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Legal administrator education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a legal administrator. Legal administrators usually study business, legal support services, or law. 55% of legal administrators hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 3,064 real legal administrator resumes to see exactly what legal administrator education sections show.

The most common colleges for legal administrators are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online legal administrator courses to help get the education required to be a legal administrator.

There are certain legal administrator certifications that you should consider. These legal administrator certifications include Certified Paralegal/Certified Legal Assistant (CP/CLA) and Professional Legal Secretary (PLS).

What education do you need to become a legal administrator?

What degree do you need to be a legal administrator?

The most common degree for legal administrators is bachelor's degree, with 55% of legal administrators earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 20% and associate degree degree at 9%.
  • Bachelor's, 55%
  • Associate, 20%
  • Master's, 9%
  • Doctorate, 6%
  • Other Degrees, 10%

What should I major in to become a legal administrator?

You should major in business to become a legal administrator. 26% of legal administrators major in business. Other common majors for a legal administrator include legal support services and law.

Most common colleges for legal administrators

Legal administrators often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, University of Maryland - College Park, and Strayer University. Here are the most common colleges for legal administrators in the US based on their resumes.
Legal administrator common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix17.62%
University of Maryland - College Park6.56%
Strayer University6.56%
Temple University5.74%
California State University - San Bernardino5.74%

Best majors for legal administrators

RankMajorPercentages
1Business26.0%
2Legal Support Services11.0%
3Law9.0%
4Criminal Justice8.7%
5Political Science7.1%

Best colleges for legal administrators

The best colleges for legal administrators are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A legal administrator with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for legal administrators. 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 legal administrators.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

4. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,226

Enrollment

31,568

5. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$54,104

Enrollment

7,089

6. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

7. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,230

Enrollment

12,161

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

9. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

10. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

20 best online courses for legal administrators

Advertising disclosure

1. Legal Aspects of Entrepreneurship

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By its nature, the law touches on many aspects of entrepreneurship, making it an applicable and versatile topic of study. For aspiring entrepreneurs, it's important to understand how to form the business, work with the initial customers, and hire. For active entrepreneurs, there are critical considerations on employment law, operating policies, and managing contracts. For everyone, the role that the law plays in managing the company, and its associated risks, must be properly understood to...

2. Artificial Intelligence and legal issues

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The purpose of the course is to help students understand the legal implications related to the design and use of artificial intelligence systems, providing an overview of the risks and legal protections that can be envisaged and giving an overview of the legislation and legal principles currently applicable on the subject. In particular, the profiles of civil and criminal liability, protection in terms of intellectual property and the impacts of AI on the fundamental rights of the individual -...

3. Effective Legal Office Administration

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4.5
(1,067)

Effective Legal Office Administration...

4. Cloud Security Course: Cloud Compliance, Audits,Legal issues

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4.4
(309)

For CCSK and CCSP Aspirants - Cloud Agreements/Contracts, Legal and Compliance Concepts...

5. Legal Tech and the Digital Transformation of Law

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The digital revolution changed the way we communicate and trade. Now, it is coming into the world of law. This program will give you a broad overview of the main trends that are affecting the legal industry: - The birth of the legal tech market and the application of technology in law. - The role of artificial intelligence in the automation of the work of lawyers. - Blockchain technology and its impact on the way we sign and execute contracts. - Initiatives to ensure access to justice through...

6. Legal English

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4.5
(1,299)

Legal language and communication skills...

7. Professional Diploma in Office Administration Management

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4.2
(632)

Principles of work of Office Administrator. Required hard and soft skills. Introduction to MS Office and banking area...

8. Legal Writing Master Class

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4.5
(258)

Learn with lawyers by learning the correct use of prepositions and articles, drafting contracts and writing letters...

9. Legal English Language Certificate (LELC) Level 1 - CPD

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4.5
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Learn from Lawyers - Learn the CORRECT use of articles, prepositions, legal terms & start writing your letter!...

10. Payroll Accounting: Laws, Calculations, and Journal Entries

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Master the complex world of payroll with practical examples, legislation insights, and comprehensive problems...

11. Payroll Management

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Use free UK payroll software to perform essential payroll management...

12. Operations Management: Supply Chains, Products and Services

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4.3
(833)

Master Supply Chain Management and Product and Service Development in Manufacturing and Service Organizations...

13. Learn Ethical Hacking By Hacking Real Websites Legally

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4.4
(1,045)

Fun way to learn ethical hacking by playing online hacking games - hacking real websites legally...

14. Real Estate Asset Management 101

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4.6
(1,625)

Real Estate Asset Management Training From Acquisition, To Ownership, Through Sale For Profitable Real Estate Investing...

15. Microsoft Office 365 Administration

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4.5
(2,676)

Microsoft Office 365 Administration...

16. Practical Office 365 Administration

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4.2
(291)

Learn in depth about Office 365 for Administrators and also find useful tips and resources to enhance your role as an Of...

17. The Legal Implications of Social Media in the Workplace

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4.4
(1,475)

Regulatory and Case Law Considerations for Employers' Social Media Policy Development...

18. Customer Service Fundamentals: Putting People First

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4.4
(313)

Customer Care Listening Great Customer Service Concern for Others Company Culture Engaging People Responding...

19. The Advanced Real Estate Financial Modeling Bootcamp

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4.8
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The Complete Guide To Advanced Real Estate Financial Modeling For Real Estate Investment Professionals...

20. Agile Crash Course: Agile Project Management; Agile Delivery

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4.5
(82,218)

Agile Project Management Basics (Scrum) & Agile Project Management Essentials (Scrum). Plus Agile Certification (Scrum)...

Top 10 most affordable universities for legal administrators

The most affordable schools for legal administrators are University of Florida, suny farmingdale, and florida international university.

If the best universities for legal administrators 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 legal administrators.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

4. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

7. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Cost of attendance

25,527

9. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

10. University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras Campus

San Juan, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

11,299

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for legal administrators

The hardest universities for legal administrators to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for legal administrators 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 legal administrators 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,456

5. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

6. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

7. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

8. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

9. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for legal administrators

The easiest schools for legal administrators to get into are Barry University, university of north texas at dallas, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a legal administrator 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 legal administrators.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

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. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

8. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

9. Ursuline College

Pepper Pike, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,102

10. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

Average legal administrator salary by education level

Legal administrators with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $54,016 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, legal administrators earn a median annual income of $51,778 compared to $51,375 for legal administrators with an Master's degree.
Legal administrator education levelLegal administrator salary
Master's Degree$51,375
High School Diploma or Less$46,189
Bachelor's Degree$51,778
Doctorate Degree$54,016
Some College/ Associate Degree$47,386

Legal administrator 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.