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.
A degree in Legal Support Services covers Legal Support Services. Read on to learn the essential details every legal support services major should know — including career paths, salary data, the skills you will develop, and the best colleges offering legal support services programs.
Across the country, legal support services is a widely-pursued major, with 10,492 degrees awarded annually.
Our 2026 Best Legal Support Services Schools ranking analyzes these 513 schools to determine the best overall colleges for legal support services students. Continue reading to check out one of our many unbiased rankings of legal support services programs later in this article.
Coursework for Legal Support Services emphasize a specific mix of skills, knowledge, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in the occupations legal support services graduates commonly enter.
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.
The skill set built by a legal support services program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:
Per O*NET surveys, a legal support services major emphasizes the following knowledge areas:
There are several legal support services degree levels. The table below shows the typical length of the most common levels, and how many graduates earn each one.
| Degree | Typical Program Length | Graduates Annually |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate | Varies | 2,431 |
| Associate Degree | 2 years | 4,606 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 4 years | 938 |
| Master’s Degree | 1-3 years | 2,385 |
People currently working in careers related to legal support services tend to have obtained the following education levels.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Associate’s degree (or other 2-year) | 27.0% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 22.1% |
| Bachelor’s degree | 19.9% |
| Postsecondary certificate | 16.0% |
| Some college courses | 6.7% |
| Master’s degree | 6.6% |
| Post-master’s certificate | 0.9% |
| Doctoral degree | 0.4% |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 0.3% |
| First professional degree | 0.3% |
View the chart below to get an idea of what level of education most of those in legal support services careers hold.
Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*
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.
A degree in legal support services prepares you for many career paths. Here are some of the most common occupations related to legal support services.
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to legal support services.
| Occupation | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | 807,227 | 10.5% |
| Interpreters and Translators | 424,722 | 12.2% |
| Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers | 286,021 | -4.0% |
| Legal Support Workers, All Other | 197,456 | -0.5% |
| Paralegals and Legal Assistants | 60,495 | 4.4% |
| Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners | 51,457 | 8.7% |
College Scorecard reports median earnings of legal support services graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow as graduates gain experience.
| Years Out | Median Earnings |
|---|---|
| 1 year | $37,277 |
| 4 years | $37,648 |
| 5 years | $42,965 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.
Salaries for legal support services graduates vary widely by occupation. The following table shows the top highest-paying careers legal support services grads often go into.
| Occupation | Median Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Paralegals and Legal Assistants | $134,350 |
| Legal Support Workers, All Other | $80,735 |
| Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners | $76,955 |
| Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers | $67,272 |
| Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | $55,524 |
| Interpreters and Translators | $52,627 |
With 513 different legal support services programs to choose from, finding the best fit can be a challenge. We have analyzed these schools to produce unbiased legal support services school rankings to help you.
Those considering legal support services, you may also want to explore other closely related fields of study within the same broad area.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Legal Assistant/Paralegal | 9,493 |
| Legal Administrative Assistant/Secretary | 403 |
| Court Reporting and Captioning/Court Reporter | 380 |
| Legal Support Services, Other | 212 |
| Court Interpreter | 2 |
| Scopist | 2 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Law | 39,447 |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies | 11,533 |
| Non-Professional Legal Studies | 4,796 |
| Legal Professions and Studies, Other | 2,487 |
More about our data sources and methodologies.
