Legal
A paralegal performs substantive legal tasks, such as research, drafting and case preparation, under the supervision of an attorney. The role extends a legal team’s capacity at lower cost than attorney time while keeping work product consistent and on schedule.
Median pay
$62,890a year
Paralegals and legal assistants, U.S. BLS, May 2025
The role
Employers hire paralegals when attorneys spend billable hours on tasks that a trained assistant can handle, or when matter volume exceeds current legal support.
Typical responsibilities
Core skills
Tools and systems
Related titles
Typical background
Paralegal certificate or associate or bachelor's degree, plus one to five years in the relevant practice area.
At a glance
The essentials for planning the hire: level, background, how you can hire and what the role typically pays.
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FAQ
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A paralegal performs substantive legal tasks, such as research, drafting and case preparation, under the supervision of an attorney. The role extends a legal team’s capacity at lower cost than attorney time while keeping work product consistent and on schedule. Typical responsibilities include: conduct legal research and summarize findings for attorneys; draft correspondence, agreements and court documents for review; interview clients and witnesses and gather case information.
Look for legal research, legal drafting, case preparation, document management, client intake and organization. Experience with Westlaw, LexisNexis, Clio, Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat is common in this role.
Yes. A paralegal is one of the roles employers most often hire on contract, for projects, busy periods, leave cover and vacancies. Contract-to-hire is also an option if you want to work together before making a permanent offer.
Not always by law, but most employers want formal training such as a paralegal certificate or degree, and some prefer ABA-approved programs. Experience in your practice area often matters more than the credential for experienced hires.
Paralegals cannot give legal advice, represent clients in court or set fees, since those tasks are reserved for licensed attorneys. They can do substantive work under attorney supervision, and the attorney remains responsible for the final work product.
Related roles
Every role in the practice is recruited by the same specialist team.
