Legal research, document review and first drafts are exactly the kind of text-heavy work generative AI is good at, so paralegals and legal assistants are right to ask what it means for them. The data shows a job under more pressure than lawyers face, but still one with tens of thousands of openings a year.
The short answer: AI is likely to reduce demand for some paralegal work, but today's data does not point to the job disappearing. The ILO's 2025 index places legal and related associate professionals in gradient 1, and legal secretaries in the higher gradient 3. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects little or no change in paralegal and legal assistant employment from 2025 to 2035 and names AI as a reason demand is limited. Projections are estimates, not guarantees.
How exposed legal support jobs are
The International Labour Organization scores occupations' tasks from 0 (cannot be automated with generative AI) to 1 (could be done without a human operator), and groups them into gradients from 1 to 4, with 4 the most exposed; below them sit minimal exposure and not exposed (ILO Working Paper 140, 2025).
| Occupation (ISCO-08) | ILO category | Mean task score (0 to 1) |
|---|---|---|
| Legal Secretaries | Gradient 3 | 0.55 |
| Legal and Related Associate Professionals | Gradient 1 | 0.39 |
| Legal Professionals Not Elsewhere Classified | Minimal exposure | 0.37 |
| Lawyers | Minimal exposure | 0.36 |
The more the role is about typing, formatting and filing, the higher the exposure; the more it is about facts, people and case work, the lower. Paralegals sit between legal secretaries and lawyers.
What the BLS projects
The BLS projects little or no change in employment of paralegals and legal assistants from 2025 to 2035, with about 40,800 openings a year on average. It states that demand is expected to be limited by advances in technology, including AI, which are expected to make paralegals and legal assistants more efficient at tasks such as conducting research and preparing documents, which may reduce demand for these workers (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
That is a clearer AI effect than the BLS describes for lawyers, whose employment it projects to grow. See will AI replace lawyers?
Tasks moving to AI
- First-pass legal research and summaries.
- Drafting routine letters, forms and standard documents.
- Reviewing and sorting large sets of documents.
- Summarizing depositions, contracts and case files.
- Building timelines and indexes from records.
Where people stay in charge
- Checking every citation and fact: AI can produce confident but wrong output, including sources that do not exist, which NIST calls confabulation (NIST AI 600-1). In legal work that error can be costly. See checking AI output.
- Investigating facts: talking to clients and witnesses, obtaining records and affidavits.
- Case management: deadlines, filings, and keeping a matter moving.
- Trial and hearing support in the room.
- Confidentiality: deciding what client information may go into an AI tool. See AI agents and personal data.
- Working with the lawyer: the BLS describes paralegals as supporting lawyers, so AI-assisted work passes through people who understand the matter.
What this means for the job
For many paralegals, the job is shifting from producing first drafts and research memos toward checking AI output, managing the facts and documents of a case, and running the tools themselves. Legal operations and legal technology work suits paralegals who know both the legal work and the tools. Roles that are mostly document production face the most pressure.
See also will AI take my job?, human in the loop and accountability and which jobs are turning digital collar.
Pay and how to get in
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median annual pay for paralegals and legal assistants at $62,890 in May 2025, against $50,980 for all workers. The typical education needed to enter is: associate's degree. See how this job compares in AI exposure by pay and AI exposure by education level.
Questions and answers
Will AI replace paralegals?
Not entirely on current evidence, but it may reduce demand. The BLS projects little or no change in US paralegal and legal assistant employment from 2025 to 2035, citing AI, with about 40,800 openings a year.
How exposed are paralegals to AI?
The ILO places legal and related associate professionals in gradient 1, with a mean task score of 0.39. Legal secretaries are more exposed, in gradient 3.
Are paralegals more at risk than lawyers?
Yes, on current data. The ILO classes lawyers as minimally exposed, and the BLS projects growth for lawyers but flat employment for paralegals.
What paralegal work can AI not do?
Checking citations and facts, investigating, managing cases and deadlines, supporting trials, protecting confidential information and working with the lawyer on the matter.
Is becoming a paralegal still a good career?
The BLS still projects about 40,800 openings a year. Paralegals who can check AI output and run legal technology tools are best placed.