Litigation Associate Job Description

The Growth of Legal Litigation Associates

Like most other lawyers, litigation associates work in an office. Most lawyers home bases are in legal or corporate offices. Sometimes litigation associates travel to a client's home, office or other location to discuss a case, and other times they travel to a courthouse to argue a case.

It takes a long time to research and prepare for court appearances. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that the employment rate for lawyers is expected to grow by 10 percent between 2012 and 2022, which is about the average rate of growth for all occupations. The number of law school graduates has been more than the number of associate positions.

Benefits of Litigation Legal Assistant Jobs

Administrative tasks that litigation legal assistants perform include drafting and filing legal documents, scheduling meetings, communicating with clients, and performing research. Litigation legal assistants can work in government agencies or corporate legal departments. Legal assistants in litigation are expected to work overtime to meet the needs of busy law offices.

Most employers prefer litigation legal assistants to have an associate's or bachelor's degree and at least five years of relevant experience working with attorneys in a legal setting. Legal assistants have a good understanding of litigation. Training may be provided to introduce litigation legal assistants to their employer.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that litigation legal assistants make an average of $49,000 a year. The lowest-earning 10 percent make less than $31,000, while the highest-earning 10 percent make more than $80,000. Benefits for litigation legal assistants include sick and vacation days, health insurance, retirement plan options, and bonuses based on individual or company performance.

Litigation Attorneys

Litigation attorneys are lawyers who represent defendants and people in civil lawsuits. They manage the entire litigation from the investigation to the trial to the appeal. A litigation lawyer needs to have achieved her juris doctor degree from a law school.

It means you have to finish a four-year degree and three additional years in law school. Attorneys must pass the bar exam and be admitted to the bar in the state they want to practice in. If enough evidence exists to warrant a lawsuit, litigation attorneys often conduct an initial case investigation.

In a case where a client is a defendant, he will look at evidence to defend the case. Attorneys might draft a variety of motions, including motions to strike or dismiss evidence, or to change the location of the trial. They might file motions for judgments on the basis of pleadings, so no court appearance is necessary.

A trial begins with a process called voir dire. The process of selecting a jury. Litigators present their cases in court, giving opening and closing statements to the judge or jury, examining and cross-examining witnesses, and crafting their version of the case through testimony and evidence.

Attorneys might interview the jury after a trial. Most cases are settled to avoid going to court and the risk of trial. During the life cycle of a lawsuit, litigation attorneys can settle a case.

The Careers of Litigation Associate Candidates

The average annual salary for a litigation associate is 143,000 per year. The top-earning litigation associates make more money than the lower-earning associates, which is a result of the fact that they are more likely to be promoted. Almost 40% of litigation associates have earned a bachelor's degree.

3.5% of them earned their master's degrees before becoming a litigation associate. It's not possible to become a litigation associate with only a high school degree. One out of ten litigation associates did not spend the extra money to attend college.

Law degrees and political science degrees are typically earned by litigation associates who attend college. History degrees, legal research and advanced professional studies degrees are less common for litigation associates. You might apply to companies to become a litigation associate once you have obtained the level of education you're comfortable with.

Most litigation associate resume include experience from Robert Half International, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, and DLA Piper. There were 14 positions open for litigation associates at the time. There are 10 openings at Robert Half International.

A document review attorney reviews legal documents to identify any areas of risk or information that may need to be corrected. Even though there are vastly different careers for litigation associates and document review attorneys, there are some skills that are the same. Both careers require legal advice in the day-to-day roles.