Headline risk
37%
High RiskParalegals and legal assistants
United States AI Work Index tracks this occupation on the shared structural baseline and then layers on local demand resilience, wages, and confidence.
Why This Score
Weighted task overlap from O*NET
Median annual from BLS OEWS
BLS employment projections
O*NET job zone level
Occupation profile
Assist lawyers by investigating facts, preparing legal documents, or researching legal precedent. Conduct research to support a legal proceeding, to formulate a defense, or to initiate legal action.
Task evidence
61% weighted task match · 12% effective coverage
Method contract
structural_pressure = exposure × (1 - bottleneck)
headline_risk = structural_pressure × (1 - country_demand_resilience)
United States Now
Median Wage
USD 61,010
Employment 2024
376.2K
Projected Change
0.2%
Openings
39.3K
Wage distribution
Demand outlook
Employment of paralegals and legal assistants is projected to decline 0 percent from 2024 to 2034.
Role Profile
Tasks
- 1. Prepare affidavits or other documents, such as legal correspondence, and organize and maintain documents in paper or electronic filing system. AI 0%
- 2. Prepare, edit, or review legal documents, including legislation, briefs, pleadings, appeals, wills, contracts, and real estate closing statements.
- 3. Gather and analyze research data, such as statutes, decisions, and legal articles, codes, and documents. AI 94%
- 4. Prepare for trial by performing tasks such as organizing exhibits. AI 0%
- 5. Meet with clients and other professionals to discuss details of cases.
- 6. Investigate facts and law of cases and search pertinent sources, such as public records and internet sources, to determine causes of action and to prepare cases. AI 0%
Technologies
Requirements
Work context
Worker profile
Median age 42.8 · 486K employed
Under 25: 10% · 25–54: 63% · 55+: 27%
Related
No direct US role match is available yet for this occupation.
Source coverage
11/11 source families · O*NET 30.2 / OEWS 2024 / ORS 2025 / OOH 2025-08-28 / Projections 2024-34 / CPS 2025 / Anthropic task penetration
Mapping quality
crosswalk_exact · employment series present
Narrative & sources
Paralegals and legal assistants support lawyers by performing a variety of tasks, such as maintaining and organizing files, conducting legal research, and drafting documents.
Paralegals and legal assistants typically work in offices for a variety of employers, including law firms and government agencies. Most work full time.
Paralegals and legal assistants typically need an associate’s degree or certificate in paralegal studies to enter the occupation. Some employers prefer to hire candidates who have a bachelor’s degree; others may consider candidates who have a high school diploma and experience.
The median annual wage for paralegals and legal assistants was $61,010 in May 2024.
Employment of paralegals and legal assistants is projected to decline 0 percent from 2024 to 2034.
Published limitations
This page shows the local country layer, not realised individual job outcomes. The global structural baseline is shared across countries; only the local demand and wage layer changes here.
Built from O*NET occupation descriptions, task statements, technology skills, work context, Job Zones, Anthropic task penetration, BLS OEWS wages, BLS projection tables, BLS ORS requirements, BLS OOH narrative content, BLS skills data, and BLS CPS occupation age tables.