How to hire a litigation assistant

How to hire a litigation assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step litigation assistant hiring guide:

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

What does a litigation assistant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a litigation assistant, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   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 litigation assistant 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 litigation assistant that fits the bill.

   This list presents litigation assistant salaries for various positions.

   Type of Litigation Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Litigation Assistant	Paralegals and legal assistants do a variety of tasks to support lawyers, including maintaining and organizing files, conducting legal research, and drafting documents.	$17-37
   Paralegal	Paralegals are law firm or legal department employees who work on cases with lawyers. They handle different activities, usually administrative or clerical, such as organizing and maintaining files, updating records, and managing correspondences, among others... Show more	$16-33
   Contractor-Paralegal	A Contractor-Paralegal works for a law firm or corporate legal department for a specified amount of time, or for a specified task. They can be specialized in the entertainment industry or in providing services to healthcare companies and insurance providers.	$17-47

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Litigation
   • Phone Calls
   • Law Firm
   • Discovery Responses
   • Attorney Review
   • Trial Preparation
   • Proofreading
   • Legal Research
   • Defense Counsel
   • Subpoenas
   • Office Equipment
   • Federal Courts
   • Litigation Support
   • Travel Arrangements

   Check all skills

   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.
   • Job entails extensive proofreading of pleadings, correspondence and relate documents for spelling, grammar, clarity and style.
   • Assist partner and associates in drafting and finalizing mediation briefs, arbitration briefs along with all necessary pleadings and general correspondence.

   More litigation assistant duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, litigation assistants' average salary in indiana is 46% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level litigation assistants earn 52% less than senior-level litigation assistants.
   • Certifications. A litigation assistant 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 litigation assistant's salary.

   Average litigation assistant salary

   $53,883yearly

   $25.91 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level litigation assistant salary

   $37,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average litigation assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$78,862	$38
   2	District of Columbia	$70,373	$34
   3	New York	$67,432	$32
   4	Pennsylvania	$66,723	$32
   5	Connecticut	$63,975	$31
   6	Washington	$63,241	$30
   7	Colorado	$62,416	$30
   8	Illinois	$53,013	$25
   9	Massachusetts	$51,628	$25
   10	Maryland	$51,335	$25
   11	Georgia	$47,051	$23
   12	Kansas	$44,764	$22
   13	Montana	$44,505	$21
   14	Wisconsin	$44,103	$21
   15	Florida	$42,584	$20
   16	Missouri	$40,995	$20
   17	North Carolina	$40,125	$19

   Average litigation assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Earthjustice	$73,195	$35.19
   2	NRDC	$65,272	$31.38
   3	ACLU of Illinois	$62,669	$30.13	1
   4	Rubenstein	$62,171	$29.89	32
   5	Kobre & Kim	$56,391	$27.11	5
   6	Zwicker & Associates	$55,902	$26.88	10
   7	FordHarrison	$54,974	$26.43
   8	ICONMA	$54,853	$26.37
   9	Eastridge Workforce Solutions	$54,470	$26.19
   10	Lee Hecht Harrison	$53,578	$25.76	10
   11	Adams & Martin Group	$52,664	$25.32
   12	Robert Half	$52,445	$25.21	342
   13	Randstad North America, Inc.	$52,197	$25.09	2
   14	PACCAR	$51,291	$24.66
   15	Shelter Insurance	$49,730	$23.91

4. Writing a litigation assistant job description

   A litigation assistant 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a litigation assistant job description:

   Litigation assistant job description example

   Select Medical is seeking a Litigation Assistant to support the Manager of Litigation in the Legal Department in handling litigation matters and claims reporting for the company.
   Responsibilities
   
   Complete forms required for reporting of claims to appropriate insurance carriers, assign claims to TPA and/or outside counsel, and other general administrative duties related to claims management. Update and maintain claims database and run scheduled data reports. Communicate with field personnel regarding questions and requests related to pending litigation matters. Prepare documents, agendas, and reports utilized in claim reviews and litigation meetings and prepare meeting minutes. Audit legal invoices, track and enter legal expenses in the database, and submit invoices for processing and payment. Review and report incidents to insurance carriers for coverage. Coordinate with departments within the company and field personnel to obtain documents and information to provide to our outside defense counsel for response to discovery requests as needed.
   
   This position will involve both independent responsibilities and close coordination with the Manager of Litigation and other colleagues in the Legal Department.
   
   Qualifications
   
   The ideal candidate will be highly organized and detail oriented, and will possess the ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks in a fast paced environment. Excellent communication and strong computer skills are required. Proficiency in Word and Excel and knowledge or experience with basic database entry would be extremely helpful. One-on-one training will be provided and the candidate must be willing to learn a wide range of skills including, understanding insurance policy information, operation of various online information systems, and reading loss runs for comparison to database claims values.
   
   Additional Data
   
   Select Medical is committed to having a workforce that reflects diversity at all levels and is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants are considered for employment, and employees are treated during employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, citizenship, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find litigation assistants 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 litigation assistant job on Zippia to find and recruit litigation assistant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with litigation assistant candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 litigation assistant

   Once you've decided on a perfect litigation assistant 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.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new litigation assistant. 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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How much does it cost to hire a litigation assistant?