NJ Civil Service Navigator

PARALEGAL TECHNICIAN 2

Code: 30462 Common Competitive Range: R20 (FY2026)

Career Family: PARALEGAL TECHNICIAN

Salary: $61,510.14 - $89,809.83/year FY2026 schedule (last updated 2026-05-08)

Paralegal Technician 2 sits in the competitive class of New Jersey's state or local civil service, so reaching it runs through testing and an eligible list instead of a straight hire.

This is the senior rung of the Paralegal Technician series, the level you reach after Paralegal Technician 1. The requirements come down to an associate's degree and 3 years of relevant experience. Pay on the FY2026 schedule runs $61,510 to $89,810, and state payroll currently lists about 47 people in the title, most of them at Children and Families.

How to get hired

  1. Watch for an open-competitive announcement for Paralegal Technician 2 on the NJ Civil Service Commission jobs portal. Announcements run for a fixed filing window.
  2. Apply during that window and sit the examination. Depending on the title, that can be a written test, a rating of your training and experience, or a mix of the two.
  3. Passing scores go onto a ranked eligible list. Veterans get preference points added on top of their score.
  4. When an agency has a vacancy it must appoint from the top of that list under the "Rule of Three." Many competitive jobs are first filled provisionally while the list is being built.

Read the official specification at NJ Civil Service Commission.

Pay ladder: Paralegal Technician series

  1. Paralegal Technician 1 — $53,807 – $78,268
  2. Paralegal Technician 2 — $61,510 – $89,810 (this title)

Its top salary lands around the 32nd percentile of all NJ civil service titles that publish a range.

Rungs are ordered by FY2026 pay. NJ level numbers are not always sequential, so ordering follows salary rather than the title number.

Who employs this title

State payroll records show 47 people working under this title. The median actual salary is $84,150. The agencies employing the most are:

  • Children and Families (42)
  • Corrections (3)
  • Community Affairs (1)
  • Office of Administrative Law (1)

Counts from NJ YourMoney agency payroll. See statewide workforce analytics.

Official job specification

The text below is the official specification published by the New Jersey Civil Service Commission. The plain-language summary and analysis above are derived from it by NJ Civil Service Navigator.

Definition

Under the direction of an attorney or other supervisory official, supervises paralegal staff and personally performs the more complex work involved in the research of laws, rules, and regulations, the investigation of facts, and the preparation of documents for use in briefs, pleadings, appeals, and other legal actions; supervises staff and work activities; prepares and signs official performance evaluations for subordinate staff; does other related duties as required.

Examples of work

  • Supervises the work operations and/or functional programs and has responsibility for effectively recommending the hiring, firing, promoting, demoting and/or disciplining of employees.
  • Researches legal areas of concern to members of the legal staff relating to complex issues involving the work of the agency.
  • Conducts independent research into legal areas of concern regarding his/her own work and preparation.
  • Supervises staff involved in drafting memoranda, communicating the discussion of legal topics and the review and consideration of issues related to the work of the legal section, including memorialization of legal research.
  • Supervises the preparation of formal correspondence to agencies, courts, legislators, and others with whom the employing agency must correspond, involving legal points of interest and matters in issue.
  • Supervises the preparation of formal correspondence in response to citizen inquiries and other similar matters.
  • Supervises the preparation of formal pleadings in the nature of complaints, answers, motions, interrogatories, and other appropriate documents for utilization in proceedings before courts and agencies.
  • Reviews proposed rules, regulations, and legislation to determine their validity, sufficiency, and propriety.
  • Reviews cited legal decisions to determine their precedential value.
  • Proofreads complex legal documents.
  • Supervises the maintenance of information related to the function of the legal section to ensure ready accessibility to such information, and retrieves such information upon request.
  • Will be required to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information system used by the agency, office, or related units.

Education

Graduation from an accredited college or university with an Associate's degree in Paralegal Studies or, an Associate Degree and a Certificate of Proficiency in Paralegal Studies.

Experience

Three (3) years of experience as a paralegal in a law firm, legal tribunal, or legal department in a public or private entity whose primary function is the research, enactment, enforcement, or litigation of legal matters.

License

Appointees will be required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform the essential duties of the position.

Knowledge, skills and abilities

  • Knowledge of fundamental legal principles and concepts.
  • Knowledge of research techniques.
  • Knowledge of legal publications and periodicals, and the procedures for extracting information contained therein.
  • Ability to supervise assigned staff and plan, organize, and implement projects within the unit.
  • Ability to interpret and apply New Jersey Statutes and regulations.
  • Ability to communicate ideas in written form in a clear, concise, and accurate manner.
  • Ability to understand and explain the complexities and uses of pertinent and evidentiary laws, rules, and regulations.
  • Ability to prepare and supervise preparation of correspondence.
  • Ability to prepare and supervise preparation of technically sound, accurate, and informative reports containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
  • Ability to supervise the establishment and maintenance of records and files.
  • Ability to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
  • Ability to read, write, speak, understand, and communicate in English sufficiently to perform the duties of this position. American Sign Language or Braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication.
  • Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible as long as they can perform essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.

Note

The examples of work for this title are for illustrative purposes only. A particular position using this title may not perform all duties listed in this job specification. Conversely, all duties performed on the job may not be listed.

Possession of a Juris Doctorate (JD) degree may be substituted for the above education.

Rule 1:20-20(a) prohibits attorneys who have been disbarred, resigned with prejudice, transferred to disability-inactive status, or under suspension from the practice of law in this or any other jurisdiction from being employed as paralegals/legal assistants in the State of New Jersey.