How To Become A Paralegal Internship: What It Is and Career Path

What is a paralegal internship and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Emily Allen-Hornblower

Participants of this internship may assist with the preparation of legal documents for different cases. They receive practical work experience and skill development opportunities. They will learn court procedures and various court operations, functions, and activities. Also, they schedule appointments and meetings and make arrangements for them. Furthermore, they retrieve files and assemble documents for use by court staff. Asides from that, they perform basic administrative, clerical, and office support duties. Additionally, they assist in file cleanup by reviewing documents for either filing, archiving, or destruction.

Applicants must possess time management, analytical, attention to detail, organization, and communication skills. You must be eager and willing to learn. You must be currently enrolled in paralegal schools. Besides that, you must be familiar with legal procedures and be proficient in Microsoft Office. Paralegal interns make an average salary of $42,383 per year, equivalent to $20 per hour. This ranges from $17,500 to $72,500.

What general advice would you give to a Paralegal Internship?

Emily Allen-Hornblower

Associate Professor of Classics, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

"I would say, think broadly. Your CV gives you an edge - you chose a course of study that is somewhat atypical, original (and a great conversation starter!) that gave you widely applicable skills.

I mean, who studies Classics? Who willingly subjects themselves to the rigors of Latin or Greek - or both? Who commits to navigating the intricacies of an interdisciplinary path that combines some of the most vital areas of inquiry for our time: social and cultural history, political science, philosophy, psychology, literary studies, material culture?

A go-getter. Someone who is passionate. And is Driven.

And you know what? Employers know that. They see that on your CV, and they think, wow - here is someone interesting and hard-working and who thinks out of the box. And they are right. Xerox saw that. Macy's saw that. The Air Force Intelligence Officer who hired one of our (female!) undergraduates as an officer saw that. The software engineer who hired another one of our grads to join his team as a full-time software engineer saw that. Oxford University Press in New York City saw that - and hired another recent grad as a full-time intern in their Higher Education Editorial Development department. SO: Classics majors, think big and broad. There is no restricted path for what is next.

So - Graduating seniors in Classics (and other Liberal Arts degrees), as you prepare to go forward into the world, you have good reason to go forth with pride, and enter the world after college, with all its question marks and inevitable bumps in the road, with confidence.
A Classics major is excellent preparation for the pursuit of a wide range of careers in a large number of fields, including, but not limited to, government, law, education, business, journalism, library science, publishing, foreign service, finance, the entertainment industry, museum, and preservation work, pharmaceutical sciences, music, and the arts, foundations, technology, web design, and labor relations. So think broadly. You've got this. "

ScoreParalegal InternshipUS Average

Salary

4.1

Avg. Salary $52,476

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

7.0

Growth Rate 14%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.40%

Asian 5.66%

Black or African American 9.03%

Hispanic or Latino 19.74%

Unknown 4.81%

White 60.36%

Gender

female 75.96%

male 24.04%

Age - 47

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 - 47

Stress Level

7.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.5

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.3

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a paralegal internship

Explore paralegal internship education requirements

Most common paralegal internship degrees

Associate

45.5 %

Bachelor's

39.9 %

Certificate

6.6 %

Start to develop specific paralegal internship skills

Skills	Percentages
Legal Research	20.71%
Legal Correspondence	9.59%
Trial Preparation	7.01%
Subpoenas	4.42%
Real Estate	4.35%

Complete relevant paralegal internship training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New paralegal interns 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 paralegal internship based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real paralegal internship resumes.

Research paralegal internship duties and responsibilities

Assist patent attorneys by managing invention disclosure documentation and relate correspondence with outside counsel and USPTO.
Work collaboratively drafting affidavits and interrogatories.
Used different computer programs such as: -HotDocs -WestLaw -LegalFiles -Microsoft: word, excel, PowerPoint, etc.
Create PowerPoint presentations used during conferences.

Prepare your paralegal internship resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your paralegal internship 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 paralegal internship resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Paralegal Internship Resume templates

Build a professional Paralegal Internship 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 Paralegal Internship resume.

Apply for paralegal internship jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a paralegal internship job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

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

How do paralegal interns rate their job?

-/5

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Paralegal Internship reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2022

Pros

Working with good people & good clients trying to help them

Cons

Like to work in good atmosphere

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2020