Legal Research

Types of Degrees Legal Research Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many legal research graduations there were in 2018-2019 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	8,089
Graduate Certificate	696
Bachelor’s Degree	183
Doctor’s Degree	177
Undergraduate Certificate	1
Basic Certificate	1

What Legal Research Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to legal research were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Legal Research Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in legal research should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for Legal Research Majors

When studying legal research, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Legal Research Majors

Legal Research majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Legal Research Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with legal research:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Law Professors	12.3%	$111,140
Lawyers	8.2%	$120,910

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Legal Research?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 183 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in legal research in 2019, making it rank #257 in popularity. The major attracts more women than men. About 58% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of legal research majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	12
Black or African American	31
Hispanic or Latino	18
White	105
International Students	1
Other Races/Ethnicities	16

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Legal Research. About 0.5% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• Saudi Arabia
• South Korea
• Japan
• India

How Much Do Legal Research Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

Data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that legal research students who graduated in 2015-2017 with a bachelor’s degree made a median starting salary of $32,700 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $29,950 (25th percentile) and $32,850 (75th percentile).

Note that some of these people may have jobs that are not directly related to a legal research degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Legal Research majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $130,710 to $144,230 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Legal Research

Some careers associated with legal research require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for legal research careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	0.5%
Master’s Degree	7.2%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	1.0%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	57.0%
Doctoral Degree	32.6%
Post-Doctoral Training	0.7%

Online Legal Research Programs

In the 2018-2019 academic year, 176 schools offered some type of legal research program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	1	1
Certificate (1-2 years)	4	2
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	2	0
Bachelor’s Degree	49	6
Post-Baccalaureate	1	1
Master’s Degree	349	71
Post-Master’s	36	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	45	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	12	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Legal Research Worth It?

The median salary for a legal research grad is $130,710 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 228% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,816,200 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Legal Research

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to legal research.

Major	Number of Grads
Law	34,727
Legal Support Services	10,947
Non-Professional General Legal Studies	3,620
Legal Professions (Other)	2,570

References

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.