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Best Jobs For Former Legal Assistants [2026]

By Chris Kolmar
Jul. 13, 2022
Last Modified and Fact Checked on:

Best Jobs for Former Legal Assistants in 2026

As we transition into 2026, the legal assistant profession continues to face significant challenges. Many legal assistants are reassessing their career paths, leading to a decline in confidence within the field. Although enrollment in programs designed for legal assistants remains steady, the number of individuals pursuing this occupation has seen a noticeable drop, leaving many wondering about their next steps.

With a growing number of legal assistants exploring new career opportunities, a pressing question arises:

What paths are they taking after leaving the legal profession?

To find out, we analyzed the resumes of former legal assistants to identify the top jobs they transitioned into. We examined thousands of responses and compiled a list of the most common career moves, narrowing it down to the top 100 positions.

Some of the results were quite surprising, prompting us to highlight a selection of these intriguing career options.

  1. Paralegal Jobs

  2. Attorney Jobs

  3. Law Clerk Jobs

  4. Litigation Paralegal Jobs

  5. Associate Attorney Jobs

  6. Senior Paralegal Jobs

  7. Paralegal/Office Manager Jobs

  8. Office Administrator Jobs

  9. Contract Attorney Jobs

  10. Contracts Administrator Jobs

While some of these career options may be more appealing than others, they certainly stand out as noteworthy choices for those transitioning from legal assistance.

The complete list of potential job positions is provided below.

Rank Job Title %
1 Paralegal 5.94%
2 Administrative Assistant 4.46%
3 Legal Secretary 1.95%
4 Office Manager 1.74%
5 Customer Service Representative 1.39%
6 Attorney 1.20%
7 Executive Assistant 1.19%
8 Law Clerk 1.18%
9 Litigation Paralegal 1.14%
10 Internship 1.05%
11 Associate 0.89%
12 Sales Associate 0.87%
13 Legal Extern 0.79%
14 Associate Attorney 0.75%
15 Case Manager 0.65%
16 Office Assistant 0.64%
17 Receptionist 0.61%
18 Volunteer 0.57%
19 Senior Paralegal 0.55%
20 Substitute Teacher 0.50%
21 Assistant Manager 0.44%
22 Paralegal/Office Manager 0.43%
23 Research Assistant 0.43%
24 Office Administrator 0.42%
25 Teacher 0.41%
26 Coordinator 0.38%
27 Manager 0.38%
28 Project Manager 0.38%
29 Secretary 0.37%
30 Server 0.37%
31 Human Resources Coordinator 0.36%
32 Cashier 0.36%
33 Owner 0.36%
34 Contract Attorney 0.35%
35 Assistant Office Manager 0.34%
36 Consultant 0.34%
37 Specialist 0.32%
38 Assistant 0.32%
39 Contracts Administrator 0.31%
40 Executive Legal Assistant 0.30%
41 Executive Administrative Assistant 0.29%
42 Legal Secretary/Paralegal 0.29%
43 Sales Representative 0.29%
44 Operations Manager 0.28%
45 Team Leader 0.28%
46 Contractor-Paralegal 0.27%
47 Analyst 0.27%
48 Project Coordinator 0.25%
49 Corporate Paralegal 0.24%
50 Account Manager 0.23%
51 Administrator 0.23%
52 Supervisor 0.22%
53 General Counsel 0.19%
54 Recruiter 0.19%
55 General Manager 0.19%
56 Office Manager and Legal Assistant 0.19%
57 Human Resources Assistant 0.18%
58 Staff Attorney 0.18%
59 Owner/Operator 0.17%
60 Real Estate Paralegal 0.17%
61 Program Coordinator 0.17%
62 Senior Administrative Assistant 0.17%
63 Paralegal Specialist 0.16%
64 Clerk 0.16%
65 Marketing Coordinator 0.16%
66 Bankruptcy Paralegal 0.16%
67 Accounts Payable Clerk 0.16%
68 Executive Assistant to CEO 0.16%
69 Vice President 0.16%
70 Billing Specialist 0.16%
71 Account Executive 0.16%
72 Personal Assistant 0.16%
73 Student Attorney 0.15%
74 Senior Legal Assistant 0.15%
75 Document Reviewer 0.15%
76 Writer and Editor 0.15%
77 Business Analyst 0.15%
78 Processor 0.15%
79 Claim Processor 0.15%
80 Store Manager 0.14%
81 Medical Assistant 0.14%
82 Administrative Specialist 0.14%
83 Property Manager 0.14%
84 Customer Service Trainer 0.14%
85 Administrative Coordinator 0.14%
86 Compliance Analyst 0.14%
87 Contracts Manager 0.14%
88 File Clerk 0.14%
89 Attorney at Law 0.13%
90 Teller 0.13%
91 Marketing Manager 0.13%
92 Customer Service Specialist 0.13%
93 Human Resources Manager 0.13%
94 Business Manager 0.13%
95 Partner 0.12%
96 Front Desk Receptionist 0.12%
97 Pharmacist Technician 0.12%
98 Litigation Legal Assistant 0.12%
99 Sales Consultant 0.12%
100 Compliance Specialist 0.12%

  1. Paralegal

  2. Administrative Assistant

  3. Legal Secretary

  4. Office Manager

  5. Customer Service Representative

  6. Attorney

  7. Executive Assistant

  8. Law Clerk

  9. Litigation Paralegal

  10. Internship

These roles not only leverage skills developed as a legal assistant but also serve as stepping stones to diverse career trajectories. However, the reality is that these positions are largely what many former legal assistants are expected to pursue.

Utilizing resume data from our extensive database of over 7 million records, we analyzed resumes that featured legal assistant in their employment history. By examining which roles appeared most frequently following their time as legal assistants, we created an initial ranked list of job transitions.

To identify the most interesting job opportunities, we sifted through the ranked list to find positions that:

  • Appeared in fewer than 1% of all new jobs
  • Were not included in the 100 most common jobs from our database

In summary, the landscape for former legal assistants has evolved significantly, and the options available now reflect a broader range of career paths. As you consider your next steps, remember that many of these roles can utilize your existing skills while opening doors to new opportunities.

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

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