What is a Litigation Assistant?

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 Does a Litigation Assistant Do

There are certain skills that many litigation assistants have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed communication skills, computer skills and interpersonal skills.

Learn more about what a Litigation Assistant does

How To Become a Litigation Assistant

If you're interested in becoming a litigation assistant, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 54.8% of litigation assistants have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 4.9% of litigation assistants have master's degrees. Even though most litigation assistants have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Litigation Assistant
Top Litigation Assistant Jobs Near You

Litigation Assistant Career Paths

In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of paralegal you might progress to a role such as legal secretary eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title business office manager.

Litigation Assistant

Average Salary for a Litigation Assistant

Litigation Assistants in America make an average salary of $53,883 per year or $26 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $77,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $37,000 per year.
Average Litigation Assistant Salary
$53,883 Yearly
$25.91 hourly
See More Salary Information

What Am I Worth?

salary-calculator

Roles and Types of Litigation Assistant

There are several types of litigation assistant, including:

Paralegal

Role:

A paralegal is in charge of substantive legal work. Typically, they serve lawyers who are so busy building a case that they need help sorting out all of the legal work. That's where you come in.

Paralegals take pride in their responsibilities by administering their knowledge of the law and legal procedures. It can be a great thing to have a paralegal on the case because the law will determine what direction a lawyer may swing a case.

While you definitely need a working knowledge of what the law is, you really only need to obtain an associate's degree for this line of work. Sure, you could probably spend your entire life going through and memorizing every single law out there, but laws change all the time so chances are you're going to have to look it up anyway.

  • Average Salary: $49,943
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Legal Secretary

Role:

A Legal Secretary assists lawyers and helps them to prepare and arrange legal documents. They are trained and highly knowledgeable in legal processes and the documentation of legal cases, and they have an important function in the day-to-day life of a lawyer's office.

They have a wide range of responsibilities, from answering phones, scheduling appointments, and taking messages to preparing presentations, proofreading pleas and briefs, and preparing drafts for correspondence. They manage the documentation of legal cases, as well. They work in close contact with the attorneys, clients, witnesses, and courtroom staff.

To be a successful legal secretary, you need to be organized and constantly on your toes. You need to be able to multitask and perform under pressure, coordinating the execution of various tasks simultaneously. Being assertive and energetic is a must but, as you will interact with many different kinds of people, patience and understanding are essential qualities for you as well.

  • Average Salary: $41,725
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Law Clerk

Role:

Imagine this. You grab a cup of coffee and head to the court. With enough coffee flowing through your veins, you're now ready to chat with the judge about legal questions, granting orders and even the construction of documents. Who are you? You're a law clerk and this is just the beginning of your day.

The rest of your day may be spent going through complaints, looking at petitions or motions, and even reading through pleadings so you can help develop a case. Then, you need to type up some judicial opinions, decisions, or citations. There's lots of work to do as a law clerk, so you need to be organized so you don't waste a single minute.

As a law clerk, you'll probably spend a lot of time with judges. You're there to provide assistance on legal determinations while also writing up research-based opinions that are relevant to the court. The best part of becoming a law clerk is that you don't have to wait very long to become one. You could be a student by day and a law clerk by night. Unless you have night classes, in which case it might be switched.

  • Average Salary: $55,916
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree
View More

States With The Most Litigation Assistant Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active litigation assistant jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where litigation assistants earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Litigation Assistant Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California543$71,032
2Florida408$42,162
3Texas235$55,350
4New York215$67,198
5Georgia154$46,782
6Illinois152$52,739
7Massachusetts126$51,697
8Washington118$62,830
9Pennsylvania112$66,298
10Colorado105$62,435
11New Jersey104$64,252
12Virginia104$57,058
13Michigan90$50,532
14Minnesota83$51,041
15North Carolina74$40,735
16Arizona73$45,859
17Maryland69$51,107
18Tennessee65$44,401
19Missouri64$40,962
20Ohio63$47,711
21Wisconsin41$43,986
22Oregon40$58,362
23Indiana39$38,139
24South Carolina32$39,843
25Iowa31$45,005
26West Virginia30$52,615
27Kentucky27$47,067
28Arkansas26$40,890
29Utah25$55,035
30Connecticut21$64,355
31Mississippi21$48,331
32Alabama21$44,757
33Louisiana21$43,002
34Nebraska20$49,241
35North Dakota20$45,013
36Nevada16$61,137
37Alaska15$57,377
38Kansas14$44,782
39Wyoming13$42,441
40Montana12$44,652
41Delaware11$56,408
42Rhode Island11$53,678
43New Mexico11$47,106
44Hawaii10$56,513
45Idaho10$53,503
46Maine10$44,376
47New Hampshire7$59,862
48Vermont7$47,527
49Oklahoma7$43,188
50South Dakota6$48,403

Litigation Assistant Education

Litigation Assistant Majors

Legal Support Services
18.1 %
Business
13.5 %
Political Science
11.9 %

Litigation Assistant Degrees

Bachelors

54.8 %

Associate

21.5 %

Doctorate

7.6 %

Top Colleges for Litigation 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

Top Skills For a Litigation Assistant

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 23.5% of litigation assistants listed litigation on their resume, but soft skills such as communication skills and computer skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Litigation Assistant Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Litigation Assistant templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Litigation Assistant resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

Litigation Assistant Resume
Litigation Assistant Resume
Litigation Assistant Resume
Litigation Assistant Resume
Litigation Assistant Resume
Litigation Assistant Resume
Litigation Assistant Resume
Litigation Assistant Resume
Litigation Assistant Resume
Litigation Assistant Resume
Litigation Assistant Resume
Litigation Assistant Resume
Litigation Assistant Resume
Litigation Assistant Resume
Litigation Assistant Resume
Litigation Assistant Resume

Litigation Assistant diversity

Litigation Assistant Gender Distribution

Female
Female
74%
Male
Male
27%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among litigation assistants, 73.5% of them are women, while 26.5% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among litigation assistants is White, which makes up 59.3% of all litigation assistants.

  • The most common foreign language among litigation assistants is Spanish at 55.0%.

Online Courses For Litigation Assistant That You May Like

Advertising Disclosure  

1. Introduction to Key Constitutional Concepts and Supreme Court Cases

coursera

This course offers an introduction to the U.S. Constitution and landmark Supreme Court cases interpreting it. It explores the Constitution’s origins, its amendment over the years, and methods of constitutional interpretation. Topics include the nature and structure of the federal government, the powers of the federal government, and individual rights...

2. U.S. Health Law Fundamentals

coursera

This course explores how statutes, regulations, common law, and market forces help or hinder three major goals of policy makers: increasing access, reducing cost, and improving quality. We will examine the Supreme Court’s rulings on the ACA and other legal aspects of modern health care reform. Learners who successfully complete this course will be able to describe the laws, regulations, common law and market forces that shape our health care system and identify areas where ideas and innovation...

3. Effective Legal Office Administration

udemy
4.4
(798)

Effective Legal Office Administration...

Show More Online Courses For Litigation Assistant
Job type you want
Full Time
Part Time
Internship
Temporary

Best States For a Litigation Assistant

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a litigation assistant. The best states for people in this position are California, New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. Litigation assistants make the most in California with an average salary of $71,032. Whereas in New York and Pennsylvania, they would average $67,198 and $66,298, respectively. While litigation assistants would only make an average of $64,355 in Connecticut, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. California

Total Litigation Assistant Jobs: 543
Highest 10% Earn:
$107,000
Location Quotient:
1.44

$71,032

Avg. Salary

View 543 Litigation Assistant Jobs In CA

2. District of Columbia

Total Litigation Assistant Jobs: 162
Highest 10% Earn:
$106,000
Location Quotient:
7.46

$70,356

Avg. Salary

View 162 Litigation Assistant Jobs In DC

3. New York

Total Litigation Assistant Jobs: 215
Highest 10% Earn:
$100,000
Location Quotient:
1.3

$67,198

Avg. Salary

View 215 Litigation Assistant Jobs In NY
Full List Of Best States For Litigation Assistants

How Do Litigation Assistants Rate Their Jobs?

Working as a Litigation Assistant? Share your experience anonymously.
Overall Rating*
Career Growth
Work/Life balance
Pay/Salary

Top Litigation Assistant Employers

Most Common Employers For Litigation Assistant

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Kirkland & Ellis$82,134$39.496
2Ropes & Gray$75,017$36.075
3Earthjustice$73,195$35.1949
4Marshall Gerstein$66,686$32.066
5AIG$64,510$31.018
6Stoel Rives$64,258$30.896
7Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati$63,899$30.725
8Sidley Austin$63,679$30.617
9Morgan Lewis$61,810$29.726
10Weil$61,422$29.535
Show More

Litigation Assistant Videos

Is a Paralegal Career Right For You?

Litigation Assistant Related Careers

Litigation Assistant Related Jobs

What Similar Roles Do

Resume For Related Jobs

Updated April 6, 2023