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JOB REPORT / 23-2011 · 12 TASKS

Paralegals and Legal Assistants.

Can AI do the work of Paralegals?

AI drafts and reviews documents fast. Building the argument and catching its mistakes are becoming the job.

YOUR EXPERIENCE MATTERS

How does this fit your work?

How many tasks do you use AI to assist with at work?

Drag the dot. There’s no wrong answer; it starts at our estimate.

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The mark shows what’s typical for this job.

The parts of your job AI can already do most of:

  • Prepare & organize documents
  • Research facts & case law
  • Draft & review filings

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A guided certificate program in AI-assisted Paralegals and Legal Assistants work. It covers the 11 AI-affected parts of your job and ends in a capstone a person reviews.

WHAT WE LOOKED AT

Your job, task by task.

11 of 12 tasks reviewed

This job has 12 core tasks. We went through 11 of them, one at a time.

Task by task, from the work Paralegals actually do. How we describe AI use in each task is our own read of it, not a measurement of whether AI can replace the job.

  1. TASK 01

    Prepare affidavits or other documents, such as legal correspondence, and organize and maintain documents in paper or electronic filing system.

    AI DOES

    Drafts documents and keeps the filing system tidy

    YOU DO

    Catch what is wrong or missing

  2. TASK 02

    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.

    AI DOES

    Searches records and surfaces precedent

    YOU DO

    Spot the fabricated or wrong citation

  3. TASK 03

    Prepare, edit, or review legal documents, including legislation, briefs, pleadings, appeals, wills, contracts, and real estate closing statements.

    AI DOES

    Produces first drafts of briefs and contracts

    YOU DO

    Check accuracy, tone, and risk

  4. TASK 04

    Prepare for trial by performing tasks such as organizing exhibits.

    AI DOES

    Organizes exhibits and timelines

    YOU DO

    Make the case land

  5. TASK 05SOURCE-BACKED TASK

    Gather and analyze research data, such as statutes, decisions, and legal articles, codes, and documents.

    AI DOES

    Summarizes the law in seconds

    YOU DO

    Decide what actually matters

    About this analysis

    50% · Methodology: exposure-v1 · Analysis date: unavailable · Confidence: medium

  6. TASK 06

    Meet with clients and other professionals to discuss details of cases.

    AI DOES

    Preps notes and questions

    YOU DO

    Read the room and hold the trust

  7. TASK 07

    Arbitrate disputes between parties and assist in the real estate closing process, such as by reviewing title searches.

    AI DOES

    Scans title documents, flags liens or gaps, and summarizes findings fast

    YOU DO

    Apply legal judgment, communicate with parties, and take responsibility for closing decisions

  8. TASK 08

    Appraise and inventory real and personal property for estate planning.

    AI DOES

    Drafts inventory templates, pulls comparable property data, and formats asset lists

    YOU DO

    Visit and inspect property in person to confirm condition and gather accurate details

  9. TASK 09

    Keep and monitor legal volumes to ensure that the law library is up-to-date.

    AI DOES

    Scans databases and publisher alerts to flag outdated volumes and generate update checklists

    YOU DO

    Physically inspect shelves, receive shipments, and make judgment calls about what the library actually needs

  10. TASK 10

    File pleadings with court clerks.

    AI DOES

    Checks documents for formatting errors and helps track filing deadlines

    YOU DO

    Own the submission, verify court rules, and take responsibility for timely filing

  11. TASK 11

    Direct and coordinate law office activity, including delivery of subpoenas.

    AI DOES

    Helps draft schedules, track deadlines, and organize task lists

    YOU DO

    Show up in person, coordinate people, and handle real-world legal logistics

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Data sources and attribution

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. rtwoai has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Wage and employment figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (2025). Job outlook is from the BLS Employment Projections program, 2024–34. BLS data are in the public domain. BLS has not reviewed or endorsed this page.

Task collaboration data is from the Anthropic Economic Index, release 2025-03-27, used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Anthropic has not reviewed or endorsed this page.

How we describe AI use in each task is our own characterization, not a measurement of whether AI can replace this job. Microsoft note that their metrics "should not be misconstrued or misrepresented as measuring the ability of AI to replace jobs," and that there is more to an occupation than the sum of its tasks.