How to hire a legal specialist

How to hire a legal specialist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step legal specialist 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 specialist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new legal specialist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a legal specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The legal specialist hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A legal specialist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, legal specialists from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of legal specialists.

   Type of Legal Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Legal Specialist	Lawyers advise and represent individuals, businesses, and government agencies on legal issues and disputes.	$14-47
   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
   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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Legal Support
   • Legal Research
   • Proofreading
   • Litigation
   • Confidentiality Agreements
   • PowerPoint
   • Subpoenas
   • Travel Arrangements
   • Administrative Tasks
   • In-House Counsel
   • HR
   • Legal Issues
   • Data Entry
   • SharePoint

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Attain signing authority training certificate to sign motions for relief upon filing complex transactions.
   • Prepare and distribute payroll manage daily office operations and equipment and maintain supplies for office to run effectively.
   • Achieve award for increasing efficiency by extensively communicating with debtors' attorneys and monitoring trustee activities on a daily basis.
   • Review bankruptcy filing notifications and updating appropriate fields and workstations on MSP and LPS systems.
   • Review bankruptcy filings and claims using various proprietary applications including NDC, AACER, and LPS.
   • Utilize client systems such as Newtrak/LPS, AS400, LHIS, NDC and BAPS.

   More legal specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your legal specialist job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A legal specialist salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a legal specialist in Montana may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level legal specialist usually earns less than a senior-level legal specialist. Additionally, a legal specialist with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average legal specialist salary

   $55,253yearly

   $26.56 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level legal specialist salary

   $30,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 30, 2026

   Average legal specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$102,430	$49
   2	District of Columbia	$93,559	$45
   3	Massachusetts	$91,625	$44
   4	California	$87,685	$42
   5	Virginia	$80,352	$39
   6	New Jersey	$77,972	$37
   7	Connecticut	$76,251	$37
   8	Illinois	$70,048	$34
   9	Maryland	$61,382	$30
   10	Michigan	$60,995	$29
   11	North Carolina	$58,730	$28
   12	Minnesota	$54,813	$26
   13	Georgia	$54,575	$26
   14	Florida	$53,959	$26
   15	Texas	$52,426	$25
   16	South Carolina	$51,795	$25
   17	Colorado	$51,659	$25
   18	Washington	$46,826	$23
   19	Oregon	$45,963	$22
   20	Arizona	$44,468	$21

   Average legal specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Orrick	$207,143	$99.59
   2	Seyfarth Shaw	$204,724	$98.42
   3	Baker McKenzie	$191,379	$92.01	1
   4	Mayer Brown	$188,887	$90.81	4
   5	Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati	$182,743	$87.86
   6	Winston & Strawn	$169,140	$81.32
   7	Covington & Burling	$168,524	$81.02	1
   8	Apple	$166,417	$80.01	13
   9	Novo Nordisk	$164,097	$78.89
   10	Meta	$161,022	$77.41
   11	Sullivan & Worcester	$151,621	$72.89	2
   12	Qualtrics	$151,473	$72.82
   13	Merck	$150,142	$72.18
   14	Bloomberg	$148,741	$71.51	1
   15	Google	$145,525	$69.96	2
   16	Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton	$143,369	$68.93
   17	Rational Enterprise	$139,936	$67.28
   18	Bain & Company	$135,912	$65.34
   19	Waters	$128,131	$61.60
   20	Mayo Clinic	$124,003	$59.62

4. Writing a legal specialist job description

   A legal specialist 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 specialist job description:

   Legal specialist job description example

   Status: Exempt (salaried)
   Department: Legal
   Location: Latham, NY
   
   Plug Power
   Plug Power is building an end-to-end green hydrogen ecosystem, from production, storage and delivery to energy generation, to help its customers meet their business goals and decarbonize the economy. In creating the first commercially viable market for hydrogen fuel cell technology, the company has deployed more than 50,000 fuel cell systems and over 165 fueling stations, more than anyone else in the world, and is the largest buyer of liquid hydrogen. With plans to build and operate a green hydrogen highway across North America and Europe, Plug Power is building a state-of-the-art Gigafactory to produce electrolyzers and fuel cells and multiple green hydrogen production plants that will yield 500 tons of liquid green hydrogen daily by 2025. Plug Power will deliver its green hydrogen solutions directly to its customers and through joint venture partners into multiple environments, including material handling, e-mobility, power generation, and industrial applications. For more information, visit www.plugpower.com.
   
   Plug offers a tuition assistance program for pursuit of certificate or masters programs!
   
   Position Summary
   The Legal Specialist will assist with the day-to-day operations of the Legal Department. This individual will carry out a wide variety of administrative services, provide support to the legal team, manage corporate subsidiary or foreign registration filings, support the contract review and signature process, and ensure that Plug Power remains in compliance with federal and state legal regulations. This individual will be involved in research projects and will be responsible for policy work and process improvements. The ideal candidate will thrive in a diverse and fast-paced environment, be able to work independently, be exceptionally responsive, and demonstrate strong follow-through, extraordinary organization and dedication to excellence. A positive and professional attitude, flexible approach, and a desire to help others are critical attributes for success.
   Core Duties and Responsibilities
   Maintain template agreements, proofread documents, and edit and draft contracts and amendments (e.g., non-disclosure agreements; patent, confidentiality, non-compete, non-solicitation agreements; purchase orders; supplier terms and conditions).Manage legal documentation and correspondence while maintaining confidentiality Collect, examine, and organize legal documents for the department to review and maintain legal records Research regulations and laws to assist with the preparation of reports and legal advice Organize and track files for contracts, external advisors, transactions, case documents or litigation matters Support insurance and risk management efforts, including coordination with brokers and managing certificates of insurance Assist with invoicing, expense reports, budget review, meeting coordination and preparation, and travel logistics as needed Represent Plug Power in a professional manner at all times and in all interactions Perform all other duties as assigned
   
   Education and Experience
   Bachelor's degree preferred; associates degree required Minimum of five (5) years' experience in a legal setting providing support required Experience with legal research highly preferred Experience in drafting legal and business documents required Experience with federal and state laws is highly preferred Experience working in an organization with numerous locations and a remote workforce is highly preferred Experience in banking, finance is welcome Experience in real estate development, leasing, and/or construction is welcome Experience in contract management is welcome Experience in corporate formation and compliance is welcome Computer and software systems skills as applicable to position required, including but not limited to: Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OutlookCandidate must also:Demonstrate the highest level of integrity and confidentiality Possess strong time and task management and process improvement abilities Dynamic and excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to effectively communicate with diverse audiences, visitors, and customers Uncompromising dedication to quality Have a solution-forward approach Analytical thinker with strong conceptual and reading comprehension skills Strong organizational skills and meticulous attention to detail Self- starter with ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines Ability to work independently and as part of a team Exempt employees are expected to work as many hours as is necessary to complete their job responsibilities. This may require they work more than eight hours a day and more than five days or 40 hours per week.
   
   Plug Power Inc. is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find legal specialists for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any legal specialists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level legal specialists with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting legal specialists requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 specialist

   Once you've selected the best legal specialist candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is 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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