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Legal administrative assistant

Also called legal secretary, paralegal assistant, litigation secretary

Legal administrative assistants carry out the daily administrative activities of firms, offices of notaries, and companies. They perform activities such as writing mails, phone-answering and typing/keyboarding. They combine these activities with specific knowledge and understanding of the procedures and codes managed in legal business affairs.

Will there be jobs?Average prospects25 jobs to fill by 2035 for every 100 people doing this work today.Business and administration associate professionalsWhat does it pay?About averageFrom about €1,600 (Bulgaria) to €6,300 (Denmark) a month, depending on the country.Estimate · Business and administration associate professionalsWhat do I need to study?Usually post-secondary or a short degree5 in 10 have a degree.Business and administration associate professionalsWill AI change it?SignificantlyLevel 5 of 6. AI could take on part of most tasks, but none fully.Legal secretaries · ILO

What you'd do

Legal secretaries · ILO
  • Preparing and processing legal documents and papers, such as deeds, wills, affidavits and briefs
  • Reviewing and proofreading documents and correspondence to ensure compliance with legal procedures
  • Mailing, faxing or arranging for delivery of legal correspondence to clients, witnesses and court officials
  • Organizing and maintaining documents, case files and law libraries
  • Screening requests for meetings, and scheduling and organizing meetings
  • Assisting in the preparation of budgets, monitoring of expenditures, drafting of contracts and purchasing or acquisition orders
  • Supervising the work of office support workers
Manage personnel agendaPerform office routine activitiesPerform clerical dutiesObserve confidentialityCompile legal documents+ 2 more essential skills
What the work is like
  • Indoors
  • Sitting most of the day
  • Lots of contact with people, including the public
  • Some freedom to decide
  • Usually 40 hours a week
  • Deadlines most weeks
  • Very repetitive tasks
US data: based on the O*NET profile of the US job "Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants"

Will there be jobs?

Average prospects

A typical number of jobs will need filling by 2035.

People working as business and administration associate professionals in the EU
13.29m14.1m14.28m 201520232035

Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.

Jobs to fill, 2026–2035
55,000 new jobs 3,460,000 replacing leavers
Jobs to fill per 100 people working now
Business and administration associate professionals25
All jobs29
Right now
4 of 27 countries report a shortage of legal secretaries, 3 a surplus.
Legal secretaries · EURES

What does it pay?

About average

Pay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,600 a month (Bulgaria) to €6,300 (Denmark), before tax.

Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.

Among technicians and associate professionals in the EU, women earn 16% less per hour than men. Technicians and associate professionals · Eurostat

What do I need to study?

Usually post-secondary or a short degree

Post-secondary training or a short degree in law is the usual route.

Highest qualification of business and administration associate professionals (EU, 2025)
Degree 51%Vocational 31%General secondary 13%Basic schooling 6%
Field that teaches it
Law
Vocational route, EU
Fewer than 1 in 10 trainees in this field
Business and law graduates in a matching job
66% in the EU

1,314 institutions in the EU offer business and law bachelor's degrees. Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.

Will AI change it?

Significantly

AI could take on part of most tasks, but none fully.

How exposed is this job? ILO scale
Very low
Low
Some tasks
Moderate
Significant
High

Average task score 0.55 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).

See the score for each of the 7 tasks
Screening requests for meetings, and scheduling and organizing meetings0.73
Reviewing and proofreading documents and correspondence to ensure compliance with legal procedures0.63
Preparing and processing legal documents and papers, such as deeds, wills, affidavits and briefs0.60
Organizing and maintaining documents, case files and law libraries0.57
Mailing, faxing or arranging for delivery of legal correspondence to clients, witnesses and court officials0.51
Assisting in the preparation of budgets, monitoring of expenditures, drafting of contracts and purchasing or acquisition orders0.46
Supervising the work of office support workers0.34

Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for legal secretaries. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).