How To Become A Paralegal Specialist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a paralegal specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

A paralegal specialist is a law professional who assists lawyers with a variety of legal tasks. They help in researching cases, preparing draft documents for trials or hearings, drafting legal opinions, and interviewing witnesses in preparation for an appearance in court. A paralegal specialist may opt to focus on a particular area of law such as family, real estate, corporate law, bankruptcy, etc., or to practice in all areas.

Paralegal specialists work closely with other lawyers, court personnel, and staff in other departments. They can work in legal clinics, law firms, corporate organizations, government institutions, and non-profit organizations.

To succeed in their role, they should have extensive knowledge of the law, research skills, confidence, communication skills, interpersonal skills, and attention to detail. Paralegal specialists usually work full-time, 40 hours per week, from Monday to Saturday between 9 and 5. They may work additional hours in the evenings and during the weekends when they travel to meet clients.

ScoreParalegal SpecialistUS Average

Salary

4.8

Avg. Salary $61,244

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.0

Growth rate 14%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.41%

Asian 5.92%

Black or African American 9.74%

Hispanic or Latino 17.11%

Unknown 4.88%

White 61.94%

Gender

female 62.16%

male 37.84%

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 a paralegal specialist

Explore paralegal specialist education requirements

Most common paralegal specialist degrees

Bachelor's

52.2 %

Associate

21.1 %

Master's

7.7 %

Start to develop specific paralegal specialist skills

Skills	Percentages
Legal Research	13.53%
Litigation	10.05%
Government Agencies	8.82%
International Law	8.50%
Appeals	8.48%

Complete relevant paralegal specialist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New paralegal specialists 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 a paralegal specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real paralegal specialist resumes.

Research paralegal specialist duties and responsibilities

Manage various types of discovery materials; index/cross-reference network database information; and organize litigation exhibits in preparation for trial.
Research cases using LexisNexis and WestLaw.
Help develop cases by maintaining contact with people involve in the case; scheduling depositions; and prepare and forward subpoenas.
Interview charging parties/aggrieve individuals to answer discovery interrogatories and requests for productions.

Prepare your paralegal specialist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your paralegal specialist 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 a paralegal specialist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable paralegal specialist resume templates

Build a professional paralegal specialist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your paralegal specialist resume.