where the legal community is small enough that people know each other. The MPA is a NALA affiliate, so NALA certification is well represented among its members. Note that NALA doesn’t require association membership to sit for the CP exam.
Key Takeaways
- Mississippi doesn’t license or register paralegals. Rule 5.3 of the Mississippi Rules of Professional Conduct requires lawyers to supervise nonlawyer assistants and ensure their conduct is compatible with the lawyer’s own professional obligations.
- Both formal education and on-the-job training are legal routes in. Employers increasingly screen for a certificate or degree, and education is also what qualifies you for a national certification exam.
- Mississippi paralegals earn a median of $46,180 per year as of May 2025, well below the national median of $62,890.
- Jackson holds roughly 42% of the state’s paralegal jobs and is the only metro area paying above the state mean, at $53,110.
- Among the three separately reported metro areas, Hattiesburg has the highest 90th percentile at $71,280, above Jackson’s $68,690.
- State projections for 2024-34 show 12.1% growth and about 270 annual openings, stronger than the national 2025-35 outlook of little or no change.
- National certification is optional. The CP is the most common choice in Mississippi because the MPA is a NALA affiliate and its members get access to NALA testing.
Ready to Launch Your Paralegal Career in Mississippi?
Explore paralegal programs and find the right educational path to start your legal career in Mississippi today.
May 2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for Paralegals and Legal Assistants. Long-term 2024-34 job growth projections from the US Department of Labor-sponsored resource, ProjectionsCentral. Figures reflect city, state, and national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed August 2026.
