Paralegal job description template: practice area, attorney support, certification and overtime lines
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A litigation paralegal at a 200-lawyer firm, a solo practitioner's all-purpose paralegal and an in-house contracts paralegal share a title and very little else. A paralegal job description that does not say which practice area, how many attorneys, and whether there is a billable hours target attracts every paralegal in the market, and the first screening call is spent establishing basics. Below is a copy-ready template, the certification, California and overtime lines with sources, screening questions and scorecard rows, and the mistakes that put experienced paralegals off. The general method is in how to write a job description that screens.
Settle four facts with the supervising attorney
| Fact | Options | Why paralegals care |
|---|---|---|
| Practice area and stage | Litigation (pre-trial, trial), corporate and transactional, real estate, estate planning, family, immigration, intellectual property | Skills transfer within a practice area far more than across them |
| Setting | Law firm, in-house legal department, government, legal aid | Billing, pace and career path differ sharply |
| Attorney support | How many attorneys and matters; whether there is a legal assistant too | "Supporting three partners on 40 active cases" is a workload candidates can judge |
| Billable hours | Annual or monthly target, if any, and how non-billable work counts | One of the first questions experienced firm paralegals ask |
Also note the systems: the case or matter management system, document management, e-filing in which courts, the docketing tool and any e-discovery platform. A litigation paralegal who has run document productions in an e-discovery platform is a different hire from one who has only filed pleadings.
The paralegal job description template
Paralegal — [Litigation / Corporate / Real Estate / Estate
Planning / Immigration], [Firm or Legal Department]
[Firm or company], [city] — [On-site / Hybrid: days]
Pay: $[min]–$[max] per [year / hour]. [Overtime-eligible.]
[Benefits summary, if required.]
SUMMARY
You will support [N] attorneys in our [practice area] group on
about [N] active [matters / cases / transactions], working under
the supervision of [title]. Most of your week is [discovery and
trial preparation / closing checklists and entity filings / drafting
estate documents and managing signings]. [Billable target: N hours
a year / no billable target.]
WHAT YOU WILL DO
- Draft [discovery requests and responses / closing documents /
routine correspondence and pleadings] for attorney review.
- Keep the [docket / closing checklist] current and flag deadlines
to the responsible attorney.
- Organize and review documents; [manage productions in [e-discovery
platform]].
- File documents [through [court] e-filing / with [agency or
registry]].
- Prepare [exhibits, witness binders and trial materials / signature
packets and closing sets].
- Communicate with clients and opposing staff on logistics, and
route legal questions to the attorney.
- Track your time in [billing system].
YOU MUST HAVE
- [N] years as a paralegal or legal assistant in [practice area], or
substantial work on [the tasks above].
- Managed deadlines for several matters at once, with a system you
can describe.
- Drafted documents an attorney finalized with limited changes.
- [California: meet a qualification standard under Business and
Professions Code section 6450.]
NICE TO HAVE
- A paralegal certificate or a credential such as NALA's CP or
NFPA's RP.
- Experience with [case management], [e-discovery platform],
[document management].
If you meet the must-haves and none of these, please apply.
FIXED CONDITIONS
- [Overtime expected around [trial dates / closings / filing
deadlines]; overtime is paid.]
- Confidentiality and conflict-check procedures apply from day one.
HOW WE HIRE
[Recruiter call; conversation with the supervising attorney; a short
drafting or deadline exercise of no more than [N] minutes; meeting
the team.]
[EEO STATEMENT]
If you need an adjustment to apply or interview, email [address].Certification, supervision and overtime lines
Not legal advice. The points below were checked against the BLS, NALA, the ABA Model Rules, the California statute and the federal regulation linked here as of October 2026. State bar rules and wage laws vary; confirm with counsel.
Certification is voluntary in most places. The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook says, "Although not required, some employers prefer or require candidates to have completed a paralegal certification program" (BLS, paralegals and legal assistants, last modified August 27, 2026). NALA describes its CP credential as a "voluntary program" (NALA certification). Requiring a credential excludes experienced paralegals who learned on the job; list it as a nice-to-have.
California is the main exception. Under Business and Professions Code section 6450, a person who holds themselves out as a paralegal works under the direction and supervision of an active member of the State Bar, may not provide legal advice or represent a client in court, and must meet one of the statute's standards, such as completing an ABA-approved program, an accredited program with at least 24 semester units in law-related courses, or a bachelor's degree plus a year of supervised experience with an attorney's declaration. Paralegals must also certify continuing legal education every two years, including four hours in legal ethics. For California roles, the must-have line in the template applies.
Supervision. The ABA's Model Rule 5.3 says a lawyer with direct supervisory authority over a nonlawyer must make reasonable efforts to ensure that person's conduct is compatible with the lawyer's professional obligations. Naming the supervising attorney in the summary is both accurate and reassuring to candidates.
Overtime. The federal regulation states: "Paralegals and legal assistants generally do not qualify as exempt learned professionals because an advanced specialized academic degree is not a standard prerequisite for entry into the field" (29 CFR 541.301(e)(7)). Trial and closing weeks are long, so post the role as overtime-eligible unless counsel concludes otherwise.
Pay and EEO. Post the approved range; see pay transparency laws by state. The BLS page above publishes pay data; this page does not quote figures. Close with your EEO statement covering the characteristics the EEOC lists, and an accommodation contact.
From must-haves to screening questions and scorecard rows
| Must-have | Screening question | Scorecard competency | Evidence of a strong answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Practice area experience | "What kinds of matters did you support in the last year, and at what stage did you usually join them?" | Practice knowledge | Specific matter types and stages, with the tasks they owned |
| Deadline management | "How do you track deadlines across matters, and tell me about one that almost slipped." | Docketing discipline | A system with a second check, and an honest near-miss |
| Drafting | "What did you draft most recently, and how much did the attorney change?" | Drafting quality | Names the document and describes edits as minor or explains what they learned |
| Knows the limits | "A client asks you whether to sign a settlement while the attorney is out. What do you say?" | Professional judgment | Gives no legal opinion, takes details, alerts the attorney and any deadline |
| Systems | "Which e-filing, case management or e-discovery tools have you used, and for what tasks?" | Technical skill | Tasks performed, not just logins: productions, filings, reports |
The fuller set, with how to verify certification claims, is in paralegal screening questions. If you use a drafting exercise, keep it short and score it against a written rubric, as in how to evaluate a take-home assignment.
Common mistakes in paralegal job descriptions
"Certified paralegal required"
Outside specific jurisdictions or roles, it narrows the pool without testing anything you need. Ask about the work and verify credentials when a candidate claims one.
Practice areas thrown together
"Litigation, corporate, real estate and estate planning experience" either describes a small general practice, which is worth saying plainly, or a list copied from another posting.
Exempt salaried by default
Many firms post paralegal roles as salaried exempt. The federal regulation says paralegals generally are not exempt learned professionals; get the classification reviewed and pay overtime where it applies.
No billable hours information
Experienced firm paralegals will ask. Put the target, or "no billable target," in the summary.
Hiding the attorney ratio
"Support attorneys as needed" could mean one partner or eight associates. Give the number.
Before you publish
- Practice area, setting, attorney ratio, matter load and billable target are in the summary.
- Certification is a nice-to-have, with the California standard added for California roles.
- The supervising attorney is named and the role is posted as overtime-eligible unless reviewed otherwise.
- Any drafting exercise is short and has a rubric.
- An approved pay range, the EEO statement and an accommodation contact close the posting.
Questions people ask
Should a paralegal job description require certification?
Usually not as a must-have. Paralegal certification is voluntary in most of the country: the Bureau of Labor Statistics says it is not required, and NALA describes its Certified Paralegal program as voluntary. List a certificate or credential as a nice-to-have unless the role or the jurisdiction calls for a specific qualification, such as California's statutory standards for anyone holding themselves out as a paralegal.
Are paralegals exempt from overtime?
Generally not as learned professionals. The federal regulation says paralegals and legal assistants generally do not qualify for that exemption because an advanced specialized academic degree is not a standard prerequisite for entry into the field. Post the role as overtime-eligible unless counsel has concluded another exemption applies.
What are California's requirements for paralegals?
California's Business and Professions Code section 6450 says a paralegal works under the direction and supervision of an active member of the State Bar, may not give legal advice or represent clients in court, and must meet one of the listed education or experience standards. Paralegals must also certify continuing legal education every two years, including legal ethics.
What is the difference between a paralegal and a legal assistant posting?
Many firms use the titles interchangeably, and federal wage rules group them together. In practice, legal assistant or legal secretary postings often focus on calendaring, correspondence and document formatting, while paralegal postings focus on substantive work such as drafting, discovery and case preparation under attorney supervision. Describe the work rather than relying on the title.