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Attorney's assistant education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an attorney's assistant. Attorney's assistants usually study law, business, or criminal justice. 49% of attorney's assistants hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 2,003 real attorney's assistant resumes to see exactly what attorney's assistant education sections show.

The most common colleges for attorney's assistants are the Miami Dade College and the Miami Dade College.

There are also many online attorney's assistant courses to help get the education required to be an attorney's assistant.

There are certain attorney's assistant certifications that you should consider. These attorney's assistant certifications include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Medical Assistant.

What education do you need to become an attorney's assistant?

What degree do you need to be an attorney's assistant?

The most common degree for attorney's assistants is bachelor's degree, with 49% of attorney's assistants earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 17% and associate degree degree at 12%.
  • Bachelor's, 49%
  • Associate, 17%
  • Doctorate, 12%
  • High School Diploma, 9%
  • Other Degrees, 13%

What should I major in to become an attorney's assistant?

You should major in law to become an attorney's assistant. 18% of attorney's assistants major in law. Other common majors for an attorney's assistant include business and criminal justice.

Most common colleges for attorney's assistants

Attorney's assistants often get their degrees at Miami Dade College, University of Maryland - College Park, and University of Phoenix. Here are the most common colleges for attorney's assistants in the US based on their resumes.
Attorney's assistant common collegePercentages
Miami Dade College7.20%
University of Maryland - College Park6.40%
University of Phoenix6.40%
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey6.40%
Baruch College of the City University of New York5.60%

Best majors for attorney's assistants

RankMajorPercentages
1Law18.4%
2Business15.1%
3Criminal Justice11.2%
4Political Science9.1%
5Legal Support Services6.9%

Best colleges for attorney's assistants

The best colleges for attorney's assistants are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

An attorney's assistant with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for attorney's assistants. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become attorney's assistants.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Texas Wesleyan University

Fort Worth, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$30,300

Enrollment

1,445

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

6. Hamline University

Saint Paul, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$41,290

Enrollment

2,077

7. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

8. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,230

Enrollment

12,161

9. Touro College

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$19,870

Enrollment

5,243

10. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

20 best online courses for attorney's assistants

Advertising disclosure

1. Cloud Computing Law: Data Protection and Cybersecurity

coursera

Vast amounts of personal information are processed in the cloud. But who is legally responsible for such ‘personal data’ in cloud environments? What duties do cloud providers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google have? And what rights can you, as an individual, exercise under data protection law? If you’d like to find out, then this course is for you! First, we’ll look at how the European Union’s ‘General Data Protection Regulation’ (‘GDPR’) regulates the processing of personal data in cloud...

2. A Law Student's Toolkit

coursera

Whether you are an advanced law student looking to review the basics, or an aspiring law student looking for head start, this course will help you build the foundation you will need to succeed in law school and beyond. This course will introduce you to terminology, concepts, and tools lawyers and legal academics use to make their arguments. It will help you follow these arguments—and make arguments of your own. This course consists of a series of short lectures and assignments. A reading list...

3. Effective Legal Office Administration

udemy
4.5
(1,067)

Effective Legal Office Administration...

4. Company Law: A Comprehensive Summary

udemy
4.6
(250)

An in-depth summary of Company Law, targeting all common law LL.B examinations...

5. International Law in Action: A Guide to the International Courts and Tribunals in The Hague

coursera

International Law in Action explains the functions of each international court and tribunal present in The Hague, and it looks at how these institutions address contemporary problems. On the basis of selected cases, and through interviews with judges and lawyers, you will explore the role of these courts and tribunals and their potential to contribute to global justice. The first module of the course will investigate how judicial settlement is different from other more political forms of...

6. Privacy Law and Data Protection

coursera

What does it take to comply with privacy laws? In this course, we’ll look at the practical aspects of navigating the complex landscape of privacy requirements. Better understanding privacy laws and data protection will enable you to protect your organization and the constituents that depend on your organization to safeguard their personal information. First, we will examine the historical context that drove the creation of laws, best practices, and other standards for protecting personal...

7. English for Business and Law - Contract Law

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4.5
(552)

An English language course for business and law...

8. Executive Assistants: Manage Client's GCal (Beginners)

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4.6
(917)

Google Calendar (2018) Setup, Strategies and Scripts...

9. Introduction to International Criminal Law

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-- About the Course -- From the Nuremberg trial to the case against Saddam Hussein, from the prosecution of Al-Qaeda terrorists to the trial of Somali pirates – no area of law is as important to world peace and security as international criminal law. Taught by one of the world’s leading experts in the field, this course will educate students about the fundamentals of international criminal law and policy. We will explore the contours of international crimes such as genocide, war crimes,...

10. The Guide To Office & Industrial Real Estate Investing

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How To Analyze Office and Industrial Real Estate Investments For Smarter Investing...

11. Criminal Law in 120 Minutes: A Fast Track Course

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4.6
(414)

A 2 hour fast track summary of Criminal Law, targeting all common law LL.B examinations!...

12. Law: A Comprehensive Summary for LLB Students

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4.2
(253)

An essential 24 hours of Video Lectures, Spider Graphs and Case Summaries made to guide LLB students preparing for exams...

13. Employment Law Compliance Made Easy

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4.7
(1,575)

A comprehensive course for management to understand key employment law issues in the workplace...

14. Becoming an Executive Personal Assistant

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4.2
(282)

Learn how to be an effective personal assistant, and find out how to develop the skills for the role...

15. Law of Contracts in 60 Minutes: A Fast Track Course

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4
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A 60 minute fast track summary of the Law of Contracts, targeting all common law LL.B examinations!...

16. Commercial Real Estate Investing 101

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The Comprehensive Beginner's Guide to Apartment, Retail, Office, and Industrial Real Estate Investing...

17. Social Media Monitoring and Privacy Law

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Learn to monitor social networks without violating privacy rights in this course on lawful social media surveillance...

18. Legal English

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4.5
(1,299)

Legal language and communication skills...

19. Virtual Transaction Coordinator for Real Estate Agents

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(630)

Build a Team, Delegate Tasks, Monitor Results Remotely & Deliver Extraordinary Service to Clients by Using Google Docs...

20. How to Manifest Using The Law of Attraction Certification

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(909)

Attract happiness & prosperity with Melissa's Law of Attraction course! Receive a Manifesting Practitioner Certificate...

Top 10 most affordable universities for attorney's assistants

The most affordable schools for attorney's assistants are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for attorney's assistants are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for attorney's assistants.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

4. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

5. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

6. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

9. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Cost of attendance

25,275

10. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for attorney's assistants

The hardest universities for attorney's assistants to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

Some great schools for attorney's assistants are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for attorney's assistants based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

6. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

7. University of Richmond

University of Richmond, VA • Private

Admissions rate

30%

SAT average

1,401

8. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

9. University of Tulsa

Tulsa, OK • Private

Admissions rate

41%

SAT average

1,321

10. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for attorney's assistants

The easiest schools for attorney's assistants to get into are Wayland Baptist University, barry university, and university of north texas at dallas.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an attorney's assistant without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for attorney's assistants.

1. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

4. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

5. Manor College

Jenkintown, PA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

898

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Thomas More University

Crestview Hills, KY • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,099

8. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

9. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

10. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

Average attorney's assistant salary by education level

Attorney's assistants with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $61,628 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, attorney's assistants earn a median annual income of $58,730 compared to $58,211 for attorney's assistants with an Master's degree.
Attorney's assistant education levelAttorney's assistant salary
Master's Degree$58,211
High School Diploma or Less$51,571
Bachelor's Degree$58,730
Doctorate Degree$61,628
Some College/ Associate Degree$53,095

Attorney's assistant education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.