Skills for Paralegals and Legal Assistants
The skills, knowledge, and tools that matter most for paralegals and legal assistants, ranked by O*NET importance — so you know what to lead with on your resume.
What to lead with
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Writing, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list. On the tools side, O*NET flags Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint as in-demand technologies for this role.
Top skills (ranked by importance)
O*NET importance score in parentheses (1–5).
- 1.Writing4
- 2.Reading Comprehension3.88
- 3.Active Listening3.88
- 4.Speaking3.62
- 5.Critical Thinking3.25
- 6.Active Learning3
- 7.Monitoring3
- 8.Learning Strategies2.25
- 9.Mathematics2
- 10.Science1.38
Show these skills on your resume for Paralegals and Legal Assistants
Honest tailoring
See how your resume lines up with Paralegals and Legal Assistants
Refit re-angles your real experience toward this role using the skills above — and never invents skills you don't have. A no-fabrication gate checks every change before you see it.
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Knowledge areas
- Law and Government
- English Language
- Administrative
- Computers and Electronics
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administration and Management
- Mathematics
- Education and Training
Core work activities
- Documenting/Recording Information
- Working with Computers
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
- Getting Information
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
- Performing Administrative Activities
- Analyzing Data or Information
- Processing Information
In-demand tools & technology
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
- Orion Law Management Systems Orion
- Thomson Reuters Westlaw
- Google Workspace software
- Intuit QuickBooks
- Zoom
- a la mode WinTOTAL
- AbacusNext HotDocs
- American LegalNet USCourtForms
- Appligent Citation FDFMerge
- Blumbeg Drafting Libraries
- Bowne JFS Litigator's Notebook