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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.

U.S. Workers

367,220

Median Salary

$61,010

10-Year Growth

+0.2%

Annual Openings

39,300

Typical entry: Associate's degree

Minimal RiskImminent Risk72%HIGH

12 of 12 tasks have some AI capability

Exposure Trend

Mar71.79%Apr71.79%May71.79%Jun71.79%

This score reflects estimated AI technical capability for tasks in this occupation. It does not predict employment changes, and it does not account for company-specific constraints, regulation, or adoption barriers.

Fully Automatable (5)

AI could handle these end-to-end

Prepare affidavits or other documents, such as legal correspondence, and organize and maintain documents in paper or electronic filing system.

AI: Fully automatable - AI can reliably prepare affidavits and legal correspondence and automate organization and maintenance of electronic and digitized filing systems.

imp: 4.3

Prepare for trial by performing tasks such as organizing exhibits.

AI: Fully automatable - Preparing for trial tasks like organizing exhibits and assembling documents are highly automatable and well within AI capabilities in 2025.

imp: 4.0

File pleadings with court clerk.

AI: Fully automatable - E-filing is a routine, rules-driven process that AI/software can prepare and submit automatically where electronic court systems and authorized credentials are available.

imp: 3.8

Gather and analyze research data, such as statutes, decisions, and legal articles, codes, and documents.

AI: Fully automatable - By 2025 AI systems can comprehensively gather, search, synthesize, and analyze statutes, cases, and legal secondary sources with high accuracy, though final human verification is often recommended.

imp: 3.7

Keep and monitor legal volumes to ensure that law library is up-to-date.

AI: Fully automatable - Monitoring collections, tracking updates to legal volumes and databases, and managing library inventory are routine, rule-based tasks that AI can fully automate.

imp: 3.1

Human in the Loop (7)

AI could assist, human oversight required

Prepare legal documents, including briefs, pleadings, appeals, wills, contracts, and real estate closing statements.

AI: Partial - AI can draft briefs, pleadings, wills, contracts, and closing documents to a high standard, but complex legal judgment, local rules, and ethical oversight usually require human review.

imp: 4.2

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.

AI: Partial - AI can perform extensive legal research and open-source fact-finding, but cannot fully replicate investigative tasks requiring physical evidence collection, witness interviews, or access to restricted records.

imp: 3.9

Meet with clients and other professionals to discuss details of case.

AI: Partial - AI can conduct intake interviews, gather and summarize case details, and facilitate virtual meetings, but it lacks the human trust, legal authority, and nuanced judgment required for fully replacing in-person client/professional interactions.

imp: 3.9

Direct and coordinate law office activity, including delivery of subpoenas.

AI: Partial - AI can coordinate schedules, allocate tasks, generate and manage subpoena paperwork, and track workflows, but it cannot perform physical service of subpoenas or fully replace human managerial and discretionary functions.

imp: 3.7

Call upon witnesses to testify at hearing.

AI: Partial - AI can contact, notify, and schedule witnesses and issue digital summonses, but it cannot compel testimony or perform the in-person courtroom actions and discretionary management often required.

imp: 3.4

Arbitrate disputes between parties and assist in the real estate closing process, such as by reviewing title searches.

AI: Partial - AI can review title searches and assist heavily in closing processes, but acting as an arbitrator is a legal/ethical role that generally requires human authority and judgment.

imp: 3.2

Appraise and inventory real and personal property for estate planning.

AI: Partial - AI can assemble inventories and produce valuation estimates from market data, but legally recognized property appraisals for estate planning usually require on-site inspection and licensed appraisers' certification.

imp: 2.3

Skills for this role (35)

Reading ComprehensionEssentialActive ListeningCoreWritingCoreSpeakingCoreCritical ThinkingCoreActive LearningCoreComplex Problem SolvingCoreTime ManagementCoreJudgment and Decision MakingCoreMonitoringCore
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