What is a legal department manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted Expert
Alisa Benedict O’Brien
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a legal department manager. For example, did you know that they make an average of $31.88 an hour? That's $66,307 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 10% and produce 80,200 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a Legal Department Manager?

A

Alisa Benedict O’Brien

Assistant Dean for Career Services, Strategic Initiatives & External Affairs, University of Akron

Make yourself indispensable to your employer. Be timely and demonstrate your enthusiasm for your job and your work ethic. Offer to jump in on a project or stay late to get your work done. Get involved in your community and network. Getting out and building relationships will lead to clients and generate business. Never stop learning and asking questions as your goal is to become an expert in your field; this includes attending continuing legal education programs, seminars, lunch and learns, webinars, writing a blog post or article, etc.
ScoreLegal Department ManagerUS Average
Salary
5.2

Avg. Salary $66,307

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
10.0

Growth Rate 10%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
2.5
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.31%

Asian 6.37%

Black or African American 5.54%

Hispanic or Latino 7.76%

Unknown 4.38%

White 75.64%

Gender

female 65.47%

male 34.53%

Age - 45
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 45
Stress Level
10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
10.0

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
4.9

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

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Legal Department Manager career paths

Key steps to become a legal department manager

  1. Explore legal department manager education requirements

    Most common legal department manager degrees

    Bachelor's

    48.7 %

    Doctorate

    20.8 %

    Master's

    10.5 %
  2. Start to develop specific legal department manager skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Litigation11.76%
    External Counsel9.00%
    Risk Management7.60%
    Due Diligence5.04%
    Legal Issues4.71%
  3. Complete relevant legal department manager training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New legal department managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a legal department manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real legal department manager resumes.
  4. Research legal department manager duties and responsibilities

    • Prepare and distribute payroll manage daily office operations and equipment and maintain supplies for office to run effectively.
    • Coordinate with litigation department on state and federal government subpoenas on customer account activity.
    • Provide expert testimony at NASD/NYSE arbitration hearings.
    • Handpick arbitration ready accounts and oversee the legal department.
  5. Prepare your legal department manager resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your legal department manager resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a legal department manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Legal Department Manager Resume templates

    Build a professional Legal Department Manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Legal Department Manager resume.
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    Legal Department Manager Resume
  6. Apply for legal department manager jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a legal department manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Legal Department Manager Job

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Average legal department manager salary

The average Legal Department Manager salary in the United States is $66,307 per year or $32 per hour. Legal department manager salaries range between $38,000 and $114,000 per year.

Average Legal Department Manager Salary
$66,307 Yearly
$31.88 hourly

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.