Legal Support Services
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Types of Degrees Legal Support Services Majors Are Getting
The following table lists how many legal support services graduations there were in 2018-2019 for each degree level.
| Education Level | Number of Grads |
|---|---|
| Graduate Certificate | 363 |
| Master’s Degree | 120 |
What Legal Support Services Majors Need to Know
In an O*NET survey, legal support majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.
Knowledge Areas for Legal Support Majors
Legal Support majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
- Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
- Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
- Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Skills for Legal Support Majors
A major in legal support prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Abilities for Legal Support Majors
As a legal support major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
What Can You Do With a Legal Support Services Major?
People with a legal support degree often go into the following careers:
| Job Title | Job Growth Rate | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Court Reporters | 3.6% | $57,150 |
| Legal Support Workers | 3.7% | $58,930 |
| Paralegals and Legal Assistants | 14.6% | $50,940 |
| Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers | 4.3% | $47,130 |
Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Legal Support Services?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of legal support majors is as follows:
| Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
|---|---|
| Asian | 2 |
| Black or African American | 32 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 16 |
| White | 52 |
| International Students | 3 |
| Other Races/Ethnicities | 15 |
Geographic Diversity
Students from other countries are interested in Legal Support, too. About 2.5% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:
- Brazil
- Venezuela
- Japan
- China
- Saudi Arabia
How Much Do Legal Support Services Majors Make?
Master’s Degree Starting Salary
According to 2017-2018 data from the U.S. Department of Education, students who graduated with a master’s degree in legal support have a median salary of $46,700 during the early years of their career. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $42,800 (25th percentile) and $50,600 (75th percentile).
Note that some of these people may have jobs that are not directly related to a legal support degree.
Salaries According to BLS
Average salaries range from $51,380 to $62,390 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to legal support. This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.
To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.
Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Legal Support Services
Some careers associated with legal support require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.
Find out what the typical degree level is for legal support careers below.
| Education Level | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) | 15.2% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) | 20.0% |
| Some College Courses | 12.0% |
| Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 31.9% |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 20.1% |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master. | 1.3% |
Online Legal Support Services Programs
In the 2018-2019 academic year, 714 schools offered some type of legal support services program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.
| Degree Level | Colleges Offering Programs | Colleges Offering Online Classes |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) | 241 | 41 |
| Certificate (1-2 years) | 332 | 51 |
| Certificate (2-4 Years) | 19 | 3 |
| Associate’s Degree | 621 | 117 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 29 | 6 |
| Post-Baccalaureate | 241 | 41 |
| Master’s Degree | 5 | 3 |
| Post-Master’s | 3 | 0 |
| Doctor’s Degree (Research) | 0 | 0 |
| Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) | 0 | 0 |
| Doctor’s Degree (Other) | 0 | 0 |
Is a Degree in Legal Support Services Worth It?
The median salary for a legal support grad is $54,500 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.
This is 37% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $292,000 after 20 years!
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Majors Related to Legal Support Services
You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to legal support.
| Major | Number of Grads |
|---|---|
| Law | 34,727 |
| Legal Research | 8,962 |
| Legal Professions (Other) | 1,976 |
| Non-Professional General Legal Studies | 356 |
References
- College Factual
- College Scorecard
- National Center for Education Statistics
- O*NET Online
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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