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Legal office assistant education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a legal office assistant. Legal office assistants usually study business, legal support services, or criminal justice. 48% of legal office assistants hold a bachelor's degree, and 24% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 2,142 real legal office assistant resumes to see exactly what legal office assistant education sections show.
The most common colleges for legal office assistants are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online legal office assistant courses to help get the education required to be a legal office assistant.
There are certain legal office assistant certifications that you should consider. These legal office assistant certifications include Certified Paralegal/Certified Legal Assistant (CP/CLA) and Medical Assistant.
What education do you need to become a legal office assistant?
What degree do you need to be a legal office assistant?
- Bachelor's, 48%
- Associate, 24%
- High School Diploma, 12%
- Master's, 6%
- Other Degrees, 10%
What should I major in to become a legal office assistant?
- Business, 19%
- Criminal Justice, 10%
- Other Majors, 49%
Most common colleges for legal office assistants
| Legal office assistant common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 14.67% |
| University of Nevada - Las Vegas | 9.33% |
| University of California - Davis | 7.33% |
| College of Southern Nevada | 7.33% |
| San Francisco State University | 6.67% |
Best majors for legal office assistants
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 18.6% |
| 2 | Legal Support Services | 14.2% |
| 3 | Criminal Justice | 10.1% |
| 4 | Political Science | 8.2% |
| 5 | Psychology | 5.8% |
Best colleges for legal office assistants
The best colleges for legal office assistants are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.
A legal office 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 legal office 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 legal office 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 legal office assistants
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Top 10 most affordable universities for legal office assistants
The most affordable schools for legal office assistants are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and brigham young university.
If the best universities for legal office 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 legal office 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 legal office assistants
The hardest universities for legal office assistants to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.
Some great schools for legal office 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 legal office 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 legal office assistants
The easiest schools for legal office 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 a legal office 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 legal office 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 legal office assistant salary by education level
| Legal office assistant education level | Legal office assistant salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $37,043 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $33,429 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $37,323 |
| Doctorate Degree | $38,879 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $34,264 |
Legal office assistant education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common legal questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025