The Job As BLS And O*NET Record It
Paralegal Job Description: Duties, Tasks And Tools
The Paralegal Job Description At A Glance
- A paralegal does legal work that a lawyer delegates, supervises and answers for: research, drafting, filing and getting cases ready for hearings and trials.
- BLS lists eight typical duties, from investigating the facts of a case to scheduling depositions.
- O*NET rates preparing and organizing legal documents the most important task, at 85 out of 100.
- The job changes with the employer: in a small firm a paralegal may follow a case from beginning to end, in a large one a single phase of it.
- A paralegal may not give legal advice, set a fee or take on a client. The ABA and NALA both draw that line.
A paralegal job description has two halves: what the job does, and where it stops. BLS puts the first half in one sentence:
Paralegals and legal assistants support lawyers by performing a variety of tasks, such as maintaining and organizing files, conducting legal research, and drafting documents.
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, What Paralegals and Legal Assistants Do
The second half belongs to the lawyer. In the ABA's definition, a paralegal "performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a lawyer is responsible." BLS counts paralegals and legal assistants as one occupation, SOC 23-2011, so everything in this paralegal job description applies to both titles, and paralegal vs. legal assistant explains when the second title means a different job.
What Does A Paralegal Do?
BLS lists these as the typical duties, in its own words:
- Investigate and gather the facts of a case.
- Research laws, regulations, and legal articles that are relevant to a case.
- Gather, organize, and maintain legal documents.
- Draft correspondence and legal documents, such as confirmation letters and contracts.
- Obtain affidavits and other formal statements that may be used as evidence in court.
- Help lawyers during trials with tasks such as handling exhibits, taking notes, or reviewing trial transcripts.
- File exhibits, briefs, appeals, and other legal documents with the appropriate court, government agency, or opposing counsel.
- Call clients, witnesses, lawyers, and others to schedule interviews, meetings, and depositions.
All of it points one way. "Paralegals and legal assistants help lawyers prepare for hearings, trials, and other proceedings." NALA, the paralegal association, keeps a list of its own, and three of its duties go further than the BLS wording, closer to the lawyer's side of the work:
- Summarize depositions, interrogatories and testimony.
- Attend executions of wills, real estate closings, depositions, court or administrative hearings and trials with the attorney.
- Author and sign correspondence provided the paralegal status is clearly indicated and the correspondence does not contain independent legal opinions or legal advice.
The last one carries its own condition. A paralegal can sign a letter, but not one that gives legal advice.
Paralegal Duties Ranked By Importance
O*NET, the Labor Department's database of occupations, scores each task in the paralegal job description for importance, out of 100, and marks it core or supplemental. These are its top eight:
| Task | Importance | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Prepare affidavits or other documents, such as legal correspondence, and organize and maintain documents in paper or electronic filing system. | 85 | Core |
| Prepare, edit, or review legal documents, including legislation, briefs, pleadings, appeals, wills, contracts, and real estate closing statements. | 83 | Core |
| 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. | 77 | Core |
| Prepare for trial by performing tasks such as organizing exhibits. | 74 | Core |
| Meet with clients and other professionals to discuss details of cases. | 73 | Core |
| Gather and analyze research data, such as statutes, decisions, and legal articles, codes, and documents. | 72 | Core |
| File pleadings with court clerks. | 72 | Supplemental |
| Direct and coordinate law office activity, including delivery of subpoenas. | 58 | Supplemental |
Document work leads the list, then investigating the facts and law of a case, then getting ready for trial and meeting clients. Six of the eight are core tasks. Filing pleadings with court clerks rates 72, level with gathering and analyzing research data, but O*NET marks it supplemental where research is core.
How The Job Changes With The Employer
The size of the office changes the work as much as the kind of law. BLS: "In small firms, for example, they may work on all aspects of a case from beginning to end. In larger firms, they may work on a particular phase of a case, such as helping to prepare witnesses for deposition or trial."
The area of law changes it too, in BLS's words: "Specific duties for paralegals and legal assistants may vary depending on the area, such as bankruptcy or intellectual property, or type of law in which they work." BLS gives litigation as its example: "For example, in litigation, paralegals and legal assistants may help lawyers to prepare for trial, such as by researching case law and drafting documents, and to coordinate trial logistics, including by transporting exhibits to the courtroom and setting up equipment." NALA names a wider range: "Paralegals work in a variety of legal practice areas, ranging from litigation and trial practice to tax, real estate transactions, and estate planning."
Where it happens is mostly one kind of office. BLS: "Most paralegals and legal assistants work in law offices." Legal services, the industry law firms belong to, holds 75% of paralegal jobs. Where paralegals work covers the other employers and what each one pays.
Where A Paralegal's Job Stops
Every duty above is done under a lawyer, and the edge of the job is whatever only a licensed lawyer may do. NALA puts it in one sentence: "Paralegals cannot give legal advice or perform any duty specifically reserved for licensed attorneys." And it adds a rule about how the paralegal speaks to people outside the office: "In communications with clients and the public, the paralegal's non-lawyer status must be clear."
The ABA's model guidelines go further and name what a lawyer may not hand over at all: taking on a client, setting the fee and giving a legal opinion. Paralegal vs. lawyer quotes them and sets the two jobs side by side.
The Tools In A Paralegal Job Description
O*NET lists the software paralegals and legal assistants use, by category. These are the categories that carry the legal work, with examples O*NET names in each:
| Used for | O*NET category | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Legal research | Information retrieval or search software | LexisNexis, Thomson Reuters Westlaw |
| Documents and files | Document management software | Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft SharePoint, Summation Blaze |
| Practice and case management | Customer relationship management CRM software | Software Technology PracticeMaster, Thomson West ProLaw |
| Case databases | Data base user interface and query software | Microsoft Access, TrialWorks |
| Litigation support | Analytical or scientific software | Litigation support software |
What The Work Is Like Day To Day
It's office work with trips out: "Occasional travel may be required, such as to accompany attorneys to depositions or trials." It's team work, too: "Paralegals and legal assistants often work on teams with attorneys and other legal support staff." And it can be hard going. "Their work may be stressful because it can be fast paced, and they may be required to work on multiple projects simultaneously under tight deadlines."
O*NET's survey of people in the job puts numbers on that: 100% use email every day, 75% talk face to face every day and 73% take phone calls every day. Being exact is extremely important to 79% of them. Strict deadlines come every day for 43%, and at least once a week for another 54%. It isn't a job of taking orders alone, either: 47% say they have a lot of freedom to set their own tasks and priorities, and 35% some.
BLS names five qualities the job asks for: communication, attention to detail, interpersonal skills, organization and research. Pay for the work is on the paralegal salary page, state by state.
Common Questions About The Paralegal Job Description
What does a paralegal do?
What does a paralegal job description list as the main duties?
Is being a paralegal stressful?
Do paralegals need a degree?
What software do paralegals use?
Sources For The Paralegal Job Description
- Duties, settings and working conditions: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Paralegals and Legal Assistants, page last modified August 27, 2026, What They Do, Work Environment and How to Become One.
- Tasks and their ratings, software, work context and education: O*NET OnLine, Paralegals and Legal Assistants (23-2011.00), updated 2026.
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Paralegals and Legal Assistants (SOC 23-2011).
- NALA's duties and the limit on legal advice: NALA, What Do Paralegals Do?; practice areas: NALA, Paralegal Info.
- The definition: ABA Standing Committee on Paralegals, Current ABA Definition of Paralegal, adopted February 2020.
- Every source read on October 5, 2026.