How To Become A Document Review Attorney: What It Is and Career Path

What is a document review attorney and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Charity Rohlfs J.D.

If you're looking to find your niche as a lawyer or would just like some side work, becoming a document review attorney may be the perfect avenue for you to pursue. As a document review attorney, your primary task is to evaluate, review, and code documents for other lawyers.

If you choose to work in this field, you'll find yourself examining documents and records for cases with a high volume of papers from discovery. You'll need to ensure that all pertinent information that needs to be processed for use in court is highlighted. You'll also need to be fast yet efficient and accurate since an incorrectly marked document could jeopardize a legal case.

Law firms generally hire document review attorneys on a contract basis. Some projects could last only weeks, while others could last an entire year. Therefore, this type of work offers great flexibility for both new and experienced attorneys to practice law while earning some extra income. To work in this field, you will need a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree and License to practice law. Experience with document review workflows and proficiency with eDiscovery software is also helpful.

What general advice would you give to a Document Review Attorney?

Charity Rohlfs J.D.

Associate Professor of Paralegal Studies, Website

Find a mentor and be involved with your local legal associations. Porter Gale said, “your network is your net worth.” And, I couldn’t agree more! As a new paralegal, legal operations specialist, or attorney, growing your network helps in all aspects of your career. You will gain new skills, increase your business development ability, engage in meaningful volunteering opportunities, and truly find an area of law you want to specialize in.

ScoreDocument Review AttorneyUS Average

Salary

6.3

Avg. Salary $81,181

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

10.0

Growth Rate 10%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.31%

Asian 6.40%

Black or African American 5.57%

Hispanic or Latino 7.80%

Unknown 4.38%

White 75.55%

Gender

female 43.34%

male 56.66%

Age - 45

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 45

Stress Level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

10.0

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.9

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a document review attorney

Explore document review attorney education requirements

Most common document review attorney degrees

Doctorate

59.9 %

Bachelor's

32.0 %

Master's

6.1 %

Start to develop specific document review attorney skills

Skills	Percentages
Litigation	32.10%
Complex Litigation	6.80%
E-Discovery Software	6.31%
Law Firm	5.69%
QC	4.92%

Complete relevant document review attorney training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New document review attorneys learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a document review attorney based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real document review attorney resumes.

Research document review attorney duties and responsibilities

Advise client in requirements to achieve and maintain critical FCPA compliance.
Manage privilege log development (including extensive line drafting) and final production processes consistent with technical litigation requirements.
Complete electronic discovery review and analyze whether the documents are responsive, privilege or non responsive for pending products liability litigation
Draft claims of invalidity, injunctions, and appeals.

Prepare your document review attorney resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your document review attorney resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a document review attorney resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

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