How To Become A Legal Administrator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a legal administrator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Frank Alcock Ph.D.,

Jennifer Brobst

Legal administrators provide administrative functions and support for lawyers and paralegals of a legal establishment. It is your responsibility to transcribe and proofread legal documents. You will also process invoices, schedule court hearings as well as client meetings.

Legal administrators greet visitors, answer phone calls, carry out legal research, interact with solicitors and manage schedules. You are also responsible for the supervision of other members of the administrative staff, order of supplies, and oversee office arrangements.

The minimum educational requirement for this ole is a diploma in administrative studies or other related fields. Familiarity with legal terminologies and processes is a key requirement.

As a legal administrator, you are required to be very organized, professional, and courteous. You should be a good team player, be able to multitask and prioritize. Proficiency with word processing software like Microsoft Office is also an essential skill. The average annual salary of legal administrators is $53,752.

What general advice would you give to a legal administrator?

Frank Alcock Ph.D.

Director of Academic Initiatives and Special Projects, Professor of Political Science and Environmental Studies, New College of Florida

You're just beginning on what will hopefully be a long and rewarding journey. Career paths are less stable and more turbulent than they were a decade ago, so understand this at the outset. You may find yourself moving into a well-defined career path that you enjoy and that's great. But professional versatility is becoming an increasingly important asset. Versatility will build over time as you cultivate more skills and experiences. Lifelong learning will continue to be indispensable so always look for opportunities to learn from your setbacks as well as your successes. And embrace your future. It won't be boring.

ScoreLegal AdministratorUS Average

Salary

3.7

Avg. Salary $47,198

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.0

Growth rate 14%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.40%

Asian 5.66%

Black or African American 9.02%

Hispanic or Latino 20.32%

Unknown 4.81%

White 59.78%

Gender

female 71.81%

male 28.19%

Age - 47

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 - 47

Stress level

7.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.5

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.3

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a legal administrator

Explore legal administrator education requirements

Most common legal administrator degrees

Bachelor's

55.2 %

Associate

19.7 %

Master's

9.1 %

Start to develop specific legal administrator skills

Skills	Percentages
Veterans	10.40%
Litigation	10.35%
PowerPoint	6.11%
Law Firm	4.82%
Legal Research	4.63%

Complete relevant legal administrator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New legal administrators 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 legal administrator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real legal administrator resumes.

Gain additional legal administrator certifications

Legal administrator certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific legal administrator certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for legal administrators include Certified Paralegal/Certified Legal Assistant (CP/CLA) and Professional Legal Secretary (PLS).

More About Certifications

Research legal administrator duties and responsibilities

Prepare and distribute payroll manage daily office operations and equipment and maintain supplies for office to run effectively.
Provide information regarding the rules and regulations of the DMV.
Proofread legal applications to ensure that all information have been properly submit.
Prepare probate and estate documents, accounting statements, and estate tax returns.

Prepare your legal administrator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your legal administrator 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 legal administrator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable legal administrator resume templates

Build a professional legal administrator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your legal administrator resume.