by our College Data Analytics TeamA major in Legal Support Services provides an entrance into the exciting and complex world of law. Students will learn the skills needed to support lawyers and other professionals in the legal field.
Your concentration will determine some of your classes. If you decide you would like to be a paralegal, you will learn how to research draft, investigate, keep records, and perform other administrative functions under the supervision of the attorney. Paralegals are as essential to lawyers as nurses are to doctors. Paralegals can do almost anything a lawyer can do except to formally give a client legal advice.
A concentration in Legal Administration Assistance will prepare you to work in a legal office. You will learn about office management, but also law, legal terminology, legal research, legal software, law office procedures, appropriate record keeping, and billing.
Lastly, a Legal Reporting will prepare you to transcribe examinations, testimonies, and judicial orders in an accurate fashion. You will learn about legal terminology and transcription, as well as shorthand writing and verbatim recording.
Many of these degrees are available as Associate's, but some colleges offer them as Bachelor's too. A Bachelor's degree may make you more marketable to employers, but also is a larger investment in time and money.
In 2021-2022, legal support services was the 106th most popular major nationwide with 11,322 degrees awarded. This year's Best Legal Support Services Schools ranking compares 98 of them to identify the best overall programs in the country. Explore this or one of our many other custom legal support rankings further below.
For any of these concentrations, you should be interested in law and the way law works. This major prepares you for a career where you may help lawyers prepare legal materials for a hearing, trial, or corporate meetings. You will be called upon to do research and write clearly about complex issues and lawyers will use that to help make their decisions. You should also be organized and able to adapt to changes in law.
Most of the careers in this field will involve working with various types of people. Interpersonal skills will help you greatly when encountering potentially tense situations. You should be comfortable working with computers and quick to pick up on new technology. Attention to detail and accurate spelling is essential when recording court room proceedings.
A high school diploma or equivalent is typically required for most legal support degree programs and many students will need a minimum GPA and SAT/ACT score depending on the school. In addition to these basic legal support services program qualifications, to serve in some legal support careers, special certification may be required outside of your degree.
There are many different legal support degree levels. You can spend many years getting as high as a in legal support services to something that takes less time like a . Depending on the legal support services degree you choose, obtaining your diploma can take anwhere from 1 to 4+ years.
| Degree | Credit Requirements | Typical Program Length |
|---|---|---|
| Associate Degree | 60-70 credits | 2 years |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 120 credits | 4 years |
| Master’s Degree | 50-70 credits | 1-3 years |
| Doctorate | Program required coursework including thesis or dissertation | At least 4 years |
An associate degree is the most common level of education achieved by those in careers related to legal support, with approximately 29.0% of workers getting one. See the the most common levels of education for legal support workers below.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 31.9% |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 20.1% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 20.0% |
| High School Diploma | 15.2% |
| Some College Courses | 12.0% |
Most workers in legal support have at least a associate degree. The chart below shows what degree level those who work in legal support services have obtained.
The education level required is different depending on the legal support career you are seeking.
Most legal support service workers find jobs as paralegals, legal administrative assistants or court reporters. The careers in the legal support service are growing. You have a good chance of getting a job after graduation, although there will be competition to get into a good firm. Previous work experience may give you the edge you need in finding a good job.
Want a job when you graduate with your legal support degree? Legal Support Services careers are expected to grow 1.6% between 2016 and 2026.
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to legal support services.
| Occupation Name | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Paralegals and Legal Assistants | 327,400 | 14.6% |
| Legal Secretaries | 157,500 | -19.1% |
| Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers | 72,000 | 4.3% |
| Legal Support Workers | 52,800 | 3.7% |
| Court Reporters | 20,300 | 3.6% |
Recently graduated legal support services students earned an average of $36,317 in <nil>. Earnings can range from as low as $22,643 to as high as $66,963. As you might expect, salaries for legal support graduates vary depending on the level of education that was acquired.
Salaries for legal support services graduates can vary widely by the occupation you choose as well. The following table shows the top highest paying careers legal support grads often go into.
| Occupation Name | Median Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Legal Support Workers | $71,420 |
| Court Reporters | $62,390 |
| Paralegals and Legal Assistants | $54,500 |
| Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers | $51,380 |
| Legal Secretaries | $50,040 |
With over 1,215 different legal support degree programs to choose from, finding the best fit for you can be a challenge. Fortunately you have come to the right place. We have analyzed all of these schools to come up with hundreds of unbiased legal support school rankings to help you with this.
Legal Support Services is one of 4 different types of Legal Professions programs to choose from.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Legal Assistant/Paralegal | 10,491 |
| Legal Administrative Assistant/Secretary | 323 |
| Court Reporting and Captioning | 287 |
| Other Legal Support Services | 211 |
| Scopist | 10 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Law | 36,411 |
| Legal Research | 12,336 |
| Non-Professional General Legal Studies | 4,592 |
| Legal Professions (Other) | 2,371 |
