Paralegals and Legal Assistants: Career Overview
Assist lawyers by investigating facts, preparing legal documents, or researching legal precedent. Conduct research to support a legal proceeding, to formulate a defense, or to initiate legal action.
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The Daily Work of Paralegals and Legal Assistants Perform?
The core tasks performed by paralegals and legal assistants cover:
- Prepare affidavits or other documents, such as legal correspondence, and organize and maintain documents in paper or electronic filing system.
- Prepare, edit, or review legal documents, including legislation, briefs, pleadings, appeals, wills, contracts, and real estate closing statements.
- Investigate facts and law of cases and search pertinent sources, such as public records and internet sources, to determine causes of action and to prepare cases.
- Prepare for trial by performing tasks such as organizing exhibits.
- Meet with clients and other professionals to discuss details of cases.
- Gather and analyze research data, such as statutes, decisions, and legal articles, codes, and documents.
Skills and Knowledge
Top paralegals and legal assistants draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
The abilities that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Other Paralegals and Legal Assistants Job Titles
This career also goes by job titles like:
- Certified Paralegal
- Contract Preparer
- Contracts Specialist
- Corporate Legal Assistant
- Corporate Paralegal
- Document Processor
- Estate Planning Paralegal
- Family Law Paralegal
Employment and Demand
The U.S. employs around 57,942 paralegals and legal assistants working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to grow by +4.4% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Paralegals and Legal Assistants
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $134,350 |
| Hourly median | $64.59 |
| 10th percentile | $93,678 |
| 25th percentile | $114,014 |
| 75th percentile | $154,686 |
| 90th percentile | $175,021 |
Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.
Paralegals and Legal Assistants Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $99,300 |
| Washington | $78,010 |
| Massachusetts | $74,990 |
| Colorado | $73,380 |
| California | $72,960 |
| Minnesota | $67,320 |
| New York | $66,390 |
| Oregon | $63,970 |
| Maryland | $63,560 |
| Connecticut | $63,260 |
| Vermont | $63,000 |
| New Jersey | $62,790 |
| Illinois | $62,290 |
| Nevada | $62,090 |
| Michigan | $61,490 |
| Nebraska | $61,410 |
| Arizona | $61,220 |
| Virginia | $61,200 |
| Alaska | $61,120 |
| Pennsylvania | $60,950 |
| Hawaii | $60,890 |
| New Hampshire | $60,640 |
| Florida | $60,280 |
| Delaware | $60,000 |
| North Dakota | $59,910 |
| Texas | $59,700 |
| Ohio | $58,870 |
| Missouri | $58,730 |
| Maine | $58,510 |
| South Dakota | $57,300 |
| New Mexico | $56,620 |
| Wisconsin | $56,520 |
| Utah | $55,630 |
| Tennessee | $55,270 |
| Georgia | $55,120 |
| Rhode Island | $54,540 |
| Montana | $54,230 |
| Idaho | $54,020 |
| Iowa | $53,280 |
| Indiana | $50,690 |
| Oklahoma | $50,200 |
| Virgin Islands | $50,160 |
| Wyoming | $49,980 |
| West Virginia | $49,620 |
| North Carolina | $49,390 |
| Kentucky | $49,000 |
| Kansas | $48,910 |
| South Carolina | $48,640 |
| Louisiana | $47,580 |
| Arkansas | $46,940 |
| Alabama | $46,060 |
| Guam | $43,990 |
| Mississippi | $39,120 |
| Puerto Rico | $38,640 |
Where Paralegals and Legal Assistants Earn the Most
Earnings for paralegals and legal assistants vary by region. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $72,059 | 17.7% | 1.05 |
| Middle Atlantic | $67,033 | 18.5% | 1.36 |
| New England | $66,731 | 4.8% | 1.05 |
| Rocky Mountains | $62,889 | 3.3% | 0.84 |
| Plains States | $59,903 | 5.6% | 0.84 |
| Southwest | $59,232 | 10.8% | 0.86 |
| Great Lakes | $58,897 | 10.5% | 0.75 |
| Southeast | $54,821 | 28.4% | 1.24 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $97,740 | 2,050 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $85,230 | 7,670 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $84,950 | 6,420 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | DC | $80,550 | 11,080 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | CO | $79,240 | 3,660 |
| Midland, MI | MI | $78,120 | 90 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | CA | $77,990 | 400 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | CA | $77,550 | 3,690 |
Top Industries Employing Paralegals and Legal Assistants
The largest employers of paralegals and legal assistants are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 286,280 | $59,890 |
| Finance and Insurance | 11,010 | $76,960 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 7,100 | $87,490 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 4,450 | $63,790 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 2,370 | $58,170 |
| Information | 1,730 | $98,080 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 1,630 | $62,580 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 1,530 | $83,910 |
Paralegals and Legal Assistants work in the following industries:
Software Paralegals and Legal Assistants Use
- Document management software: Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Google Docs (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Google Workspace software (hot technology)
- Accounting software: Intuit QuickBooks (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Project management software: Microsoft Project (hot technology)
- Document management software: Microsoft SharePoint (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
The Day-to-Day Environment
The work environment for paralegals and legal assistants tends to involve the following characteristics:
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Spend Time Sitting
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
Education and Training
Entry-level paralegals and legal assistants positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Medium Preparation Needed (Job Zone 3), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators (Supplemental)
- Compliance Officers (Supplemental)
- Accountants and Auditors (Supplemental)
- Social Science Research Assistants (Supplemental)
- Lawyers (Supplemental)
- Judicial Law Clerks (Supplemental)
- Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers (Supplemental)
- Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators (Supplemental)
Top Programs to Study For This Career
Future paralegals and legal assistants often complete programs in:
Legal Professions and Studies
2 programs across 2 majors
Sources
This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 23-2011.00 (Paralegals and Legal Assistants).
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