Building a Career in Legal Project Management

The Colleges of Law offers multiple degree programs that can facilitate you on your path to a legal project management career.

Project management is a necessary career within almost all industries, and that applies to the field of law as well. The path to getting into project management law can look different for everyone, depending on your educational background. Whether your undergraduate degree is in business, paralegal studies, or a related discipline, project management offers a lucrative option for those seeking an alternative legal career. At The Colleges of Law, we offer either a Master of Business, Law, and Technology or a Business Operations Professional Certificate program that can facilitate you on your path to a legal project management career.

Starting Your Career as a Paralegal

A paralegal is a legal assistant who typically performs research and gathers data to support lawyers’ casework. Common duties of a paralegal include:

• Gather facts of the case
• Research data relevant to the case, such as laws and regulations
• Organize and maintain documents pertaining to the case
• Obtain affidavits for evidence to be used in court
• Take notes and review trial transcripts
• Coordinate correspondence with witnesses, clients, and lawyers

While not required, a common education path for paralegals is to gain a degree or certification in paralegal studies. At The Colleges of Law, we offer a Professional Certificate in Business Operations that is designed for legal professionals looking to advance their careers and expand their business knowledge. A working paralegal might be interested in this professional certification if they are looking to position themselves for career advancement.

From Paralegal to Legal Project Manager

The paralegal career path is often considered a steppingstone to becoming a lawyer, but for those looking for an alternative legal career, it could also be a steppingstone to pursuing a career in legal project management. A project manager is a necessary job in every industry, including law.

What Does a Legal Project Manager Do?

Lead projects: A legal project manager will focus on the project’s overall goal and define its scope. This includes defining the timeline, budget, and plan for executing the project to achieve the goals.

Coordinating the team: A major responsibility within legal project management is managing the people necessary for fulfilling the goals and completing the job. This includes coordinating with attorneys, paralegals, support staff, and outside counsel.

Resource management: Part of the legal project manager’s role is resource management, which includes budget management. Utilizing the planned budget within the original scope, an essential portion of the project management job includes managing personnel, vendors, and the timeline to stay within the budget.

Analysis of projects: Once the project is successfully completed, it is part of the legal project manager’s responsibility to review and analyze the project. The goal of this portion of the project is to review for successes and process improvements for future projects.

Build a Legal Project Management Career

Whether you are a practicing paralegal or you’re graduating from an undergraduate program, a legal project management career path can be a great way to work in the field of law without becoming a lawyer, and the career has a high salary potential. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual salary for a project management specialist was $98,580 in 2023, with a faster-than-average job growth rate.

The Master of Business, Law, and Technology program is an online program designed to provide students with a deep understanding of the intersection of business and law. When choosing a concentration, the Business Operations Concentration has a dedicated course on legal project management. Students can expect to learn how to be effective decision-makers and project managers, as well as the role of technology and innovation in legal project management.

Advance Your Legal Career With a Business Program

If you’re looking to take the next step in your legal career, pursue a business degree from The Colleges of Law. Both the Master of Business, Law, and Technology and the Business Operations Professional Certificate are offered online to offer learning flexibility. Each program is designed to provide legal professionals with expanded knowledge of how business intersects with law. Pursue a new career path in legal project management by learning more about The Colleges of Law today.

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