Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Salary
Office and Administrative Support Occupations · 156K employed in the U.S.
Median annual
$55,570
Median hourly
$27
Average annual
$60,620
Typical range
$36,500–$91,730
Pay distribution
10th to 90th percentile, with the median marked.
What this role pays
The median annual salary for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants is $55,570 as of May 2025, based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. That works out to about $27 an hour at a full-time schedule.
Perform secretarial duties using legal terminology, procedures, and documents. Prepare legal papers and correspondence, such as summonses, complaints, motions, and subpoenas.
Most earn between $36,500 and $91,730 a year. There are roughly 156K people employed as legal secretaries and administrative assistants in the United States. Use the state and metro pages below to see how pay changes by location, and the calculator to convert any hourly or annual figure.
Salary calculator
Convert your pay and see where it lands for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.
- Hourly
- $26.72
- Daily
- $214
- Weekly
- $1,069
- Bi-weekly
- $2,137
- Monthly
- $4,631
- Annual
- $55,570
$55,570 a year is around the 50th percentile for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistantss. The median is $55,570.
Highest-paying states
Median annual wage by state.
- 1District of Columbia$99,280
- 2New York$72,230
- 3Connecticut$66,220
- 4Delaware$66,130
- 5Minnesota$63,180
- 6New Jersey$63,080
- 7Rhode Island$63,020
- 8California$62,860
- 9Massachusetts$62,120
- 10Maryland$61,440
- 11Alaska$61,280
- 12Oregon$59,610
Top-paying metro areas
Median annual wage by metro area.
- 1San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$87,270
- 2San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$79,410
- 3Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA$77,780
- 4Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$77,220
- 5Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT$75,950
- 6New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$75,920
- 7Salinas, CA$75,150
- 8Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT$74,790
- 9Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA$74,360
- 10Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA$71,670
- 11Reno, NV$71,130
- 12Lexington Park, MD$70,660
Related job titles
Employers advertise Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants roles under these titles.
- Accredited Legal Secretary
- Certified Legal Secretary Specialist
- Law Firm Administrator
- Law Office Assistant
- Law Secretary
- Legal Administrative Assistant (Legal Admin Assistant)
- Legal Administrator (Legal Admin)
- Legal Coordinator
- Legal Executive Assistant (Legal Exec Assistant)
- Legal Management Assistant
- Legal Office Support Assistant
- Legal Practice Assistant
- Legal Secretary
- Litigation Legal Secretary
- Litigation Secretary
- Magistrate Assistant
Related occupations
- Paralegals and Legal Assistants$62,890
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive$47,540
- Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants$76,590
- Court, Municipal, and License Clerks$48,700
- Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners$72,420
- Office Clerks, General$45,010
- Correspondence Clerks$46,800
- Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs$54,210
What a Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants does
- Mail, fax, or arrange for delivery of legal correspondence to clients, witnesses, and court officials.
- Prepare, proofread, or process legal documents, such as summonses, subpoenas, complaints, appeals, motions, or pretrial agreements.
- Assist attorneys in collecting information such as employment, medical, and other records.
- Schedule and make appointments.
- Organize and maintain law libraries, documents, and case files.
- Prepare and distribute invoices to bill clients or pay account expenses.
- Make photocopies of correspondence, documents, and other printed matter.
- Receive and place telephone calls.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants make?
- The median annual wage for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants is $55,570 ($27 per hour). Pay ranges from about $36,500 at the 10th percentile to $91,730 at the 90th percentile.
- What is the average salary for a Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants?
- The average (mean) annual salary is $60,620, which is higher than the median because a small number of high earners pull the average up.
- Which state pays Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistantss the most?
- District of Columbia has the highest median annual wage for this occupation at $99,280.
- Is Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants a growing occupation?
- BLS employment data for May 2025 counts about 156K people in this occupation. Projected growth is published separately in the BLS Employment Projections program.
- What does a Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants do?
- Mail, fax, or arrange for delivery of legal correspondence to clients, witnesses, and court officials.; Prepare, proofread, or process legal documents, such as summonses, subpoenas, complaints, appeals, motions, or pretrial agreements.; Assist attorneys in collecting information such as employment, medical, and other records..