# Paralegals and Legal Assistants

> 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.
- **Entity Type:** role
- **Schema Version:** role.v1
- **Soc Code:** 23-2011.00
- **Summary:** 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.

## Aliases

- Legal Assistant
- Legal Clerk
- Paralegal
- Paralegal Specialist
- Immigration Paralegal
- Law Associate
- Legal Analyst
- Legal Processing Assistant
- Litigation Paralegal
- Real Estate Paralegal
- Certified Paralegal
- Contract Preparer

## Tasks

| Text | Type | Iwa |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Prepare affidavits or other documents, such as legal correspondence, and organize and maintain documents in paper or electronic filing system. | Core | 4.A.3.b.6.n |
| Prepare, edit, or review legal documents, including legislation, briefs, pleadings, appeals, wills, contracts, and real estate closing statements. | Core | 4.A.3.b.6.n |
| 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. | Core | 4.A.1.a.1.e |
| Prepare for trial by performing tasks such as organizing exhibits. | Core | 4.A.2.a.4.h |
| Meet with clients and other professionals to discuss details of cases. | Core | 4.A.4.a.2.i |
| Gather and analyze research data, such as statutes, decisions, and legal articles, codes, and documents. | Core | 4.A.1.a.1.e |
| File pleadings with court clerks. | Supplemental | 4.A.4.c.1.a |
| Direct and coordinate law office activity, including delivery of subpoenas. | Supplemental | 4.A.4.b.4.l |
| Call upon witnesses to testify at hearings. | Supplemental | 4.A.4.a.3.a |
| Arbitrate disputes between parties and assist in the real estate closing process, such as by reviewing title searches. | Supplemental | 4.A.1.a.1.e |
| Appraise and inventory real and personal property for estate planning. | Supplemental | 4.A.2.a.1.i |
| Keep and monitor legal volumes to ensure that the law library is up-to-date. | Supplemental | 4.A.3.b.6.n |

## Emerging Tasks

| Text |
| --- |
| Manage attorneys' calendars and schedule meetings. |
| Request, review, and summarize relevant records for the cases. |

## Activities

| Name | Iwa |
| --- | --- |
| Evaluate information related to legal matters in public or personal records. | 4.A.1.a.1.e |
| Research relevant legal materials to aid decision making. | 4.A.1.a.1.e |
| Represent the interests of clients in legal proceedings. | 4.A.4.a.3.a |
| Coordinate legal schedules or activities. | 4.A.4.b.4.l |
| Maintain the order of legal documents. | 4.A.3.b.6.n |
| Evaluate condition of properties. | 4.A.2.a.1.i |
| Appraise property values. | 4.A.2.a.1.i |
| Inventory materials or equipment. | 4.A.4.c.3.g |
| Prepare legal documents. | 4.A.3.b.6.n |
| Identify implications for cases from legal precedents or other legal information. | 4.A.2.a.4.h |
| Prepare information or documentation related to legal or regulatory matters. | 4.A.3.b.6.n |
| Meet with individuals involved in legal processes to provide information and clarify issues. | 4.A.4.a.2.i |
| Confer with court staff to clarify information. | 4.A.4.a.2.i |
| Perform administrative or clerical tasks. | 4.A.4.c.1.a |
| Serve court ordered documents. | 4.A.4.c.1.b |
| Arbitrate disputes between parties to resolve legal conflicts. | 4.A.4.a.7.a |

## Capabilities

| Name | Family | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Law and Government | knowledge | 4.78 |
| English Language | knowledge | 4.42 |
| Administrative | knowledge | 4.16 |
| Writing | essential_skill | 4 |
| Written Comprehension | ability | 4 |
| Computers and Electronics | knowledge | 3.91 |
| Reading Comprehension | essential_skill | 3.88 |
| Active Listening | essential_skill | 3.88 |
| Oral Comprehension | ability | 3.88 |
| Oral Expression | ability | 3.88 |
| Written Expression | ability | 3.88 |
| Near Vision | ability | 3.75 |
| Speech Recognition | ability | 3.75 |
| Speech Clarity | ability | 3.75 |
| Customer and Personal Service | knowledge | 3.64 |
| Speaking | essential_skill | 3.62 |
| Problem Sensitivity | ability | 3.5 |
| Administration and Management | knowledge | 3.31 |
| Critical Thinking | essential_skill | 3.25 |
| Deductive Reasoning | ability | 3.25 |
| Inductive Reasoning | ability | 3.25 |
| Information Ordering | ability | 3.12 |
| Active Learning | essential_skill | 3 |
| Monitoring | essential_skill | 3 |
| Social Perceptiveness | transferable_skill | 3 |
| Service Orientation | transferable_skill | 3 |
| Complex Problem Solving | transferable_skill | 3 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | transferable_skill | 3 |
| Time Management | transferable_skill | 3 |
| Category Flexibility | ability | 3 |
| Coordination | transferable_skill | 2.88 |
| Flexibility of Closure | ability | 2.88 |
| Perceptual Speed | ability | 2.88 |
| Selective Attention | ability | 2.88 |
| Persuasion | transferable_skill | 2.75 |
| Negotiation | transferable_skill | 2.75 |
| Fluency of Ideas | ability | 2.75 |
| Far Vision | ability | 2.75 |
| Originality | ability | 2.62 |
| Memorization | ability | 2.62 |

## Skills

| Name | Type |
| --- | --- |
| English Language | Common Skill |
| Writing | Common Skill |
| Reading Comprehension | Common Skill |
| Active Listening | Common Skill |
| Speech Recognition | Specialized Skill |
| Microsoft Word | Common Skill |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | Common Skill |
| Microsoft Outlook | Common Skill |
| Microsoft Excel | Common Skill |
| Inductive Reasoning | Common Skill |
| Deductive Reasoning | Common Skill |
| Critical Thinking | Common Skill |
| Information Ordering | Specialized Skill |
| Time Management | Common Skill |
| Social Perceptiveness | Common Skill |
| Microsoft SharePoint | Specialized Skill |
| Microsoft Project | Specialized Skill |
| Microsoft Access | Specialized Skill |
| Google Docs | Specialized Skill |
| Complex Problem Solving | Common Skill |
| Adobe Acrobat | Specialized Skill |
| Active Learning | Common Skill |
| Negotiation | Common Skill |
| Mathematics | Common Skill |
| Telecommunications | Specialized Skill |
| Learning Strategies | Specialized Skill |
| Instructing | Specialized Skill |
| Systems Analysis | Specialized Skill |
| Psychology | Specialized Skill |
| Visualization | Specialized Skill |
| Tax Software | Specialized Skill |
| Microsoft Publisher | Specialized Skill |
| MicroStrategy | Specialized Skill |
| Litigation Support Software | Specialized Skill |
| LexisNexis | Specialized Skill |
| IBM Notes | Specialized Skill |
| Google Drive | Specialized Skill |
| Finger Dexterity | Common Skill |
| DtSearch | Specialized Skill |
| Database Software | Specialized Skill |

## Tools

| Example | Category | Hot | In Demand |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet software | yes | yes |
| Microsoft Office software | Office suite software | yes | yes |
| Microsoft Outlook | Electronic mail software | yes | yes |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | Presentation software | yes | yes |
| Microsoft Word | Word processing software | yes | yes |
| Adobe Acrobat | Document management software | yes | no |
| Google Docs | Word processing software | yes | no |
| Google Workspace software | Office suite software | yes | no |
| Intuit QuickBooks | Accounting software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Access | Data base user interface and query software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Project | Project management software | yes | no |
| Microsoft SharePoint | Document management software | yes | no |
| Zoom | Video conferencing software | yes | no |
| Orion Law Management Systems Orion | Data base user interface and query software | no | yes |
| Thomson Reuters Westlaw | Information retrieval or search software | no | yes |
| a la mode WinTOTAL | Analytical or scientific software | no | no |
| AbacusNext HotDocs | Document management software | no | no |
| American LegalNet USCourtForms | Information retrieval or search software | no | no |
| Appligent Citation FDFMerge | Document management software | no | no |
| Blumbeg Drafting Libraries | Desktop publishing software | no | no |
| Bowne JFS Litigator's Notebook | Categorization or classification software | no | no |
| Bridgeway eCounsel | Data base user interface and query software | no | no |
| Case analysis software | Analytical or scientific software | no | no |
| CaseSoft DepPrep | Document management software | no | no |
| CaseSoft TextMap | Document management software | no | no |
| CaseSoft TimeMap | Pattern design software | no | no |
| Computer access catalog software | Library software | no | no |
| Corel WordPerfect Office Suite | Office suite software | no | no |
| Corporate Focus Solium Shareworks | Data base user interface and query software | no | no |
| Database software | Data base user interface and query software | no | no |
| Dataflight Opticon | Desktop publishing software | no | no |
| Digital contract software | Desktop publishing software | no | no |
| Document management system software | Document management software | no | no |
| Dropbox | Cloud-based data access and sharing software | no | no |
| dtSearch | Information retrieval or search software | no | no |
| Electronic discovery software | Analytical or scientific software | no | no |
| Electronic transcription management software | Document management software | no | no |
| Fastcase legal software | Information retrieval or search software | no | no |
| FindForms | Information retrieval or search software | no | no |
| FindLaw Code of Federal Regulations CFR | Information retrieval or search software | no | no |

## Work Context

| Name | Value |
| --- | --- |
| E-Mail | 5 |
| Indoors, Environmentally Controlled | 4.88 |
| Importance of Being Exact or Accurate | 4.79 |
| Spend Time Sitting | 4.77 |
| Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams | 4.69 |
| Telephone Conversations | 4.54 |
| Contact With Others | 4.53 |
| Written Letters and Memos | 4.52 |
| Time Pressure | 4.36 |
| Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team | 4.25 |
| Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals | 4.24 |
| Freedom to Make Decisions | 4.12 |
| Frequency of Decision Making | 3.92 |
| Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results | 3.89 |
| Importance of Repeating Same Tasks | 3.86 |
| Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions | 3.66 |
| Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities | 3.28 |
| Deal With External Customers or the Public in General | 3.22 |
| Consequence of Error | 2.92 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | 2.86 |
| Physical Proximity | 2.75 |
| Level of Competition | 2.67 |
| Work Outcomes and Results of Other Workers | 2.66 |
| Conflict Situations | 2.14 |
| Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People | 1.97 |
| Health and Safety of Other Workers | 1.87 |
| Public Speaking | 1.77 |
| Spend Time Standing | 1.7 |
| Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable | 1.6 |
| Degree of Automation | 1.5 |
| Spend Time Walking or Running | 1.38 |
| In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment | 1.35 |
| Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions | 1.29 |
| Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling | 1.27 |
| Exposed to Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting Conditions | 1.26 |
| Dealing with Violent or Physically Aggressive People | 1.19 |
| Exposed to Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites, or Stings | 1.16 |
| Spend Time Keeping or Regaining Balance | 1.15 |
| Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body | 1.15 |
| Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled | 1.13 |

## Preparation

- **Job Zone:** 3
- **Job Zone Name:** Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- **Education:** Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
- **Experience:** Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
- **Svp Range:** (6.0 to < 7.0)

### Education Distribution

| Label | Percentage |
| --- | --- |
| Bachelor's Degree | 36.94 |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 20.08 |
| High School Diploma | 18.62 |
| Doctoral Degree | 10.03 |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate | 9.56 |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 2.43 |
| Some College Courses | 2.34 |

## Person Fit

| Name | Family | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Law | specific_interest_area | 6.66 |
| Office Work | specific_interest_area | 5.68 |
| Conventional | career_interest_type | 5.28 |
| Investigative | career_interest_type | 5.04 |
| Dependability | work_style | 4 |
| Enterprising | career_interest_type | 3.92 |
| Social | career_interest_type | 3.12 |
| Attention to Detail | work_style | 3 |
| Management/Administration | specific_interest_area | 2.52 |
| Integrity | work_style | 2.43 |
| Artistic | career_interest_type | 2.24 |
| Social Science | specific_interest_area | 2.12 |
| Accounting | specific_interest_area | 2.1 |
| Cautiousness | work_style | 2.06 |
| Politics | specific_interest_area | 1.96 |
| Protective Service | specific_interest_area | 1.94 |

## Related Roles

| Soc Code | Slug | Title | Tier |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 43-6012.00 | role-43-6012-00 | Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | Primary-Short |
| 23-2093.00 | role-23-2093-00 | Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers | Primary-Short |
| 27-3092.00 | role-27-3092-00 | Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners | Primary-Short |
| 43-4031.00 | role-43-4031-00 | Court, Municipal, and License Clerks | Primary-Short |
| 43-6014.00 | role-43-6014-00 | Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | Primary-Short |
| 43-6011.00 | role-43-6011-00 | Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants | Primary-Long |
| 43-4061.00 | role-43-4061-00 | Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs | Primary-Long |
| 43-4021.00 | role-43-4021-00 | Correspondence Clerks | Primary-Long |
| 43-9061.00 | role-43-9061-00 | Office Clerks, General | Primary-Long |
| 29-2072.00 | role-29-2072-00 | Medical Records Specialists | Primary-Long |
| 23-1011.00 | role-23-1011-00 | Lawyers | Supplemental |
| 23-1012.00 | role-23-1012-00 | Judicial Law Clerks | Supplemental |

## Career Clusters

| Cluster | Slug |
| --- | --- |
| Public Service & Safety | public-service-safety |

## Education Level

- **Category:** Associate's degree

## Study Programs

| Title | Slug |
| --- | --- |
| Legal Professions and Studies | legal-professions-and-studies |

## Market

- **Median Wage:** 61010
- **Mean Wage:** 66510
- **Pct10Wage:** 39710
- **Pct25Wage:** 48190
- **Pct75Wage:** 78280
- **Pct90Wage:** 98990
- **Employment:** 367220
- **Area Title:** U.S.

## Industries


### Top

| Naics | Slug | Title | Level | Employment | Median Wage | Lq |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 54 | 54 | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | Sector | 286280 | 59890 | 11.16 |
| 52 | 52 | Finance and Insurance | Sector | 11010 | 76960 | 0.74 |
| 55 | 55 | Management of Companies and Enterprises | Sector | 7100 | 87490 | 1.06 |
| 56 | 56 | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | Sector | 4450 | 63790 | 0.21 |
| 62 | 62 | Health Care and Social Assistance | Sector | 2370 | 58170 | 0.04 |
| 51 | 51 | Information | Sector | 1730 | 98080 | 0.25 |
| 81 | 81 | Other Services (except Public Administration) | Sector | 1630 | 62580 | 0.15 |
| 53 | 53 | Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | Sector | 1530 | 83910 | 0.27 |
| 561320 | 561320 | Temporary Help Services | National industry | 1290 | 58650 | 0.2 |
| 524210 | 524210 | Insurance Agencies and Brokerages | National industry | 1100 | 78680 | 0.47 |
| 31-33 | 31-33 | Manufacturing | Sector | 1060 | 90660 | 0.03 |
| 61 | 61 | Educational Services | Sector | 970 | 66170 | 0.03 |

### Concentrated

| Naics | Slug | Title | Level | Employment | Lq |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 54 | 54 | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | Sector | 286280 | 11.16 |
| 55 | 55 | Management of Companies and Enterprises | Sector | 7100 | 1.06 |
| 52 | 52 | Finance and Insurance | Sector | 11010 | 0.74 |
| 524210 | 524210 | Insurance Agencies and Brokerages | National industry | 1100 | 0.47 |
| 524114 | 524114 | Direct Health and Medical Insurance Carriers | National industry | 470 | 0.44 |
| 53 | 53 | Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | Sector | 1530 | 0.27 |
| 51 | 51 | Information | Sector | 1730 | 0.25 |
| 56 | 56 | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | Sector | 4450 | 0.21 |
- **Count:** 28

## Ai Signals

| Source | Label | Score | Scale | Release |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| frey_osborne | Computerization probability | 0.94 | 0-1 probability | 2013-baseline-2016-employment-snapshot |
| felten_aioe | AI occupational exposure | 1.292055 | relative exposure score | 2021-plus-generative-ai-workbooks |
| felten_image_generation_aioe | Image generation occupational exposure | 1.015922 | relative exposure score | 2021-plus-generative-ai-workbooks |
| felten_language_modeling_aioe | Language modeling occupational exposure | 1.332659 | relative exposure score | 2021-plus-generative-ai-workbooks |

## Ai Outlook


### Index

- **Value:** 57
- **Percentile:** 56
- **Band:** Moderate
- **Version:** ai-exposure-index-v1

#### Components

| Percentile | Source |
| --- | --- |
| 86 | felten_aioe |
| 71 | openai_gpts_are_gpts |
| 13 | microsoft_working_with_ai |
- **Component Count:** 3

### Exposure

| Source | Label | Value | Percentile | Band | Note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| felten_aioe | Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) | 1.292055 | 86 | High | How much this job's abilities overlap with what AI systems can do, across many AI capabilities. A relative research score, not a forecast of job loss. |
| eloundou_gamma | LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) | 0.8500000000000001 | 71 | High | Share of this job's tasks where a large language model plus simple tools could cut the time to do them by at least half. γ is capped at 1.0 and many jobs reach that ceiling, so treat a top score as 'in the top group', not a precise rank. |
| microsoft_applicability | AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) | 0.05712267912117036 | 13 | Low | How applicable today's AI assistants are to this job's activities, measured from real Microsoft Copilot conversations. Applicability is not the same as replacement. |

### Frey Historical

- **Source:** frey
- **Label:** Computerization probability (Frey & Osborne, 2013)
- **Value:** 0.94
- **Percentile:** 86
- **Band:** High
- **Note:** A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
- **Teleworkable:** yes

### Eloundou

- **Alpha:** 0.2
- **Beta:** 0.525
- **Gamma:** 0.8500000000000001

### Usage Tasks

| Task | Usage Percent | Importance |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Gather and analyze research data, such as statutes, decisions, and legal articles, codes, and documents. | 0.0030812336437847413 | 3.89 |
- **Usage Release:** 2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2

### Bls

- **Growth Percent:** 0.2
- **Growth Percentile:** 27
- **Direction:** About average
- **Annual Openings Thousands:** 39.3
- **Annual Openings Percentile:** 87
- **Employment2024Thousands:** 376.2
- **Employment2034Thousands:** 376.8

### Sources

| Source | Version |
| --- | --- |
| bls_employment_projections | 2024-2034 |
| dingel_neiman | dingel-neiman-workathome |
| felten_aioe | felten-raj-seamans-aioe |
| frey_osborne | frey-osborne-automation |
| microsoft_working_with_ai | working-with-ai |
| openai_gpts_are_gpts | gpts-are-gpts |

## Ai Playbook

- **Trusted Task Count:** 3
- **Task Count:** 3
- **Total Sample:** 621
- **Autonomy Median:** 3
- **Dominant Collaboration:** task iteration
- **Automation Share:** 40.42
- **Augmentation Share:** 51.85
- **Work Use Percent:** 73.43

### Collaboration

| Label | Percent |
| --- | --- |
| task iteration | 49.11 |
| directive | 40.42 |
| validation | 2.74 |

### Use Case

| Label | Percent |
| --- | --- |
| work | 73.43 |
| personal | 20.93 |
| coursework | 5.64 |

### Delegated Tasks

| Task | Usage Percent | Collaboration | Autonomy Median | Sample Count |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Prepare legal documents, including briefs, pleadings, appeals, wills, contracts, and real estate closing statements. | 0.04650581322665333 | task iteration | 3 | 465 |
| Gather and analyze research data, such as statutes, decisions, and legal articles, codes, and documents. | 0.007900987623452932 | directive | 3 | 79 |
| Prepare affidavits or other documents, such as legal correspondence, and organize and maintain documents in paper or electronic filing system. | 0.0077009626203275415 | directive | 3 | 77 |

### Boundary Tasks

| Task | Human Needed Percent | Sample Count |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Prepare affidavits or other documents, such as legal correspondence, and organize and maintain documents in paper or electronic filing system. | 90.9090909090909 | 77 |
| Gather and analyze research data, such as statutes, decisions, and legal articles, codes, and documents. | 88.60759493670885 | 79 |
| Prepare legal documents, including briefs, pleadings, appeals, wills, contracts, and real estate closing statements. | 80.43010752688173 | 465 |

### Seed Prompts

| Prompt | Collaboration |
| --- | --- |
| Let's work through this together, step by step: prepare legal documents, including briefs, pleadings, appeals, wills, contracts, and real estate closing statements. I'll give feedback as we go. | task iteration |
| Do this for me: gather and analyze research data, such as statutes, decisions, and legal articles, codes, and documents. Give me a finished draft I can review and adjust. | directive |
| Do this for me: prepare affidavits or other documents, such as legal correspondence, and organize and maintain documents in paper or electronic filing system. Give me a finished draft I can review and adjust. | directive |
- **Release:** 2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2

## Counts

- **Tasks:** 12
- **Skills:** 52
- **Capabilities:** 120
- **Tools:** 97
- **Related Roles:** 20

## Source

- **Dataset:** gold.onet_role_starter_surface
- **Version:** 30.3
- **Generated At:** 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00
- **Content Hash:** 0991f917e6fe844f