How to hire a litigation paralegal

How to hire a litigation paralegal, step by step

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

What does a litigation paralegal do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a litigation paralegal, 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 paralegal 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 paralegal that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of litigation paralegals.

   Type of Litigation Paralegal	Description	Hourly rate
   Litigation Paralegal	Paralegals and legal assistants do a variety of tasks to support lawyers, including maintaining and organizing files, conducting legal research, and drafting documents.	$19-39
   Law Internship	A law internship is a program that is designed for law students to give them valuable insight into the professional lives of attorneys and judges. Law interns need to understand and observe what being a lawyer involves... Show more	$11-30
   Criminal Justice Lawyer	A criminal justice lawyer is responsible for representing clients in court with criminal charges and defends them according to legal requirements and procedures. Criminal justice lawyers analyze the case by undergoing in-depth research and investigation that would support settlement claims... Show more	$15-36

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Litigation
   • Law Firm
   • Trial Preparation
   • Legal Research
   • Subpoenas
   • Discovery Responses
   • Mediation
   • Interrogatories
   • Excellent Organizational
   • PowerPoint
   • Affidavits
   • Litigation Support
   • Civil Litigation
   • Product Liability

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Achieve sole responsibility for administration of all estates and guardianships.
   • Deliver PowerPoint presentations to various legal groups with regard to managing discovery.
   • Assist patent attorneys by managing invention disclosure documentation and relate correspondence with outside counsel and USPTO.
   • Organize and computer-log hundreds of litigation files, ranging from asbestos exposure to product liability cases.
   • Assist attorneys with all aspects of litigation from preliminary motions through discovery and preparations for arbitration or trial.
   • Proofread and edit legal documents.

   More litigation paralegal duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your litigation paralegal job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A litigation paralegal 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 litigation paralegal in Oklahoma may be lower than in California, and an entry-level litigation paralegal usually earns less than a senior-level litigation paralegal. Additionally, a litigation paralegal 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 litigation paralegal salary

   $58,484yearly

   $28.12 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level litigation paralegal salary

   $40,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 22, 2025

   Average litigation paralegal salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$79,626	$38
   2	Washington	$71,363	$34
   3	District of Columbia	$71,135	$34
   4	Oregon	$67,973	$33
   5	New York	$66,918	$32
   6	Pennsylvania	$63,099	$30
   7	Illinois	$60,328	$29
   8	Colorado	$58,027	$28
   9	Massachusetts	$57,280	$28
   10	North Carolina	$57,018	$27
   11	Minnesota	$53,547	$26
   12	Arizona	$53,363	$26
   13	Maryland	$53,010	$25
   14	Texas	$52,350	$25
   15	Mississippi	$51,609	$25
   16	Florida	$49,828	$24
   17	Virginia	$49,605	$24
   18	Georgia	$48,683	$23
   19	Missouri	$47,485	$23
   20	Louisiana	$45,818	$22

   Average litigation paralegal salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Google	$116,179	$55.86
   2	PayPal	$104,164	$50.08	3
   3	Kane Russell Coleman Logan	$103,170	$49.60
   4	BNP Paribas	$95,131	$45.74
   5	Reisenfeld & Associates	$89,306	$42.94
   6	WLRK	$86,722	$41.69	2
   7	Ropes & Gray	$83,747	$40.26	2
   8	Earthjustice	$82,207	$39.52
   9	Kent Daniels & Associates	$79,354	$38.15	12
   10	Wellpath	$78,075	$37.54
   11	City National Bank	$77,636	$37.33
   12	Zurich	$76,668	$36.86	7
   13	Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker Llp	$76,562	$36.81	10
   14	Mayer Brown	$75,526	$36.31	5
   15	Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith	$73,847	$35.50	52
   16	Mission Regional Medical Center	$72,430	$34.82
   17	Exact Sciences	$70,649	$33.97
   18	Wright	$70,572	$33.93	1
   19	AIG	$70,219	$33.76
   20	Splunk	$69,619	$33.47

4. Writing a litigation paralegal job description

   A litigation paralegal 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 litigation paralegal job description:

   Litigation paralegal job description example

   We are hiring immediately a Litigation Paralegal to join our organization onsite (in a hybrid capacity).
   
   At Henkel, you can be a game changer and craft your career. Unleash your entrepreneurial spirit by bringing your ideas to life within a global team. Our leading brands and technologies, along with our high-performing businesses will provide you with countless opportunities to develop your skills and explore new paths. Your career at Henkel will contribute to a more sustainable future, while you grow within our vibrant, diverse culture of trust and belonging. If you're up for challenging the status quo, join our team of pioneers and make your mark on the future with us.
   Do you dare to make an impact?
   
   YOUR ROLE
   Plan and prioritize work to meet litigation team needs Assist with development of PowerPoint presentations to key business leaders Provide follow-up reminders to keep departmental reports and projects on track Respond professionally to constantly changing time and project demands from multiple sources Prepare correspondence and confidential reports Organize and maintain confidential files and records Research a variety of subjects, utilizing appropriate search mechanisms, such as the Internet and legal government databases (e.g.,. Pacer), and provide concise summary of results Other administrative duties as assigned
   
   YOUR SKILLS
   A Paralegal Certificate or significant hands-on work experience as a paralegal A minimum of 4 years of experience as a paralegal in a litigation support function, utilizing advanced digital, information management, and facilitation skills in a corporate or law firm environment Demonstrated ability at the proficient user level in Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Demonstrated ability to handle confidential information and analyze factual situations and apply legal principles Ability to initiate and maintain relationships while collecting data and to solve problems through teamwork Knowledge of department and processes sufficient to allow for problem resolution or rerouting to source which can handle issue to conclusion
   The salary for this role is $70,000.00 - $90,000.00.This is the range that we in good faith anticipate relying on when settingwages for this position.We may ultimately pay more or less than theposted range and this range is only applicable for jobs to be performed in Connecticut.This salary range may also be modified in the future
   
   Henkel is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and other legally protected characteristics.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with litigation paralegal 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.

   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 litigation paralegal

   Once you've found the litigation paralegal candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new litigation paralegal. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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 paralegal?