How To Become A Litigation Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a litigation assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Emily Allen-Hornblower

Legal TV shows love to show high-powered trial lawyers stomping through courtrooms and dramatically winning their cases. However, they usually don't show the hardworking litigation assistant buried in paperwork, which makes the trial lawyer's victory possible. They may not have law degrees, but the work of a litigation assistant is still important to help a law office run smoothly.

A litigation assistant helps lawyers prepare for their cases by managing a variety of administrative tasks that pop up. This can include communicating with clients, conducting legal research in preparation for upcoming cases, and drafting and filing documents such as divorce proceedings and complaints.

The day-to-day tasks of the litigation assistant will vary depending on the office they work in, whether they are involved in family law, immigration law, or another kind of law. No matter what kind of law they practice, litigation assistants are expected to be highly organized and excellent communicators. They cannot be slackers either--litigation assistants often work overtime if a case needs work.

What general advice would you give to a litigation assistant?

Emily Allen-Hornblower

Associate Professor of Classics, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

"I would say, think broadly. Your CV gives you an edge - you chose a course of study that is somewhat atypical, original (and a great conversation starter!) that gave you widely applicable skills.

I mean, who studies Classics? Who willingly subjects themselves to the rigors of Latin or Greek - or both? Who commits to navigating the intricacies of an interdisciplinary path that combines some of the most vital areas of inquiry for our time: social and cultural history, political science, philosophy, psychology, literary studies, material culture?

A go-getter. Someone who is passionate. And is Driven.

And you know what? Employers know that. They see that on your CV, and they think, wow - here is someone interesting and hard-working and who thinks out of the box. And they are right. Xerox saw that. Macy's saw that. The Air Force Intelligence Officer who hired one of our (female!) undergraduates as an officer saw that. The software engineer who hired another one of our grads to join his team as a full-time software engineer saw that. Oxford University Press in New York City saw that - and hired another recent grad as a full-time intern in their Higher Education Editorial Development department. SO: Classics majors, think big and broad. There is no restricted path for what is next.

So - Graduating seniors in Classics (and other Liberal Arts degrees), as you prepare to go forward into the world, you have good reason to go forth with pride, and enter the world after college, with all its question marks and inevitable bumps in the road, with confidence.
A Classics major is excellent preparation for the pursuit of a wide range of careers in a large number of fields, including, but not limited to, government, law, education, business, journalism, library science, publishing, foreign service, finance, the entertainment industry, museum, and preservation work, pharmaceutical sciences, music, and the arts, foundations, technology, web design, and labor relations. So think broadly. You've got this. "

ScoreLitigation AssistantUS Average

Salary

4.2

Avg. Salary $53,883

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.0

Growth rate 14%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.40%

Asian 5.40%

Black or African American 8.28%

Hispanic or Latino 21.88%

Unknown 4.72%

White 59.31%

Gender

female 73.52%

male 26.48%

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 litigation assistant

Explore litigation assistant education requirements

Most common litigation assistant degrees

Bachelor's

54.8 %

Associate

21.5 %

Doctorate

7.6 %

Start to develop specific litigation assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Litigation	23.48%
Phone Calls	13.20%
Law Firm	10.43%
Discovery Responses	6.31%
Attorney Review	4.77%

Complete relevant litigation assistant training and internships

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

Research litigation assistant duties and responsibilities

Organize and manage large volume discovery, including propounding and responding to discovery requests and subpoenas.
Assist patent attorneys by managing invention disclosure documentation and relate correspondence with outside counsel and USPTO.
Assist attorneys and paralegals in trial preparation and are responsible for organizing and indexing documentary evidence for large civil litigation cases.
Perform advanced administrative duties for attorneys, including typing pleadings, briefs, correspondence, and proofreading documents.

Prepare your litigation assistant resume

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

Choose from 10+ customizable litigation assistant resume templates

Build a professional litigation assistant 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 litigation assistant resume.