What does a litigation paralegal do?
A litigation paralegal is a specialist who is responsible for assisting attorneys throughout the trial process. On the plaintiff side, litigation paralegals conduct initial client interviews and legal research for case preparations. They assist with the preliminary examinations of witnesses and jury selection in the courtroom. Litigation paralegals often assist attorneys with case settlements and help identify issues for appeals. They must also possess excellent skills in verbal and written communication and should have great attention in detail.
Litigation paralegal responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real litigation paralegal resumes:
- 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.
- Enter contracts and other documents into Sharepoint.
- Gather, review, and proofread documents for accuracy and consistency.
- Review files and assemble documents for IRS estate tax return audits.
- Prepare legal papers and correspondence, such as summonses, complaints, motions.
- Follow up weekly on all outstanding summonses until proper service is obtained, note and receive.
- Work with the nursing homes in finding solutions for patients who need to file for Medicaid.
- Conduct routine legal research using Westlaw; prepare legal research memos and discuss findings with requesting attorney.
- Help Medicaid patient's families fill out documentation so their love ones can receive the benefits need.
- Complete all conflicts reports, process search requests, update client matters, perform affiliation research using Lexis Nexis and Google.
Litigation paralegal skills and personality traits
We calculated that 22% of Litigation Paralegals are proficient in Litigation, Law Firm, and Trial Preparation. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Computer skills, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Litigation Paralegals that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Litigation, 22%
Assisted one Litigation Partner and two Litigation Associates in the Insurance and Commercial Litigation Department with litigation support as requested.
- Law Firm, 8%
Provided exceptional legal and administrative support to 8 litigation attorneys at a multifaceted law firm.
- Trial Preparation, 7%
Involved in all aspects of litigation support including research, medical record analysis, investigation, document management and trial preparation.
- Legal Research, 7%
Gather and document factual information by interviewing clients and perform routine legal research to assist attorneys in determining appropriate legal action.
- Subpoenas, 7%
Prepared subpoenas to request required documentation needed for discovery and reviewed the subpoenaed documents to determine all necessary documentation was received.
- Discovery Responses, 5%
Reviewed and approved legal pleadings filed by outside counsel and assisting with drafting discovery responses and providing documents for production.
Common skills that a litigation paralegal uses to do their job include "litigation," "law firm," and "trial preparation." You can find details on the most important litigation paralegal responsibilities below.
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a litigation paralegal to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "paralegals must be able to document and present their research and related information to their supervising attorney." Litigation paralegals often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "manage expert witness files, deposition coverage, and communication with national counsel for use in tobacco litigation. "
Computer skills. Many litigation paralegal duties rely on computer skills. "paralegals need to be familiar with using computers for legal research and litigation support," so a litigation paralegal will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways litigation paralegal responsibilities rely on computer skills: "organized and computer-logged hundreds of litigation files, ranging from asbestos exposure to product liability cases. "
Interpersonal skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of litigation paralegals is interpersonal skills. This skill is critical to many everyday litigation paralegal duties, as "paralegals spend most of their time working with clients and other professionals and must be able to develop good relationships." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "secured interpersonal relationships with other firms/counsels to guarantee documents are executed prior to confirmed foreclosure sale dates. "
Organizational skills. litigation paralegal responsibilities often require "organizational skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "paralegals may be responsible for many cases at one time." This resume example shows what litigation paralegals do with organizational skills on a typical day: "required excellent organizational and teamwork skills, a high level of accuracy, attention to detail, and proofreading skills. "
Research skills. A commonly-found skill in litigation paralegal job descriptions, "research skills" is essential to what litigation paralegals do. Litigation paralegal responsibilities rely on this skill because "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." You can also see how litigation paralegal duties rely on research skills in this resume example: "conducted research regarding commercial litigation, specifically environmental land conditions and contract languages. "
The three companies that hire the most litigation paralegals are:
- Robert Half37 litigation paralegals jobs
- Splunk23 litigation paralegals jobs
- Frontline Source Group22 litigation paralegals jobs
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Compare different litigation paralegals
Litigation paralegal vs. 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. They are required to conduct research and present it to their superiors for case preparations. They must assist their senior lawyers in organizing all of their legal paperwork that includes case files, evidence records, and legal documents. Law interns are also required to be present in the courtroom to assist lawyers and experience actual courtroom proceedings.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a litigation paralegal are more likely to require skills like "discovery responses," "mediation," "excellent organizational," and "affidavits." On the other hand, a job as a law internship requires skills like "legal memos," "legal intern," "intellectual property," and "law enforcement." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
On average, law interns reach similar levels of education than litigation paralegals. Law interns are 2.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 12.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Litigation paralegal vs. Summer associate
Summer associates are law students hired seasonally by law firms. The aim is for future lawyers to be exposed to the practical aspects of a firm. Typically, this program lasts for nine weeks, beginning in May and running through July. Summer associates are expected to be friendly and kind to people, preserve company reputation, support other associates, and perform legal tasks appropriately.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, litigation paralegal responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "discovery responses," "mediation," "excellent organizational," and "affidavits." Meanwhile, a summer associate has duties that require skills in areas such as "first hand," "client facing," "team work," and "financial models." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, summer associates earn a lower salary than litigation paralegals. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, summer associates earn the most pay in the professional industry with an average salary of $86,415. Whereas litigation paralegals have higher pay in the professional industry, with an average salary of $64,050.In general, summer associates achieve higher levels of education than litigation paralegals. They're 6.7% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 12.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for litigation paralegals in the next 3-5 years?
Sharon Sawyer
Program Coordinator of Justice Studies, Assistant Professor, University of Maine at Augusta
Litigation paralegal vs. 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. They reference laws and state regulations to identify the clients' options for case resolution. A criminal justice lawyer must have extensive knowledge of the legal industry, as well as possessing excellent critical-thinking skills to strategize appeals and negotiate pleas on trials.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, litigation paralegals are more likely to have skills like "litigation," "law firm," "trial preparation," and "discovery responses." But a criminal justice lawyer is more likely to have skills like "criminal justice," "semester," "public safety," and "syllabus."
Criminal justice lawyers earn the best pay in the professional industry, where they command an average salary of $50,030. Litigation paralegals earn the highest pay from the professional industry, with an average salary of $64,050.Most criminal justice lawyers achieve a higher degree level compared to litigation paralegals. For example, they're 8.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Litigation paralegal vs. Legal administrator
The job of legal administrative assistants is to provide support to lawyers and paralegals. They typically perform legal research, manage schedules, and draft legal-related documents. Other duties include interpreting laws, regulations, and rulings in legal documents, obtaining information from other agencies or organizations, and preparing management and legal reports. In addition, legal administrative assistants are responsible for updating and maintaining databases and ensuring to provide effective administrative assistance. They are also expected to schedule client meetings and court hearings.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between litigation paralegals and legal administrators, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a litigation paralegal might have more use for skills like "discovery responses," "mediation," "excellent organizational," and "affidavits." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of legal administrators require skills like "veterans," "data entry," "in-house counsel," and "life insurance. "
The government industry tends to pay the highest salaries for legal administrators, with average annual pay of $54,616. Comparatively, the highest litigation paralegal annual salary comes from the professional industry.In general, legal administrators hold similar degree levels compared to litigation paralegals. Legal administrators are 3.9% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 1.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of litigation paralegal
Updated January 8, 2025
