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.
- O*NET-SOC code
23-2011.00 - Preparation Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$62,890
Employment, U.S.392,880
Median hourly wage$30.24
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $44,740 | $50,340 | $62,890 | $80,080 | $101,500 |
By state (51)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 5,700 | $47,260 | 1.07 |
| Alaska | 570 | $68,700 | 0.69 |
| Arizona | 7,890 | $61,630 | 0.96 |
| Arkansas | 1,610 | $47,420 | 0.49 |
| California | 47,130 | $77,390 | 1.02 |
| Colorado | 5,620 | $78,190 | 0.77 |
| Connecticut | 5,210 | $63,820 | 1.21 |
| Delaware | 2,480 | $63,110 | 2.03 |
| District of Columbia | 6,400 | $89,750 | 3.61 |
| Florida | 40,950 | $61,000 | 1.63 |
| Georgia | 14,160 | $62,400 | 1.15 |
| Hawaii | 1,170 | $62,840 | 0.74 |
| Idaho | 2,030 | $49,690 | 0.94 |
| Illinois | 14,130 | $63,670 | 0.92 |
| Indiana | 5,910 | $57,030 | 0.73 |
| Iowa | 2,980 | $54,550 | 0.76 |
| Kansas | 2,210 | $55,000 | 0.61 |
| Kentucky | 3,540 | $59,830 | 0.70 |
| Louisiana | 4,890 | $60,250 | 1.00 |
| Maine | 1,210 | $62,420 | 0.75 |
| Maryland | 6,460 | $65,640 | 0.93 |
| Massachusetts | 7,800 | $77,640 | 0.85 |
| Michigan | 7,730 | $62,170 | 0.69 |
| Minnesota | 7,400 | $75,570 | 0.99 |
| Mississippi | 2,270 | $46,180 | 0.77 |
| Missouri | 7,130 | $61,410 | 0.96 |
| Montana | 1,010 | $57,290 | 0.78 |
| Nebraska | 1,630 | $63,250 | 0.63 |
| Nevada | 3,620 | $64,680 | 0.92 |
| New Hampshire | 1,430 | $62,040 | 0.83 |
| New Jersey | 12,010 | $71,500 | 1.11 |
| New Mexico | 1,740 | $59,840 | 0.79 |
| New York | 34,220 | $68,410 | 1.40 |
| North Carolina | 13,650 | $57,500 | 1.09 |
| North Dakota | 730 | $59,430 | 0.67 |
| Ohio | 9,270 | $60,420 | 0.66 |
| Oklahoma | 3,110 | $53,170 | 0.72 |
| Oregon | 4,870 | $61,490 | 0.98 |
| Pennsylvania | 14,670 | $63,370 | 0.96 |
| Rhode Island | 2,070 | $56,250 | 1.63 |
| South Carolina | 7,420 | $53,880 | 1.27 |
| South Dakota | 600 | $58,320 | 0.52 |
| Tennessee | 6,080 | $58,820 | 0.73 |
| Texas | 29,540 | $62,310 | 0.83 |
| Utah | 3,250 | $63,220 | 0.74 |
| Vermont | 660 | $67,160 | 0.86 |
| Virginia | 10,250 | $63,990 | 0.99 |
| Washington | 9,460 | $79,400 | 1.05 |
| West Virginia | 1,660 | $59,000 | 0.93 |
| Wisconsin | 4,780 | $58,500 | 0.64 |
| Wyoming | 600 | $49,490 | 0.84 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | 3 | 0.980 |
| 2 | Court, Municipal, and License Clerks | 1-2 | 0.971 |
| 3 | Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers | 1-2 | 0.963 |
| 4 | Loan Interviewers and Clerks | 3 | 0.959 |
| 5 | Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 1-2 | 0.957 |
| 6 | Correspondence Clerks | 1-2 | 0.957 |
| 7 | Compliance Managers | 4 | 0.954 |
| 8 | Private Detectives and Investigators | 3 | 0.954 |
| 9 | Customs Brokers | 3 | 0.952 |
| 10 | Bill and Account Collectors | 1-2 | 0.952 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Paralegals and Legal Assistants, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loan Interviewers and Clerks | Mathematics | 1.37 | 0.959 |
| Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents | Mathematics | 1.50 | 0.948 |
| Tax Preparers | Mathematics | 1.25 | 0.945 |
| Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs | Social Perceptiveness | 0.88 | 0.942 |
| Brokerage Clerks | Mathematics | 1.75 | 0.932 |
| Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks | Management of Personnel Resources | 1.12 | 0.921 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Paralegals and Legal Assistants, excluding software Paralegals and Legal Assistants already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Sage 50 Accounting | 6 of 20 | 6.6x |
| Filing system software | 3 of 20 | 34.6x |
| Microsoft Dynamics | 8 of 20 | 3.1x |
| Web conferencing software | 3 of 20 | 19.8x |
| Appointment scheduling software | 4 of 20 | 9.2x |
| Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS | 5 of 20 | 5.8x |
| Medical procedure coding software | 5 of 20 | 5.1x |
| ADP Workforce Now | 4 of 20 | 7.1x |
| Medical condition coding software | 4 of 20 | 4.6x |
| Evernote | 3 of 20 | 7.3x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Writing | Essential skill | 4.00 | 3.88 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 3.62 | 4.00 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.62 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.62 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 2.25 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 2.25 | 2.25 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 0.88 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 0.75 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 0.62 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Science | Essential skill | 1.38 | 0.50 |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Law and Government | 4.78 | 4.87 |
| English Language | 4.42 | 4.88 |
| Administrative | 4.16 | 5.36 |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.91 | 4.21 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.64 | 4.31 |
| Administration and Management | 3.31 | 3.89 |
| Mathematics | 2.61 | 2.81 |
| Education and Training | 2.56 | 2.84 |
| Economics and Accounting | 2.55 | 2.69 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.55 | 2.35 |
| Public Safety and Security | 2.29 | 1.83 |
| Telecommunications | 2.26 | 1.23 |
| Communications and Media | 2.17 | 2.03 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 2.14 | 0.97 |
| Psychology | 2.03 | 2.04 |
| Sales and Marketing | 2.01 | 1.88 |
| Biology | 1.85 | 1.12 |
| Geography | 1.70 | 1.35 |
| Transportation | 1.70 | 0.94 |
| Production and Processing | 1.69 | 0.92 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 1.67 | 1.07 |
| Engineering and Technology | 1.60 | 0.90 |
| History and Archeology | 1.54 | 1.01 |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.52 | 0.87 |
| Foreign Language | 1.45 | not rated |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.27 | not rated |
| Design | 1.20 | not rated |
| Physics | 1.20 | not rated |
| Chemistry | 1.18 | not rated |
| Mechanical | 1.14 | not rated |
| Building and Construction | 1.13 | not rated |
| Fine Arts | 1.10 | not rated |
| Food Production | 1.10 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Written Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Oral Expression | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Written Expression | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Near Vision | 3.75 | 4.62 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.75 | 3.75 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.75 | 3.25 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.50 | 3.00 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.25 | 3.00 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.25 | 3.00 |
| Information Ordering | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Perceptual Speed | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Selective Attention | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Far Vision | 2.75 | 3.00 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Originality | 2.62 | 2.88 |
| Memorization | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Time Sharing | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Number Facility | 2.00 | 2.25 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Visualization | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Auditory Attention | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Finger Dexterity | 2.00 | 1.38 |
| Trunk Strength | 1.88 | 1.25 |
| Manual Dexterity | 1.88 | 1.00 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 1.88 | 1.00 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 1.88 | 0.88 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Control Precision | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Dynamic Strength | 1.12 | not rated |
| Depth Perception | 1.00 | not rated |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
| Explosive Strength | 1.00 | not rated |
| Extent Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.00 | not rated |
| Gross Body Coordination | 1.00 | not rated |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 1.00 | not rated |
| Multilimb Coordination | 1.00 | not rated |
| Night Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Rate Control | 1.00 | not rated |
| Reaction Time | 1.00 | not rated |
| Response Orientation | 1.00 | not rated |
| Sound Localization | 1.00 | not rated |
| Spatial Orientation | 1.00 | not rated |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.00 | not rated |
| Stamina | 1.00 | not rated |
| Static Strength | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Microsoft Excel in demand
- Microsoft Office software in demand
- Microsoft Outlook in demand
- Microsoft PowerPoint in demand
- Microsoft Word in demand
- Orion Law Management Systems Orion in demand
- Thomson Reuters Westlaw in demand
- Adobe Acrobat hot
- Google Docs hot
- Google Workspace software hot
- Intuit QuickBooks hot
- Microsoft Access hot
- Microsoft Project hot
- Microsoft SharePoint hot
- Zoom hot
- AbacusNext HotDocs
- American LegalNet USCourtForms
- Appligent Citation FDFMerge
- Blumbeg Drafting Libraries
- Bowne JFS Litigator's Notebook
- Bridgeway eCounsel
- Case analysis software
- CaseSoft DepPrep
- CaseSoft TextMap
- CaseSoft TimeMap
- Computer access catalog software
- Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
- Corporate Focus Solium Shareworks
- Database software
- Dataflight Opticon
All 97
- Digital contract software
- Document management system software
- Dropbox
- Electronic discovery software
- Electronic transcription management software
- Fastcase legal software
- FindForms
- FindLaw Code of Federal Regulations CFR
- Fund Software ATIDS
- Google Drive
- IBM Notes
- Inmagic DB/TextWorks
- IntelliPDF CURVES
- Iron Mountain Accutrac records management software
- LawManager
- Legal document software
- LexisNexis
- LexisNexis Applied Discovery
- LexisNexis CaseMap
- LexisNexis CheckCite
- LexisNexis CodeMaster
- LexisNexis Company Analyzer
- LexisNexis Concordance
- LexisNexis CourtLink Strategic Profiles
- LexisNexis File and Serve
- LexisNexis SmartLinx
- LexisNexis Time Matters
- LexisNexis Total Search
- Litigation support software
- MicroStrategy
- Microsoft Publisher
- Microsoft SharePoint Server
- NetDocuments
- Nuance Power PDF
- OmniRIM Records Management Suite
- Online database search and retrieval software
- Online public records search software
- Online title search and property report software
- Optical character recognition OCR software
- Ovid SilverPlatter WebSPIRS
- PDF Snake Easy Bates
- Practice management software PMS
- ProForce Paralegal Pro-Pack
- Records management software
- Relational database software
- Relativity e-Discovery
- Saga Practice Manager
- Software Technology PracticeMaster
- Summation Blaze
- Sure Will Writer
- THOMAS Global Register
- Tax software
- The Sackett Group MacPac for Legal
- Thomson CompuMark SAEGIS
- Thomson Reuters LiveNote Stream
- Thomson Reuters Westlaw Edge
- Thomson West FindLaw
- Thomson West ProLaw
- TrialWorks
- Tumbleweed SecureTransport
- Uniscribe
- Web browser software
- Wilson's Computer Applications RealEasy Appraisals
- Zylab ZyImage
- a la mode WinTOTAL
- dtSearch
- iManage document management software
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 17,820 | 2.50 | $62,090 |
| Parkersburg-Vienna, WV | 200 | 2.17 | $76,400 |
| Cheyenne, WY | 250 | 2.05 | $48,260 |
| Montgomery, AL | 790 | 1.89 | $48,350 |
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA | 2,120 | 1.88 | $64,780 |
| Birmingham, AL | 2,420 | 1.84 | $53,160 |
| Charleston, WV | 480 | 1.84 | $54,780 |
| Santa Fe, NM | 280 | 1.81 | $60,320 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 6,630 | 1.81 | $60,150 |
| Columbia, SC | 1,790 | 1.80 | $57,220 |