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Science and Research | Legal Researcher

Legal Researcher

What Does a Professional in this Career Do?

A Legal Researcher undertakes in-depth research into any aspects of the law in support of a company or individual.

Job Outlook

There were 60 Legal Researcher job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 2289 in the United States.

We do not have this data at this time.

Salary

Many new Legal Researcher jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.

National

The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $117,820.

State

The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $148,830.

Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Legal Researcher postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $84,375.

Education and Experience

Posted Legal Researcher jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.

Education LevelPercentage
Associate's Degree0%
Bachelor's Degree49.41%
Master's Degree37%
Doctoral Degree31.54%
Other5.24%

Posted Legal Researcher jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.

Years of ExperiencePercentage
0 to 2 years55.06%
3 to 5 years35.67%
6 to 8 years2.44%
9+ years6.83%

Skills

Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Legal Researcher positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.

Baseline Skills

A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.

  • Research (36.48%)
  • Communication (33.46%)
  • Detail Oriented (31.37%)
  • Filing (23.15%)
  • Time Management (17.3%)
  • Writing (16.82%)
  • Management (15.6%)
  • Organizational Skills (15.07%)
  • Verbal Communication Skills (14.33%)
  • Self-Discipline (9.96%)

Defining Skills

A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.

  • Electrical Engineering (23.24%)
  • Google Scholar (6.23%)
  • Patent Applications (41.47%)
  • Intellectual Property Docketing (11.37%)
  • Freedom To Operate (Patent Law) (11.91%)
  • Intellectual Property (35.2%)
  • Patent Prosecution (46.72%)
  • Patents (90.64%)
  • Patent Drafting (9.85%)
  • Prior Art (22.4%)

Necessary Skills

A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.

  • Medical Devices (6.18%)
  • Biology (8.38%)
  • Molecular Biology (11.03%)
  • Lawsuits (12.89%)
  • Chemical Engineering (8.09%)
  • Computer Science (17.99%)
  • Marketing (2.06%)
  • Mac OS (6.08%)
  • Chemistry (14.36%)
  • Biochemistry (11.72%)
  • Business Communication (7.4%)
  • Physics (12.75%)
  • Biotechnology (13.33%)
  • Business Development (2.21%)
  • Due Diligence (13.19%)
  • Computer Engineering (7.5%)
  • Docketing (Court) (19.95%)
  • Intellectual Property Strategy (4.12%)
  • Project Management (2.84%)
  • Life Sciences (13.87%)
  • Mechanical Engineering (14.46%)
  • Trademarks (36.08%)

Salary Boosting Skills

A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed.

  • Freedom To Operate (Patent Law) (12.56%)
  • Patents (95.6%)
  • Patent Prosecution (49.28%)

Alternative Job Titles

Sometimes employers post jobs with Legal Researcher skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:

  • Patent Agent
  • Patent Prosecution Specialist
  • Intellectual Property Specialist
  • Patent Prosecution Associate
  • Court Researcher
  • Life Science Specialist
  • Semiconductor Engineer
  • Classification Specialist
  • Docket Specialist
  • Intellectual Property Docketing Specialist

Common Employers

Here are the employers that have posted the most Legal Researcher jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.

United States

  • Beacon Hill Staffing Group (196)
  • Clarivate (167)
  • Clarivate Analytics (106)
  • Womble Bond Dickinson (Us) Llp (80)
  • Morgan, Lewis & Bockius Llp (64)
  • Jobot (47)
  • Binding Minds (34)
  • WayUp (33)
  • Duane Morris Llp (29)
  • Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer Llp (27)

North Carolina

  • Womble Bond Dickinson (Us) Llp (15)
  • Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton Llp (9)
  • Thermo Fisher Scientific (2)
  • National Institutes of Health (2)
  • Us Probate Leads (2)
  • Moore & Van Allen, Pllc (2)
  • Beacon Hill Staffing Group (2)
  • Relx (2)
  • Marina Sirras (1)
  • Sourcepro Search (1)

NC State Programs Relevant to this Career

If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!