Published October 14, 2026 · Legal Hiring Network
A legal job description should help a qualified person decide whether to apply. That requires more than a title and a list of attractive qualities. Describe the actual work, required qualifications, work arrangement and application process so candidates can compare the opportunity with their experience.
Use the outline below to prepare an attorney, paralegal or legal assistant posting. It is a drafting framework, not an advertised vacancy. Complete it using your organization’s real terms and remove sections that do not apply.
Start with the work, then choose the title
Before writing the advertisement, ask the supervising attorney or manager to identify the work that needs doing during the first several months. Decide which responsibilities the new hire must handle independently, which will be supervised and which can be learned after joining.
Use a title that reflects those responsibilities. If your office uses a specialized internal title, explain the familiar role category as well. Candidates searching for an associate attorney, litigation paralegal or legal assistant should be able to recognize what the position involves.
A practical legal job-posting outline
- Role and employer: identify the position, hiring organization and office or team. Explain the practice or service area in concrete terms.
- Work: describe the recurring assignments, matters or transactions and the level of responsibility.
- Location and arrangement: state the office location and whether work is in person, hybrid or remote. Identify required attendance and permitted work locations.
- Required qualifications: separate credentials and experience essential to this job from skills you would prefer.
- Supervision and development: explain reporting relationships, review of work and available training or mentoring.
- Compensation and benefits: provide accurate terms or a genuine range where available and identify what the compensation covers.
- Schedule and employment terms: describe expected hours, full-time or part-time status, term or project duration and travel where applicable.
- Application process: identify the requested materials, actual application route, contact and deadline if there is one.
- Selection process: explain anticipated interview stages, any relevant exercise and how candidates can request accommodations.
Questions for an attorney job description
Make the practice focus specific enough for an attorney to evaluate the work. A litigation role may involve research and drafting, discovery, depositions, hearings, trial preparation or client counseling in different proportions. A transactional role may involve contracts, diligence, negotiations or closings. Include only the assignments this position will actually perform.
- Which jurisdictions or court admissions are necessary, and when must the hire hold them?
- Will the attorney manage matters, assist a supervising lawyer or work within a defined team?
- What client contact, business development or existing-book expectation is part of the role?
- What work product would demonstrate relevant experience during an interview?
- What supervision or mentoring is available for someone moving into this practice area?
Avoid assuming that a graduation year or a broad number of years in practice proves a skill. If independent handling of a specific assignment matters, describe that capability. State experience thresholds when they are genuine requirements and explain the work behind them.
Questions for paralegal and legal assistant roles
These titles can overlap across employers. Describe the substance of your position rather than relying on the title to establish it. Tell applicants whether the opening emphasizes legal research and drafting support, discovery and case preparation, document organization, scheduling, intake or other administrative work.
- What files, documents or deadlines will this person manage?
- Which filings, discovery processes, software or document systems are used?
- Which tasks involve direct client contact, and how is that work supervised?
- Is a degree, certificate or certification required, preferred or unnecessary for this particular opening?
- Will the hire receive training on the firm’s systems and procedures?
Keep support responsibilities and attorney responsibilities clear. Candidates should understand who reviews work and makes substantive decisions. If your team needs a combination of legal support and administrative skills, explain the combination directly.
Describe remote work precisely
State where the employee may perform the work, required time-zone coverage and how often office or court attendance is expected. Clarify whether remote work begins immediately or follows onboarding, and whether the employer supplies equipment. A hybrid position with regular office attendance should be described that way.
For an attorney role, identify the employer’s actual admission requirements rather than implying that remote work eliminates jurisdictional questions. Confirm applicable employment, licensing and other posting requirements for the jurisdictions involved before publishing.
Make compensation information usable
Where a genuine compensation range is available, explain whether it describes base salary, hourly pay or another arrangement. Identify material bonus, billable-hour or productivity expectations accurately. Discuss benefits and professional-development support in terms the organization can actually provide.
Use applicable wage-transparency and employment requirements when preparing the final advertisement. This checklist does not establish compliance with a particular state’s laws. Do not invent a range or imply that national occupation averages describe your firm’s offer.
Review the candidate’s experience of applying
Test the actual application link from a visitor’s perspective. Request materials that help assess this role, explain how they should be submitted and provide a working contact route. Keep the process proportionate to the opening. Protect applicant information and do not contact a current employer or reference without appropriate authorization.
NALP’s Principles for a Fair and Ethical Recruitment Process offer independent guidance on accurate employer information, candidate privacy and transparent recruiting. Consult the relevant school’s recruiting policies when seeking students through its career office.
Before-publishing checklist
- The advertisement describes a real approved opening.
- The title, duties, required credentials and supervision match each other.
- Location, remote restrictions and attendance expectations are clear.
- Compensation and benefits statements reflect actual terms.
- Required and preferred qualifications are distinguished.
- The application route works and the requested materials are relevant.
- Any deadline is accurate, and someone is responsible for closing the listing when the role is filled.
- The final posting has been reviewed for applicable employment and recruiting requirements.
Publish a clear opening and keep it current
Legal Hiring Network provides free employer accounts and job posting through its verification process. Read the employer guide or create a free employer account. For broader recruiting preparation, see the law firm hiring guide.
Occupation references
For general descriptions of legal work, see the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics profiles for lawyers and paralegals and legal assistants. Job duties and qualification requirements vary by employer. References are educational links, not affiliations or endorsements.