How to hire a legal analyst

How to hire a legal analyst, step by step

Here's a step-by-step legal analyst hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a legal analyst job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new legal analyst
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a legal analyst do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the legal analyst you need to hire. Certain legal analyst roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a legal analyst to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a legal analyst that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of legal analysts.

   Type of Legal Analyst	Description	Hourly rate
   Legal Analyst	Lawyers advise and represent individuals, businesses, and government agencies on legal issues and disputes.	$15-47
   Law Clerk	Law clerks are employees in a legal firm who handle clerical tasks for the office. They handle the office's official phone lines, answering incoming calls, and making outgoing calls... Show more	$12-54
   Attorney	Generally, an attorney's responsibility is to advise the client with an ongoing lawsuit on the legal procedures and provide strategies to resolve the case as early as possible. An attorney compiles necessary documents or any records for appeal and client's defense... Show more	$33-82

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Legal Research
   • Litigation
   • PowerPoint
   • Legal Issues
   • Due Diligence
   • Subpoenas
   • Legal Support
   • Real Estate
   • Legal Analysis
   • Intellectual Property
   • Securities
   • Corporate Governance
   • Legal Database
   • Regulatory Compliance

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage probate processes for estate, including rental arrangements and maintenance of apartments.
   • Apply previous years of relevant experience to independently manage the defense of auto and fixture relate general liability litigation.
   • Manage and provide responses to incoming subpoenas and discovery requests relating to underwriting files and policy and accounting information.
   • Create and execute test plans for troubleshooting issues during SharePoint migration.
   • Process payroll including quarterly and annual reporting.
   • Respond to third party subpoenas and implement company policy of cost recovery for addressing such subpoenas.

   More legal analyst duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your legal analyst job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A legal analyst salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, legal analysts' average salary in arkansas is 64% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level legal analysts earn 66% less than senior-level legal analysts.
   • Certifications. A legal analyst with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a legal analyst's salary.

   Average legal analyst salary

   $57,497yearly

   $27.64 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level legal analyst salary

   $33,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average legal analyst salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$94,654	$46
   2	California	$90,053	$43
   3	New York	$87,188	$42
   4	Massachusetts	$82,859	$40
   5	Virginia	$80,000	$38
   6	New Jersey	$75,771	$36
   7	Connecticut	$75,368	$36
   8	Illinois	$65,855	$32
   9	Pennsylvania	$63,303	$30
   10	Tennessee	$61,243	$29
   11	Colorado	$58,719	$28
   12	Indiana	$58,246	$28
   13	Georgia	$56,824	$27
   14	Wisconsin	$56,772	$27
   15	North Carolina	$56,449	$27
   16	Florida	$54,348	$26
   17	Nebraska	$52,594	$25
   18	Texas	$52,209	$25
   19	Puerto Rico	$45,335	$22

   Average legal analyst salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Schiff Hardin	$191,501	$92.07
   2	White & Case	$159,301	$76.59	6
   3	Santander Bank	$118,290	$56.87
   4	Chevron	$117,618	$56.55	1
   5	SMUD	$108,369	$52.10
   6	BlackRock	$107,749	$51.80
   7	Chubb	$102,543	$49.30	5
   8	City of San Jos	$97,520	$46.88
   9	New York Power Authority	$97,052	$46.66
   10	Dimensional Fund Advisors	$95,842	$46.08	1
   11	Metropolitan Water District of Southern California	$94,418	$45.39
   12	ION	$91,387	$43.94
   13	Natwest Group Holdings Corporation	$90,855	$43.68
   14	Loomis Sayles	$90,557	$43.54
   15	Nuveen Investments	$90,242	$43.39
   16	The Marketing Store Worldwide	$86,735	$41.70
   17	Legal Services	$86,514	$41.59	58
   18	General Dynamics	$79,675	$38.31	3
   19	Environmental Defense Fund	$78,984	$37.97
   20	City of Boise	$78,624	$37.80

4. Writing a legal analyst job description

   A legal analyst job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a legal analyst job description:

   Legal analyst job description example

   Chubb is the world's largest publicly traded property and casualty insurer. With operations in 54 countries, Chubb provides commercial and personal property and casualty insurance, personal accident and supplemental health insurance, reinsurance and life insurance to a diverse group of clients. The company is distinguished by its extensive product and service offerings, broad distribution capabilities, exceptional financial strength, underwriting excellence, superior claims handling expertise and local operations globally.
   
   Global Legal and Compliance is committed to providing best-in-class legal and compliance services to our Chubb Insurance Group business partners.Global Legal and Compliance emphasizes teamwork, expertise and a "can-do" attitude.Operating as a best-in-class organization requires a commitment to constant improvement and an on-going commitment to adding value - every day, by every team member.The group takes pride in delivering consistent customer satisfaction, advancing self-development among team members, participating in company and team initiatives - all with a focus on superior execution.
   Benefits, Payroll and Compensation Function:
   
   Responds to participant, agency, and plan provider record requests Supports payroll function and benefits team in legal matters, including paid leave compliance and enforcement of court orders (garnishments, QDROs) Coordinates, oversees, and facilitates annual benefit plan filings and reviews annual updates to summary plan descriptions Assist with preparation of materials and minutes for benefit plan committees, including drafting memoranda for committee decision Drafts adverse benefit determination letters in connection with benefit claims Researches basic tax and ERISA matters Assists with investment-related document production and filings required for international investments Opportunity to learn and assist with stock administration matters Over time, acquires and increases knowledge of ERISA, tax law and corresponding legal concepts and terminology
   
   Employment Law Function:
   
   Support compliance function of employment law group by staying abreast of new local, state and federal legislation impacting workplace policies or processes, including paid sick leave, pay disclosure, background checks, COVID-related leaves, required notices, etc., and support in drafting related policies Perform legal research on employment law topics, including arbitration, harassment/discrimination, medical and religious accommodations, and summarize findings Support employee relations team in legal compliance, including PTO payout, paid sick leave compliance, and other matters Draft educational / informational updates for HR clients Assist with background check issues including permissible considerations, FCRA obligations, state and local laws. Coordinate with stakeholders in support of the dispute resolution program
   
   Qualifications:
   
   3-5 years of corporate, benefits or employment paralegal experience or equivalent combination of education and experience

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find legal analysts for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your legal analyst job on Zippia to find and recruit legal analyst candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit legal analysts, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new legal analyst

   Once you've decided on a perfect legal analyst candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new legal analyst. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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