How To Become An Office Manager And Legal Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

What is an office manager and legal assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Emily Allen-Hornblower

For the effective functioning of an office for various financial, managerial, and administrative tasks, an office manager is needed. An office assistant is expected to ensure the smooth running of an organization by managing the database, organizing meetings, booking accommodation and transport, and organizing companies' conferences and events. Part of your job description allows you to manage the office budget, prepare letters, reports, and presentations. At the same time, a legal assistant is in charge of supporting lawyers with various tasks. You will be in charge of drafting and reviewing documents, conducting legal research, preparing hearings, meetings, and trials, and organizing and maintaining files. You will also be responsible for communicating with the clients and witnesses to schedule meetings, depositions, and interviews. As a legal assistant, assisting and supporting lawyers in terms of collecting, examining, and organizing evidence majorly for case preparation and attorney review is your job.

Basic skills requirements for an office assistant include attention to detail, excellent verbal and written communication, and technology knowledge. As a legal assistant, technical skills, writing skills, and excellent interpersonal relationships are skills required for this position. The average salary of an office manager is $80,914 yearly, while the average salary a legal assistant earns yearly is $43,672. The educational qualification of an office manager is a bachelor's degree in business administration or other related fields, while a legal assistant educational qualification is a bachelor's degree in Law.

What general advice would you give to an office manager and legal assistant?

Emily Allen-Hornblower

Associate Professor of Classics, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

"I would say, think broadly. Your CV gives you an edge - you chose a course of study that is somewhat atypical, original (and a great conversation starter!) that gave you widely applicable skills.

I mean, who studies Classics? Who willingly subjects themselves to the rigors of Latin or Greek - or both? Who commits to navigating the intricacies of an interdisciplinary path that combines some of the most vital areas of inquiry for our time: social and cultural history, political science, philosophy, psychology, literary studies, material culture?

A go-getter. Someone who is passionate. And is Driven.

And you know what? Employers know that. They see that on your CV, and they think, wow - here is someone interesting and hard-working and who thinks out of the box. And they are right. Xerox saw that. Macy's saw that. The Air Force Intelligence Officer who hired one of our (female!) undergraduates as an officer saw that. The software engineer who hired another one of our grads to join his team as a full-time software engineer saw that. Oxford University Press in New York City saw that - and hired another recent grad as a full-time intern in their Higher Education Editorial Development department. SO: Classics majors, think big and broad. There is no restricted path for what is next.

So - Graduating seniors in Classics (and other Liberal Arts degrees), as you prepare to go forward into the world, you have good reason to go forth with pride, and enter the world after college, with all its question marks and inevitable bumps in the road, with confidence.
A Classics major is excellent preparation for the pursuit of a wide range of careers in a large number of fields, including, but not limited to, government, law, education, business, journalism, library science, publishing, foreign service, finance, the entertainment industry, museum, and preservation work, pharmaceutical sciences, music, and the arts, foundations, technology, web design, and labor relations. So think broadly. You've got this. "

ScoreOffice Manager And Legal AssistantUS Average

Salary

4.4

Avg. Salary $56,303

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.0

Growth rate 14%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.40%

Asian 5.57%

Black or African American 8.77%

Hispanic or Latino 20.25%

Unknown 4.78%

White 60.23%

Gender

female 88.85%

male 11.15%

Age - 47

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47

Stress level

7.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.5

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.3

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an office manager and legal assistant

Explore office manager and legal assistant education requirements

Most common office manager and legal assistant degrees

Bachelor's

50.7 %

Associate

27.5 %

High School Diploma

8.7 %

Start to develop specific office manager and legal assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Payroll	9.19%
Discovery Responses	7.27%
Litigation	6.35%
Legal Research	5.34%
Scheduling Appointments	4.96%

Complete relevant office manager and legal assistant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New office managers and legal assistant learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an office manager and legal assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real office manager and legal assistant resumes.

Gain additional office manager and legal assistant certifications

Office manager and legal assistant certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific office manager and legal assistant certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for office managers and legal assistant include Certified Paralegal/Certified Legal Assistant (CP/CLA) and Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA).

More About Certifications

Research office manager and legal assistant duties and responsibilities

Gather and prepare documents for binders/notebooks for depositions, arbitration, hearings/trial; manage incoming document production mostly for litigation purposes.
Prepare all pleadings for family law cases, as well as document preparation for bankruptcy and probate cases.
Practice include plaintiff's personal injury, family law, criminal, real estate transactions, probate, corporate, collections.
Draft legal documents including correspondence, pleadings, interrogatories, subpoenas and affidavits.

Prepare your office manager and legal assistant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your office manager and legal assistant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an office manager and legal assistant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable office manager and legal assistant resume templates

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