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Paralegals and Legal Assistants

In the Paralegals and Legal Assistants occupation, workers assist lawyers by investigating facts, preparing legal documents, or researching legal precedent. The job can ask you to prepare affidavits or other documents, such as legal correspondence, and organize and maintain documents in paper or electronic filing system. With a code of CIE, this is mostly a job for people drawn to orderly work with data, records and clear procedures. Investigative interests also help, rated 5.0 out of 7. Plan on one or two years of vocational training, an apprenticeship or an associate’s degree; O*NET labels this medium preparation. Strength in writing, reading comprehension, and active listening helps most here. If you want orderly work with data, records and clear procedures, keep it on your list. If you need hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world, it may feel thin.

What they do

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.

Main tasks

  • 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.

Skills

  • Writing
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Active Listening
  • Speaking
  • Critical Thinking
  • Time Management

Who this career fits

May suit you if

  • You like clear rules and getting the details right.
  • You enjoy working out why something happens, not just what happened.
  • You are willing to put in a year or two of focused training.
  • You are comfortable relying on writing and reading comprehension.

May not suit you if

  • You get restless with routine, records and exact procedures.
  • You want to work with your hands for most of the day. Realistic rates 1.7 out of 7 here.
  • You need to start within a few months, with no training period.

Interest profile

O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code CIE takes the three highest, and Conventional comes first here.

Preparation

Medium preparation. Expect vocational school, an apprenticeship, related experience or an associate’s degree, usually one or two years in total.

Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: Bachelor's Degree. This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.

Also called

  • Immigration Paralegal
  • Law Associate
  • Legal Analyst
  • Legal Assistant
  • Legal Clerk

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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.