Career Explorer Law
Changing shape
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.
Among the careers AI is changing fastest: more resilient than 11% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is high (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it high), and US jobs are projected to change by -0.3% by 2035, expected to shrink.
AI can do many of the tasks, and hiring is expected to grow slower than average or to shrink. The job is likely to change, so build the human parts of it.
- Median pay (2025)
- $62,890
- Job growth to 2035
- -0.3%
- Openings a year
- 40,800
- People doing it (2025)
- 405,000
- Usual route in
- Associate's degree
Where people already use AI for this work
- Consult legal materials or public records
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Prepare legal or regulatory documents
- Discuss legal matters with clients, disputants, or legal professionals or staff
- Direct legal activities
What the work looks like
- 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.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects
- Fewer of these jobs, as tasks such as conducting research and preparing documents are increasingly automated via technology including artificial intelligence (AI), reducing the need for these workers.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Accountants and auditorsGrows with AI, Index 14, +5.0%
- Legal support workers, all otherChanging shape, Index 16, -0.3%
- Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialistsGrows with AI, Index 27, +6.0%
- Civil engineering technologists and techniciansChanging shape, Index 17, +3.2%
Also known as: Legal Assistant, Legal Clerk, Paralegal, Paralegal Specialist, Immigration Paralegal, Law Associate, Legal Analyst, Legal Processing Assistant.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.