Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
Also called: Legal Administrative Assistant (Legal Admin Assistant), Legal Office Support Assistant, Legal Practice Assistant, Legal SecretaryPerform secretarial duties using legal terminology, procedures, and documents. Prepare legal papers and correspondence, such as summonses, complaints, motions, and subpoenas. May also assist with legal research.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on all 14 of its tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 5.2% by 2035. In the most exposed occupations, the squeeze shows up first among early-career workers. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 1.4% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.9 hires for every 10 job openings in professional and business services, which employs about 84% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.9 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $45,950 | $36,660 to $57,680 | 1,840 |
| Alaska | $61,280 | $50,530 to $62,190 | 660 |
| Arizona | $55,120 | $47,870 to $74,940 | 2,600 |
| Arkansas | $41,410 | $34,530 to $48,640 | 610 |
| California | $62,860 | $50,040 to $80,650 | 27,470 |
| Colorado | $59,490 | $49,340 to $82,390 | 2,030 |
| Connecticut | $66,220 | $56,150 to $81,050 | 1,090 |
| Delaware | $66,130 | $59,750 to $80,110 | 980 |
| District of Columbia | $99,280 | $64,670 to $107,690 | 1,940 |
| Florida | $48,510 | $40,960 to $64,800 | 10,920 |
| Georgia | $48,460 | $40,990 to $60,830 | 3,260 |
| Guam | $46,430 | $41,180 to $52,040 | 50 |
| Hawaii | $49,460 | $48,310 to $64,800 | 680 |
| Idaho | $41,880 | $38,990 to $46,010 | 420 |
| Illinois | $52,790 | $47,120 to $68,030 | 8,030 |
| Indiana | $47,740 | $42,880 to $61,540 | 2,670 |
| Iowa | $46,590 | $38,560 to $56,660 | 1,120 |
| Kansas | $36,620 | $30,520 to $45,140 | 1,600 |
| Kentucky | $39,300 | $35,410 to $47,510 | 2,810 |
| Louisiana | $48,050 | $37,730 to $61,030 | 2,460 |
| Maine | $48,040 | $44,240 to $58,960 | 860 |
| Maryland | $61,440 | $49,920 to $77,580 | 1,670 |
| Massachusetts | $62,120 | $48,040 to $77,420 | 4,020 |
| Michigan | $56,870 | $44,030 to $71,970 | 3,580 |
| Minnesota | $63,180 | $54,460 to $79,410 | 2,410 |
| Mississippi | $45,140 | $31,750 to $54,240 | 820 |
| Missouri | $38,560 | $36,270 to $53,720 | 3,310 |
| Montana | not published | not published | 730 |
| Nebraska | $45,800 | $34,840 to $56,750 | 1,310 |
| Nevada | $56,470 | $47,870 to $70,530 | 1,430 |
| New Hampshire | $51,830 | $44,980 to $69,260 | 300 |
| New Jersey | $63,080 | $48,910 to $76,100 | 4,160 |
| New Mexico | $57,800 | $48,210 to $65,760 | 1,400 |
| New York | $72,230 | $52,780 to $97,220 | 9,800 |
| North Carolina | $43,720 | $36,890 to $50,650 | 3,780 |
| North Dakota | $53,540 | $46,470 to $61,620 | 360 |
| Ohio | $51,080 | $41,230 to $62,130 | 4,360 |
| Oklahoma | $45,950 | $37,380 to $52,830 | 1,290 |
| Oregon | $59,610 | $45,270 to $82,730 | 1,590 |
| Pennsylvania | $51,430 | $45,730 to $60,320 | 6,230 |
| Puerto Rico | $31,000 | $27,620 to $38,320 | 2,530 |
| Rhode Island | $63,020 | $43,680 to $80,890 | 390 |
| South Carolina | $52,840 | $42,220 to $59,030 | 2,280 |
| South Dakota | $47,790 | $42,790 to $51,010 | 560 |
| Tennessee | $45,340 | $37,310 to $59,640 | 2,980 |
| Texas | $45,940 | $41,590 to $62,610 | 13,380 |
| Utah | $52,860 | $43,040 to $66,500 | 940 |
| Vermont | $49,090 | $46,580 to $55,210 | not published |
| Virginia | $55,320 | $44,060 to $69,020 | 2,380 |
| Washington | $58,360 | $49,400 to $77,560 | 3,950 |
| West Virginia | $46,960 | $33,890 to $54,570 | 1,200 |
| Wisconsin | $55,410 | $48,270 to $61,920 | 1,210 |
| Wyoming | $46,960 | $46,770 to $50,960 | 280 |
Nationally: $55,570. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on all 14 of its tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI alone | Mail, fax, or arrange for delivery of legal correspondence to clients, witnesses, and court officials. | Not published |
| AI alone | Make photocopies of correspondence, documents, and other printed matter. | Not published |
| AI + software | Organize and maintain law libraries, documents, and case files. | Not published |
| AI alone | Receive and place telephone calls. | Not published |
| AI + software | Prepare, proofread, or process legal documents, such as summonses, subpoenas, complaints, appeals, motions, or pretrial agreements. | 0.04% |
| AI alone | Prepare and distribute invoices to bill clients or pay account expenses. | Not published |
See all 14 tasks
| AI + software | Schedule and make appointments. | 0.01% |
| AI + software | Assist attorneys in collecting information such as employment, medical, and other records. | Not published |
| AI alone | Draft and type office memos. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Complete various forms, such as accident reports, trial and courtroom requests, and applications for clients. | Not published |
| AI + software | Submit articles and information from searches to attorneys for review and approval for use. | Not published |
| AI + software | Attend legal meetings, such as client interviews, hearings, or depositions, and take notes. | Not published |
| AI + software | Review legal publications and perform database searches to identify laws and court decisions relevant to pending cases. | 0.01% |
| AI alone | Make travel arrangements for attorneys. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 4 of the 14 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 14 tasks fall under 15 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #1 Gather information from physical or electronic sources
- #11 Provide information to guests, clients, or customers
- #19 Provide general assistance to others, such as customers, patrons, or motorists
- and 1 more, in the table below
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prepare documentation for contracts, applications, or permits | |||
| Gather information from physical or electronic sources | |||
| Provide information to guests, clients, or customers | |||
| Provide general assistance to others, such as customers, patrons, or motorists | |||
| Perform administrative or clerical activities | |||
| Examine materials or documentation for accuracy or compliance | |||
| Communicate with others about operational plans or activities | |||
| Issue documentation |
Show all 15 activities
| Operate office equipment | |||
| Collect data about consumer needs or opinions | |||
| Schedule appointments | |||
| Prepare legal or regulatory documents | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Process shipments or mail | |||
| Record information about legal matters |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A document or report66%
- An email or message7%
- An analysis or summary3%
- An explanation or answer3%
- A plan or strategy3%
How they worked with Claude
68% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for legal secretaries and administrative assistants specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 29,278 moves out
- 1 Paralegals and Legal Assistants High -0.3% 18%
- 2 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 12%
- 3 Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants Very high +0.0% 5%
- 4 First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers Very high +0.1% 3%
- 5 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
Where people moved in from
of 28,016 moves in
- 1 Paralegals and Legal Assistants High -0.3% 15%
- 2 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 14%
- 3 Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants Very high +0.0% 4%
- 4 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 4%
- 5 Receptionists and Information Clerks Very high -1.7% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 17% high school
- 14% postsecondary certificate
- 13% some college
- 48% associate's
- 7% bachelor's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 19 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 2% less than high school
- 24% high school
- 25% some college
- 20% associate's
- 25% bachelor's
- 4% master's
- 1% professional degree
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 552 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
1 program: Legal Administrative Assistant/Secretary.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
13.0% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | <0.5% | 19.1% |
| a certification | not published | |
| an educational certificate | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 1 registered apprenticeship in this occupation (LEGAL SECRETARY). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS · Brynjolfsson, Chandar and Chen, Stanford (Aug 2026)
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/43-6012.00