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Paralegals and Legal Assistants

Law, Public Safety, Corrections and SecurityO*NET 23-2011.00United States

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.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning
Median annual earnings
$62,477

50th percentile, United States

Projected change
+3.8%

2025 to 2035

Typical education
Bachelor's degree

46.5% of the workforce

Employment
409.23K jobs

Growing to 424.74K by 2035

Explore this career by location

Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.

Showing United States

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

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The work

What paralegals and legal assistants do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

  • 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.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile
$43,748
25th percentile
$49,641
50th percentile
$62,477
75th percentile
$80,352
90th percentile
$104,168

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $62,477 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+3.8%average or slower
2025409,233 jobs
2035 projected424,737 jobs

15,504 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

Bachelor's degree
46.5%
Associate degree
20.1%
High school diploma or less
18.6%
Doctoral degree or more
10%
Certificate
2.4%
Some college
2.3%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

  • Lawsuits
  • Legal Pleadings
  • Legal Discovery
  • Legal Research
  • Legal Depositions
  • Proofreading
  • Legal Hearings
  • Case Management
  • Administrative Support
  • Trial Preparation
  • Workflow Management
  • Billing
  • Personal Injury Law
  • Calendar Management
  • Document Management Systems
  • Legal Support
  • Litigation Support
  • Medical Records
  • Mediation
  • Law Practice Management Software

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
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.
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.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Persuasion
Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Negotiation
Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Learning Strategies
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
Systems Analysis
Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Systems Evaluation
Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Management of Personnel Resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

  1. 01Paralegals11,409 postings
  2. 02Legal Assistants9,559 postings
  3. 03Litigation Paralegals6,226 postings
  4. 04Legal Administrative Assistants2,633 postings
  5. 05Paralegals/Legal Assistants2,609 postings
  6. 06Litigation Legal Assistants1,959 postings
  7. 07Corporate Paralegals1,726 postings
  8. 08Personal Injury Paralegals1,245 postings
  9. 09Real Estate Paralegals1,213 postings
  10. 10Immigration Paralegals869 postings
  11. 11Personal Injury Litigation Paralegals603 postings
  12. 12Paralegals Specialist584 postings
  13. 13Civil Litigation Paralegals532 postings
  14. 14Insurance Defense Paralegals515 postings
  15. 15Estate Planning Paralegals514 postings
  16. 16Legal Practice Assistants490 postings
  17. 17Receptionists/Legal Assistants438 postings
  18. 18Trusts and Estates Paralegals410 postings
  19. 19Pre-Litigation Paralegals409 postings
  20. 20Patent Agents403 postings

Top employers

  1. 01Robert Half4,138 postings
  2. 02Beacon Hill Staffing Group1,659 postings
  3. 03GPAC1,032 postings
  4. 04Adams & Martin Group810 postings
  5. 05Lee Hecht Harrison643 postings
  6. 06Jobot628 postings
  7. 07AppleOne572 postings
  8. 08Morgan & Morgan, P.A.444 postings
  9. 09Morgan & Morgan317 postings
  10. 10United States Department of Justice297 postings
  11. 11State of Washington243 postings
  12. 12Foley & Lardner Llp204 postings
  13. 13Contact Government Services190 postings
  14. 14W3Global184 postings
  15. 15State of Florida174 postings
  16. 16Husch Blackwell164 postings
  17. 17Ascendo Resources152 postings
  18. 18DLA Piper151 postings
  19. 19Equivity146 postings
  20. 20Randstad145 postings

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