Litigation assistants are professionals who provide administrative support as well as perform tasks such as filing legal documents, communicating with clients, and conducting legal research for law firms or legal departments. These assistants are required to draft and prepare a variety of court and legal documents that include expert witness designations, motions for preference, and complaints. They must receive many phone calls from clients they are handling as well as examining information about the cases they are working on. Litigation assistants must also work closely with bookkeepers to ensure that all invoices are paid.

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Litigation Assistant Responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real litigation assistant resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

  • 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.
  • Assist in drafting responses to interrogatories and discovery requests.
  • Edit briefs and interrogatories, abstract depositions and interview clients.
  • Review client records in internal/external software programs for suit-worthy arbitration.
  • Maintain database of information produce in response to third-party subpoenas and requests from creditors in accordance with enterprise-wide records retention policies.
  • Support attorneys in litigation office in an administrative/administrator capacity.
  • Support attorneys in litigation office in an administrative/administrator capacity.

Litigation Assistant Job Description

Between the years 2018 and 2028, litigation assistant jobs are expected to undergo a growth rate described as "much faster than average" at 12%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. So if the thought "should I become a litigation assistant?" Has crossed your mind, maybe you should take the growth rate into account. In addition, the number of litigation assistant opportunities that are projected to become available by 2028 is 39,000.

A litigation assistant annual salary averages $53,883, which breaks down to $25.91 an hour. However, litigation assistants can earn anywhere from upwards of $37,000 to $77,000 a year. This means that the top-earning litigation assistants make $37,000 more than the lowest-earning ones.

As is the case with most jobs, it takes work to become a litigation assistant. Sometimes people change their minds about their career after working in the profession. That's why we looked into some other professions that might help you find your next opportunity. These professions include a paralegal, contractor-paralegal, corporate paralegal, and senior paralegal.

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5 Litigation Assistant Resume Examples

Litigation Assistant Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 23% of Litigation Assistants are proficient in Litigation, Phone Calls, and Law Firm. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Computer skills, and Interpersonal skills.

We break down the percentage of Litigation Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Litigation, 23%

    Supported attorneys in litigation office in an administrative/administrator capacity.

  • Phone Calls, 13%

    Research websites or make phone calls to courts to follow up on status of cases.

  • Law Firm, 10%

    Provided Law Firms with requested workout solutions and Maintained access database for all legal pending settlement resolutions.

  • Discovery Responses, 6%

    Prepared discovery to opposing counsel and discovery responses.

  • Attorney Review, 5%

    Analyzed investment portfolios in ascertaining potential securities violations and fraud for attorney review.

  • Trial Preparation, 5%

    Participated in discovery and document production, assisted in extensive trial preparation, and aided in general administrative duties.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Litigation Assistant Resume templates

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Some of the skills we found on litigation assistant resumes included "litigation," "phone calls," and "law firm." We have detailed the most important litigation assistant responsibilities below.

  • Arguably the most important personality trait for a litigation assistant to have happens to be communication skills. An example from a resume said this about the skill, "paralegals must be able to document and present their research and related information to their supervising attorney." Additionally, other resumes have pointed out that litigation assistants can use communication skills to "aided in communications with area lawyers to expedite litigation processes between clients. "
  • Another commonly found skill for being able to perform litigation assistant duties is the following: computer skills. According to a litigation assistant resume, "paralegals need to be familiar with using computers for legal research and litigation support." Check out this example of how litigation assistants use computer skills: "organized and maintained litigation files including subpoenaed records and computerized client files. "
  • Litigation assistants are also known for interpersonal skills, which can be critical when it comes to performing their duties. An example of why this skill is important is shown by this snippet that we found in a litigation assistant resume: "paralegals spend most of their time working with clients and other professionals and must be able to develop good relationships" We also found this resume example that details how this skill is put to the test: "secured interpersonal relationships with other firms/counsels to guarantee documents are executed prior to confirmed foreclosure sale dates. "
  • A thorough review of lots of resumes revealed to us that "organizational skills" is important to completing litigation assistant responsibilities. This resume example shows just one way litigation assistants use this skill: "paralegals may be responsible for many cases at one time" Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical litigation assistant tasks: "exhibited excellent organizational skills with ability to multi-task as needed. "
  • As part of the litigation assistant description, you might find that one of the skills that might be helpful to the job is "research skills." A litigation assistant resume included this snippet: "paralegals gather facts of the case and research information on relevant laws and regulations to prepare drafts of legal documents for attorneys and help them prepare for a case." This skill could be useful in this scenario: "provided general trial support, investigative research and file management for insurance defense litigation firm. "
  • See the full list of litigation assistant skills.

    After discovering the most helpful skills, we moved onto what kind of education might be helpful in becoming a litigation assistant. We found that 54.8% of litigation assistants have graduated with a bachelor's degree and 4.9% of people in this position have earned their master's degrees. While most litigation assistants have a college degree, you may find it's also true that generally it's possible to be successful in this career with only a high school degree. In fact, our research shows that one out of every seven litigation assistants were not college graduates.

    Those litigation assistants who do attend college, typically earn either a legal support services degree or a business degree. Less commonly earned degrees for litigation assistants include a political science degree or a law degree.

    Once you've obtained the level of education you're comfortable with, you might start applying to companies to become a litigation assistant. We've found that most litigation assistant resumes include experience from Rubenstein, Zwicker & Associates, and Robert Half. Of recent, Rubenstein had 4 positions open for litigation assistants. Meanwhile, there are 4 job openings at Zwicker & Associates and 3 at Robert Half.

    If you're interested in companies where litigation assistants make the most money, you'll want to apply for positions at Earthjustice, NRDC, and ACLU of Illinois. We found that at Earthjustice, the average litigation assistant salary is $73,195. Whereas at NRDC, litigation assistants earn roughly $65,272. And at ACLU of Illinois, they make an average salary of $62,669.

    View more details on litigation assistant salaries across the United States.

    Some other companies you might be interested in as a litigation assistant include Law Office, Skadden, and Robert Half. These three companies were found to hire the most litigation assistants from the top 100 U.S. educational institutions.

    The three companies that hire the most prestigious litigation assistants are:

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    What Paralegals Do

    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. Paralegals also handle different activities directly related to active cases being worked on by lawyers in the firm or department. They assist lawyers on cases by preparing materials needed for trials, conducting legal research, verifying trial facts, helping during interviews, getting statements from those involved in the case, and creating presentation materials. Paralegals should have knowledge of laws and should be familiar with landmark cases.

    In this section, we take a look at the annual salaries of other professions. Take paralegal for example. On average, the paralegals annual salary is $3,940 lower than what litigation assistants make on average every year.

    While the salaries between these two careers can be different, they do share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both litigation assistants and paralegals positions are skilled in litigation, law firm, and discovery responses.

    As far as similarities go, this is where it ends because a litigation assistant responsibility requires skills such as "phone calls," "proofreading," "defense counsel," and "office equipment." Whereas a paralegal is skilled in "affidavits," "real estate closings," "legal support," and "due diligence." So if you're looking for what truly separates the two careers, you've found it.

    Paralegals receive the highest salaries in the professional industry coming in with an average yearly salary of $55,416. But litigation assistants are paid more in the construction industry with an average salary of $63,516.

    Paralegals tend to reach similar levels of education than litigation assistants. In fact, paralegals are 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 3.1% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

    What Are The Duties Of a 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.

    Now we're going to look at the contractor-paralegal profession. On average, contractor-paralegals earn a $6,803 higher salary than litigation assistants a year.

    While the salary may be different for these job positions, there is one similarity and that's a few of the skills needed to perform certain duties. We used info from lots of resumes to find that both litigation assistants and contractor-paralegals are known to have skills such as "litigation," "law firm," and "discovery responses. "

    In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences that are worth noting. For example, litigation assistant responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "phone calls," "proofreading," "defense counsel," and "office equipment." Meanwhile, a contractor-paralegal might be skilled in areas such as "in-house counsel," "contract database," "due diligence," and "contract review." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

    It's been discovered that contractor-paralegals earn higher salaries compared to litigation assistants, but we wanted to find out where contractor-paralegals earned the most pay. The answer? The finance industry. The average salary in the industry is $79,049. Additionally, litigation assistants earn the highest paychecks in the construction with an average salary of $63,516.

    When it comes to the differences in education between the two professions, contractor-paralegals tend to reach similar levels of education than litigation assistants. In fact, they're 1.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 3.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    How a Corporate Paralegal Compares

    A Corporate Paralegal helps attorneys gather information and materials in preparation for different kinds of cases, hearings, or meetings. They also work in the legal departments of large corporations and for government agencies.

    The corporate paralegal profession generally makes a higher amount of money when compared to the average salary of litigation assistants. The difference in salaries is corporate paralegals making $13,632 higher than litigation assistants.

    Using litigation assistants and corporate paralegals resumes, we found that both professions have similar skills such as "litigation," "proofreading," and "legal research," but the other skills required are very different.

    Some important key differences between the two careers are a few of the skills necessary to fulfill responsibilities. Some examples from litigation assistant resumes include skills like "phone calls," "law firm," "discovery responses," and "attorney review," whereas a corporate paralegal might be skilled in "corporate governance," "mergers," "securities," and "excellent organizational. "

    Interestingly enough, corporate paralegals earn the most pay in the finance industry, where they command an average salary of $76,737. As mentioned previously, litigation assistants highest annual salary comes from the construction industry with an average salary of $63,516.

    Corporate paralegals typically study at similar levels compared with litigation assistants. For example, they're 2.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 3.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    Description Of a Senior Paralegal

    A Senior Paralegal helps attorneys acquire the information needed for legal research, document preparation, and for other assignments delegated to them. They are usually specialized in certain areas of law, such as tax law.

    The fourth career we look at typically earns higher pay than litigation assistants. On average, senior paralegals earn a difference of $6,242 higher per year.

    According to resumes from both litigation assistants and senior paralegals, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "litigation," "law firm," and "discovery responses. "

    Each job requires different skills like "phone calls," "proofreading," "defense counsel," and "office equipment," which might show up on a litigation assistant resume. Whereas senior paralegal might include skills like "lexis," "intellectual property," "excellent organizational," and "legal issues."

    Now, let's take a closer look at the financials in each career. The finance industry tends to pay more for senior paralegals with an average of $69,879. While the highest litigation assistant annual salary comes from the construction industry.

    The average resume of senior paralegals showed that they earn similar levels of education to litigation assistants. So much so that the likelihood of them earning a Master's Degree is 2.4% more. Additionally, they're less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 1.5%.