Industry group, 5411
Legal Services
1,224,710 people work in this industry in the US, at mean pay of $115,940 a year (BLS, May 2025). What follows is how much of their working time the best AI models could finish, when, and in which jobs and tasks. Estimates.
of the paid hours. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
a year: 1.3 billion hours at what they cost. Not a forecast of savings.
- 68%
- 24%
- 8%
of the paid hours are within reach now in tasks people already bring to Claude. Another 42% is within reach in tasks not yet seen there.
Across the US: 30% within reach now and 36% by the end of 2028, on the long-run pace at four in five. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
Share of the paid hours within reach, now to 2030
Change assumptionsHide assumptionsLong-run pace, four in five
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
What handing the work over would take
For the 1,194,810 people in jobs so far, 98% of the industry's people; the others are in the totals above and join this split as the review reaches their jobs. Shares of their working time within reach now, at the pace and reliability chosen above. Estimates. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
about 1 billion hours a year. The material can be handed to a model and the result handed back.
about 274 million hours a year. The model has to be connected to the system the work lives in.
about 297 million hours a year. Short enough by length. This site leaves conversation with people, so it is not in the totals.
What their work is made of
- 56%
- 12%
- 17%
- 8%
- 7%
Each task's time split among five kinds of doing, judged one task at a time; only documents and systems can count as within reach.
What changes for the people
For the 1,194,810 people in jobs reviewed task by task so far, by the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five: the shares of their working time, from each job page's own map, weighted by how many people here do that job. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job. Estimates.
Conversation, in-person and hands-on work.
Desk work within reach in tasks where a mistake costs something or a licensed person signs.
Desk work within reach that is small if wrong, with lighter checks.
What most people here would learn first
How many of them have each skill among the first two things to learn on their job's page. Every state, and the US
- Reviewing work you did not do yourself1,090,210 (91%)
- Briefing a model and checking its drafts931,880 (78%)
- Handling protected records133,870 (11%)
- Running AI inside the business systems132,250 (11%)
- The hands-on craft46,450 (4%)
- Dealing with people outside the organization26,850 (2%)
- Judgment where errors are severe13,330 (1%)
- The conversations10,510 (1%)
- Signing off under your license1,610 (under 1%)
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this industry's paid hours were within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 1%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 22%. Today's estimate: 52%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
Robots and the physical work
Anthropic rates 7% of the working time of the people in this industry as physical work. For 6% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 5% in a purpose-built cell, 1% in a structured facility. 0.07 of 3.
- Not physical 93%
- No robot shown 1%
- In a purpose-built cell 5%
- In a structured facility 1%
Anthropic's rating, not this site's estimate: Claude Opus 5, searching the web, rated each physical O*NET task by the kind of setting in which a robot it could cite (deployed, sold or demonstrated) does most of the task, weighted by its own estimate of each task's share of the time (What work can robots do?, September 30, 2026, data CC BY 4.0; every job ranked). A robot shown somewhere is not a robot in your building: cost, setup and safety decide that. The share within reach on this page still counts no body work. Weighted by the people in each occupation; each job's page names the robot behind each rated task.
Where the hours are
Jobs by hours within reach now. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index. The 30 largest jobs hold 95% of the people.
| People | Pay here | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paralegals and Legal Assistants | 304,820 | 74% | 466 million | $62K |
| Lawyers | 448,040 | 32% | 296 million | $158K |
| Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | 125,980 | 59% | 154 million | $55K |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | 20,990 | 88% | 38 million | $58K |
| Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers | 19,260 | 92% | 37 million | $57K |
| Office Clerks, General | 30,700 | 56% | 36 million | $41K |
| Receptionists and Information Clerks | 25,020 | 60% | 31 million | $42K |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 23,510 | 59% | 29 million | $46K |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | 20,340 | 54% | 23 million | $76K |
| Billing and Posting Clerks | 11,080 | 85% | 20 million | $60K |
| General and Operations Managers | 19,000 | 45% | 18 million | $114K |
| Accountants and Auditors | 12,400 | 45% | 12 million | $87K |
People: BLS counts for this industry, May 2025. Pay here: the median paid for the job in this industry, else its mean, else the national median. 105 smaller jobs (58,540 people) count in every total but are not listed. Task data covers 98% of the industry's people; the rest are in BLS "all other" groups with no task list, or in counts BLS does not publish.
The tasks with the most hours within reach by the end of 2028
Across the whole industry, on the chosen pace and reliability.
- Prepare, edit, or review legal documents, including legislation, briefs, pleadings, appeals, wills, contracts, and real estate closing statements.Paralegals and Legal Assistants171 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Gather and analyze research data, such as statutes, decisions, and legal articles, codes, and documents.Paralegals and Legal Assistants98 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Investigate facts and law of cases and search pertinent sources, such as public records and internet sources, to determine causes of action and to prepare cases.Paralegals and Legal Assistants88 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Prepare affidavits or other documents, such as legal correspondence, and organize and maintain documents in paper or electronic filing system.Paralegals and Legal Assistants82 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Prepare, draft, and review legal documents, such as wills, deeds, patent applications, mortgages, leases, and contracts.Lawyers79 million hours97% of the task within reach
- Analyze the probable outcomes of cases, using knowledge of legal precedents.Lawyers63 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Study Constitution, statutes, decisions, regulations, and ordinances of quasi-judicial bodies to determine ramifications for cases.Lawyers56 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Organize and maintain law libraries, documents, and case files.Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants51 million hours50% of the task within reach
- Gather evidence to formulate defense or to initiate legal actions by such means as interviewing clients and witnesses to ascertain the facts of a case.Lawyers50 million hours50% of the task within reach
- Examine legal data to determine advisability of defending or prosecuting lawsuit.Lawyers44 million hours100% of the task within reach
Scan a typical company in this industry
The industry's largest jobs, in the proportions BLS counts across the whole industry, at the pay it pays, run through the company scan. A starting point before you have a roster, or a benchmark for the one you have. Or choose the whole industry: every occupation BLS publishes for it with task data, at its nationwide headcount, the sector report ($249 for the full report, or included in Pro).
Next to this industry
Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
- Computer Systems Design and Related Services2,445,140 people50% now, 74% by 2028
- Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services1,872,730 people47% now, 68% by 2028
- Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services1,719,390 people43% now, 68% by 2028
- Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services1,091,370 people56% now, 77% by 2028
- Scientific Research and Development Services931,790 people38% now, 64% by 2028
- Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services881,820 people35% now, 44% by 2028
- Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services481,600 people48% now, 64% by 2028
- Specialized Design Services151,930 people52% now, 68% by 2028
How it is built: BLS counts the people in each job in this industry; each job's tasks and their lengths give its share within reach at a date; the industry's share is those shares weighted by people. Value is pay times 1.43 for benefits and payroll costs. Seen in Claude use splits today's share by whether Anthropic saw people bring each task to Claude in 2025; other AI tools are not counted. How it works
Questions about this industry
- How much of the work in Legal Services is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 52% of the paid hours in Legal Services are within reach of AI models now and 68% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five (65% to 68% across the three paces the site shows). Within reach means a model could finish work that long at that reliability. It is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.
- Which jobs in Legal Services carry the most hours within reach?
- By hours within reach now (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index): Paralegals and Legal Assistants (304,820 people, 74% of their time, about 466 million hours a year); Lawyers (448,040 people, 32% of their time, about 296 million hours a year); and Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants (125,980 people, 59% of their time, about 154 million hours a year).
- Which tasks in Legal Services carry the most hours within reach by the end of 2028?
- Prepare, edit, or review legal documents, including legislation, briefs, pleadings, appeals, wills, contracts, and real estate closing statements (Paralegals and Legal Assistants, about 171 million hours a year); Gather and analyze research data, such as statutes, decisions, and legal articles, codes, and documents (Paralegals and Legal Assistants, about 98 million hours a year); and Investigate facts and law of cases and search pertinent sources, such as public records and internet sources, to determine causes of action and to prepare cases (Paralegals and Legal Assistants, about 88 million hours a year).
- What would people working in Legal Services learn first?
- Among the 1,194,810 people in jobs reviewed task by task, the skills most often among the first two things to learn on their job's page are reviewing work you did not do yourself (1,090,210 people); briefing a model and checking its drafts (931,880 people); and handling protected records (133,870 people). By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 31% of their working time stays with people, 61% becomes checking a model's work and 6% can be handed over with lighter checks. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job.
- How is this estimated?
- BLS counts the people in each occupation in Legal Services (May 2025); each occupation's share of working time within reach comes from its O*NET tasks, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval, and METR's measurements of how long a task the best AI models can finish, carried forward to the date from the latest, Claude Mythos Preview (early) in April 2026. The industry's share is those shares weighted by people. Task data covers 98% of its people, and 98% are in occupations reviewed task by task. Data checked November 10, 2026.
Embed these figures on your site
A small card with the share of working time within reach now and at the end of 2027, 2028 and 2030, the date and a link back. Free under CC BY 4.0; the card carries the credit.