Litigation paralegals are the pillars of the trial team. They work strictly to manage all the details of the trial – from investigations to pleadings and discovery.

This paralegal works under the guidance of an attorney, helps them with witness preparation and research. The litigation paralegal sorts all the relevant documents to the case. They also lend a hand during court proceedings.

Once the trial is over, they take care of closing the case documents.

Various law firms are choosing virtual paralegals over in-house paralegals because of their turnaround time, 24/7 availability, cost saving and many more advantages.

But do their responsibilities differ?     

Role & Responsibilities of A Litigation Paralegal

The only difference between an in-house legal assistant and a virtual legal assistant is who bears the cost of infrastructure, salary benefits etc. Their responsibilities stand the same for both personnel. 

Their on-going list of responsibilities will be too long to cover, so we will discuss the three primary case management tasks in detail.

1. Draft Pleadings and Discovery

A litigation attorney seeks out a litigation paralegal to do the initial drafting of documents. This document then will be sent to the opposing party, asking them to produce documents or answer written questions related to the issues of the case and vice versa.

A good number of attorneys rely on their paralegal to create the first draft of pleadings that will be filed with the court. A highly qualified paralegal would rely on a legal document automation software to help them with drafting their initial drafting procedures.  

In the end it is the paralegal’s job to proofread the pleading and finalize it before they get filed. This could also involve gathering exhibits and affidavits that may be attached to the pleadings. 

2. Prepare for Depositions, Mediations, and Arbitrations

In the team, it’s the paralegal that goes on a hunt for potential evidence that the attorney could use during these depositions, mediations and arbitrations.

Once these documents have been reviewed, the paralegal sorts them into soft or hard copy notebooks so that the attorney can easily access it during deposition or other proceedings. 

3. Assist At Trial

A litigation sets a schedule for the team to align their tasks accordingly till the end of the pretrial order. 

A trial binder is established to hold all the information that might support the attorney at a trial. This notebook usually contains the parties’ exhibit lists, witness lists, opening statements, significant pleadings and discovery responses. But with the world evolving, clients prefer their case details access on their digital devices. Thus, using a legal case management software to place all the information in one unified destination would be ideal.

The litigation paralegal is basically the right-hand man of an attorney, they are also known as a case manager. Having such a paralegal gives an attorney more time to focus on examining witnesses and winning the trial.  

The other responsibilities a litigation paralegal takes care of:

• Investigative Research
• Filing pleadings with the court
• Draft pleadings and discovery
• Manage outside vendors
• Communicate with court personnel, opposing counsel and others
• Interview clients and witnesses
• Legal research
• Locate key documents
• Keep track of case deadlines
• Work with Electronically Stored Information (ESI)

What Skills Should An Eligible Candidate Have?

• Performance Under Pressure

In the legal industry, it is crucial for a legal personnel to have strong time management skills. The litigation paralegal’s work is tied to strict deadlines set by the court rules or the judge.

Juggling with deadlines within a limited amount of time, on top that there is no flexibility with the deadlines! If you can manage this amount of pressure then you were meant for this role. 

Working well under pressure matters because you will also have to deal with tasks which are not-so-urgent but will become soi if left unattended.     

• Problem-Solving Skills

Attorneys look for individuals who can help them solve their problems, not someone who is dependent and unreliable. A litigation with good resourceful research and analytical skills is the solution to this dilemma.

Attorneys want litigation paralegals to be an asset to them and not a burden. Thus, the more challenges you solve for the attorney, the more valuable you are to them. 

• Technology Skills   

Staying updated to digital and technological trends is as vital as every other task. A litigation paralegal needs to be well-versed with the latest technology after clients don’t use snail mail to send their documents.

For instance, most evidence in a civil litigation case comes from what the assailant did or did not do using their phones or computers. How about using a free legal case management software to safely gather the case relevant documents in one place at first?. Think of it as a trial run.

A well-informed paralegal understands how to manage e-discovery projects, the systems and software related to it. However, an eDiscovery litigation paralegal still has their original traditional duties. 

• Communication Skills 

The foundation of a litigation paralegal is communication. If a paralegal doesn’t have a high level of communication skills, then we have a problem. 

Paralegals are meant to communicate (both in writing and verbally) with the other party’s counsel, court staff, judges and more. 

Basically, attorneys look for a litigation paralegal with exceptional communication skills.   

• Attention to Detail   

This paralegal deals with piles of documents, from initial discovery to sorting potential evidence and case closings. A litigation paralegal needs to have high attention to detail skills. 

Their work mostly involves preparing legal documents and managing case files. Moreover, errors are unacceptable in the legal sector because the outcome of the case may matter on that single error. 

A Typical Workday For A Litigation Paralegal

Check Chat Requests and Gmails

A litigation paralegal starts their day by getting back at emails that could have been sent to them the night before. There could be an assignment from the attorney, so getting that done should be their first priority. 

Other important emails could be from the judge or the clerk confirming or asking certain questions. Even the opposing counsel could have sent an email which you need to reply within a time frame. Thus it’s best to get all these high priority emails done first.  

More Chat Requests and Answer Attorney’s Queries

Once the emails are done, check your messages. You might have already been bombarded with messages from attorneys or clients regarding updates on cases, filing, and serving questions. 

As a litigation paralegal, it is your duty to keep your attorneys up-to-date and try getting abc to them while billing for your time.   

Check the Attorney’s Timetable

It is crucial that a litigation paralegal keeps track of their attorney’s calendar. Noting all the dates, sending reminders to attorneys of their hearing and deadlines is the foundation of a paralegal’s job. 

It is their duty to ensure that their attorneys show up to their hearings on time and perform successfully.  

Check To-do List and Start Ticking Off Task

Having a to-do list makes prioritizing tasks much simpler. Review your to-do list and make adjustments or additions accordingly. 

This step helps you stay organized and aware of your overall tasks that need to be done by the end of the day. Start completing your tasks, urgent matters first and gradually go down the list. 

Review Emails

Mid-day, a litigation paralegal should perform another email check. As that’s the time most clients reach out to ask for the updates on their case.

You could also receive attorney requests and other court deadlines and opposing counsel emails. For a litigation paralegal, midday is usually the busiest time of the day. 

Filing and Serving

Next, the paralegal can use an online filing system to file and serve any court document needed from the attorneys. In addition, they can download and save any previously accepted documents. 

Prep for Closing

 Before getting off for the day, a litigation paralegal performs a thorough check of any last minute assignments. They go through their calendar to make sure that all the information on it is up-to-date.

What Are The Practice Areas of A Litigation Paralegal?

Well, there are many areas of speciality within civil litigation. Giving litigation paralegal various career options, especially for those who might have transferable skills in one practice area but have a background in another. 

Here are some litigation practice areas:

• Appeals
• Real Estate Law
• Corporate & Securities
• Immigration Law
• Environmental
• Family Law
• Insurance Defense
• Labor and Employment
• Personal Injury

Each practice area has its own skills that puts them apart. A litigation paralegal can easily transition to another speciality without requiring too much of a learning curve. Usually the factors that affect these transitions are because of personal interest, experience or firm focus.  

Litigation Paralegal Job Market Trends 

According to The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report that the paralegal and legal assistant professions are predicted to rise by 4.2% from 2022 to 2032. 

Another intriguing fact is that there has been an increase in specializations as the need for paralegals grows. Here are some of the new additions:

• Cybersecurity
• Artificial Intelligence
• Intellectual Property
• Data Protection and Privacy
• Cannabis Law
• Regulatory and Compliance

These specializations increase not only the scope of work for paralegals but also expands their overall skills. 

Salary Expectations

So, their salary structures will differ based on the various factors, starting with the candidate’s level of education to the type of firm they are applying to.

• A solicitor’s firm: for a non-graduate entry level paralegal, the salary will range from £13,000 to £22,000. If you present a degree and join at a graduate level, your range will start from £18,00 to £25,000.
• Are you a paralegal with around three – five years experience? Then, you are eligible for a salary between £30,000 – £40,000. 
• If you are trying out for larger firms and you have experience, then as a litigation paralegal you can earn up to £55,000 and in extremely rare cases, it could go up to £70,000.

It is without doubt that larger cities pay more than rural ones. Moreover, the level of expertise is directly proportional to Salary. Salaries also vary according to the size of the firm and the type of employer you work with. 

The Challenges A Litigation Paralegal Has To Face

The litigation paralegal career has too many benefits, however the challenges cannot be dismissed. There are a few that are on the tips of all paralegals’ minds, which are long hours of work.

Even if your job description says your working hour gets done at 6.00 PM, you have to be ready to stay an hour or two longer to get down with your day’s tasks. 

If you want a 6-figure job, then you will have to shift to a major city and get yourself hired at a large firm. Working at a large firm comes with inconvenience; for instance, you have to follow the billable hour requirement. It’s part of your job. 

As a litigation paralegal you may need to travel to a site out of town to attend trials. This will only be an issue if you are a family-oriented person: single-parent or the primary caretaker for your aging parents. 

Consider Expert Legal Outsourcing to Hire on Behalf of Your Firm

In 2025, choosing a career as a litigation paralegal is a strategic move considering its growing demand in the legal industry. Firms are now offering competitive salaries, growth opportunities, and a good work environment. All this to hire the best for their firm.

Expert Legal Outsourcing trains their litigation paralegal experts with a strong foundation in sticking to legal regulations and compliance. Not only is their hiring process very thorough but after their training, their experts provide a client satisfactory experience. 

This outsourcing company helps eliminates the challenges an in-house paralegal has to face,

As an employer who is hiring a litigation paralegal, you can rest assured because Expert Legal Outsourcing is hiring and training a group of very highly-qualified individuals.  

They ready them to deal with all types of cases so that all your unique needs can be taken care of. Same or maybe even better experience but in lower costs and less time. 

So, embark on a journey with Expert Legal Outsourcing, get in touch with them and hire your litigation paralegal today!