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Boston Career Explorer

Legal

Paralegals and Legal Assistants

Assist lawyers by investigating facts, preparing legal documents, or researching legal precedent. Conduct research to support a legal proceeding, to formulate a defense, or to initiate legal action.

Also called: Immigration Paralegal, Law Associate, Legal Analyst, Legal Assistant, Legal Clerk, Legal Processing Assistant

Median pay in Greater Boston
$79,850
$38.39/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
6,300
Massachusetts 2024–2034
−5.3%
730 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Associate's degree

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$50,340$63,850$79,850$98,470$126,470

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Prepare affidavits or other documents, such as legal correspondence, and organize and maintain documents in paper or electronic filing system.
  • Prepare, edit, or review legal documents, including legislation, briefs, pleadings, appeals, wills, contracts, and real estate closing statements.
  • 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.
  • Prepare for trial by performing tasks such as organizing exhibits.
  • Meet with clients and other professionals to discuss details of cases.
  • Gather and analyze research data, such as statutes, decisions, and legal articles, codes, and documents.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Higher exposure82 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 85
  • Language-model AIOE 88
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 73

Observed AI use today: Substantial (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure is higher for this job, and observed AI use is substantial. AI tools can help with legal research and with preparing and reviewing documents, and federal projections say this may reduce the need for some of these workers. Massachusetts projects a 5.3% decline. Meeting with clients and organizing trial materials still rely on people.

Likely to change

  • Legal research and searching public records
  • Preparing and reviewing legal documents

Still relies on people

  • Meeting with clients and other professionals
  • Organizing exhibits and trial preparation

What federal projections say

“Productivity change - share decreases as tasks such as conducting research and preparing documents are increasingly automated via technology including artificial intelligence (AI), reducing the need for these workers.”
BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, factors affecting this job (U.S.)

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

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Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

14 programs near Boston (plus 1 graduate)

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