Legal Assistant Careers in Columbus, Ohio: Options and Information
The Legal Market in Columbus
Employment in Columbus has experienced significant fluctuations over the past decade, with a 9% increase in demand for legal assistants last year. This demonstrates that legal services are part of a broader growth trend in Ohio. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expects legal paraprofessionals to increase demand as attorneys continue to delegate work formerly done by other attorneys.
Ohio’s stable economy and well-educated workforce make it an excellent place for the legal industry to thrive. In total, Ohio ranks among the 10 best states in the nation for overall opportunity. Nearly half of Ohio workers have a college degree , which is substantially above the national average. An increasingly educated workforce caps unemployment at lower levels than the rest of the country. The BLS predicts that the state will see a 13.2% increase in all occupations over the next decade, with roughly 800,000 jobs added.
Demand for legal services has outpaced the national average over the past few years, with 41% of Columbus’ GDP coming from the professional services sector. The legal industry accounts for over $1.2 billion of this amount. Ohio has more than 15,000 practicing attorneys and 6,130 active paralegals, contributing nearly $250 million annually to the State’s economy. As the State’s economy continues to see positive economic trends, legal services are expected to play an increasingly important role.
Duties of a Legal Assistant
Legal assistants in Columbus and elsewhere perform a wide range of tasks designed to relieve lawyers of as much of the burden of preparing for and assisting with trials as possible. While they cannot perform any tasks that only licensed attorneys can perform, they nonetheless perform a significant amount of the preparatory work required for any trial or arbitration. In addition, many legal assistants are employed by law offices and carry out much of the office’s basic work for all of its cases.
Legal assistants are most often called paralegals. They are typically responsible for preparing documents for filing in court, for gathering information about a case through interviews and interrogatories, and for taking notes during all discovery processes. Although they cannot give any legal advice, they may be called upon for their opinions on how certain documents or decisions fit into the broader goals of a case. They also help with research and filing motions and pleadings that include any technical language.
Much of the work of paralegals involves organizing and evaluating a lawyer’s caseload and relevant information about each case. They are charged with ensuring that no documents are missing from a case and that all are consistent with one another. They often deal with large amounts of evidence, including photos, copy documents, and charts or diagrams. Legal assistants are also called on to deal directly with clients.
Education and Skills Necessary
When it comes to the law firm hiring process in Columbus, educational background and work experience often take precedence over strong soft skills and other transferable qualities. The reality is that while formal training and credentials are critical for legal practice, lawyers place a tremendous amount of value on organizational abilities, professionalism and social intelligence—qualities that can help to make or break the success of their practice.
In most cases, most recruiters and hiring managers will look for the following qualifications and skills:
Education and Certifications. While formal education is not necessarily required to become a legal assistant in Columbus, many law firms will look for applicants with a two- or four-year degree in paralegal studies or a related field. In addition, candidates with voluntary certification from organizations such as the National Association of Legal Secretaries or the National Federation of Paralegal Associations may have an advantage over other applicants when applying for a legal assistant position.
Work Experience. Many law firms require several years of experience, which can be gained through internships or entry-level jobs. Experience can also come from another related industry, such as healthcare, where the legalities manager requires similar skills.
Professional Skills. In addition to education and experience, legal assistants sometimes need to have secretarial skills and attention to detail typically expected of secretaries, along with administrative skills such as office management. Legal assistants must also have strong communication, interpersonal and organizational skills, and the ability to problem-solve.
Having the ideal combination of the qualifications above can put you in a good position to secure a legal assistant job in Columbus.
How to Locate Legal Assistant Positions in the Columbus Area
When searching for legal assistant jobs in Columbus, Ohio, there are a number of resources available to make your job search more efficient. In addition to traditional job boards such as Monster and Indeed, the Central Ohio chapter of the National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc. (NFPA) maintains a list of current job openings on their website . This resource is limited to local job postings, making it an excellent option for paralegals looking for jobs in the Columbus, Ohio area. Online connections are also beneficial for networking purposes, and establishing a relationship with a ranger of hiring managers in the legal field can ultimately lead you to some of the best legal assistant jobs available.
Expected Salary and Benefits
The salary range for legal assistant jobs in Columbus tends to mirror the national landscape to a degree. According to the 2021 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report, paralegals and legal assistants across the nation earn a median annual wage of $56,230. In Columbus, the figure is slightly lower, with the Bureau reporting a mean annual wage of $55,310 for the Columbus area.
Factors that can influence the earnings of a legal assistant include years of experience and level of specialization. A 2018 Robert Half Legal Salary Guide lists the lower-end starting salaries for paralegals and legal assistants in Columbus as follows:
Legal Assistant – $44,750
Paralegal – $47,750
Senior Paralegal – $60,500
Benefits can also vary from employer to employer but often include the following:
- Paid time off
- Paid holidays
- Paid sick leave
- Health insurance
- Retirement benefits
- Education reimbursement
- Flexible work schedule
- Bonuses
The legal assistant position can also come with several non-monetary benefits, such as the opportunity to work in interesting areas of law, the ability to participate in team-based projects and the chance to support access to justice for all.
Advancement Potential
Legal career progression and development might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about legal assistant jobs in Columbus, but it should be. The legal field in Columbus, as well as across the country, has been undergoing a transition for many years now, and the evolution is only speeding up. While some may fear that automation and artificial intelligence (AI) will have an adverse effect on legal careers such as yours, the reality is that straightforward administrative tasks in the industry has been and will continue to be taken over by new technological systems, and humans are being needed more in areas of legal work where higher-level human input is required. That means that legal assistant jobs in Columbus may eventually evolve quite a bit , with many candidates being offered exciting opportunities for career advancement over time. While most legal assistants begin their careers as generalists, opportunities for specialization become more common as the need for natural human interaction in the industry becomes widespread. Paralegals, who are legal professionals who engage in more specialized legal work, are increasingly required to have formal education and certification. With this substantial career advancement benefit on the horizon, pursuing your certifications and specialized education will mean that you’ll be ahead of the curve when it comes to fantastic career opportunities in an evolving field.