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College of Law

Law Research Assistantships

Law Research Assistantships are broadly available to law students at Iowa Law. In addition to financial benefits, these positions provide law students the opportunity to learn from legal scholars, clinical faculty, library staff, and leadership at the College of Law. 

A law research assistant (LRA) position is an opportunity for a law student to work 10 hours per week with a member of the law school faculty. Under current University of Iowa practice, LRAs are entitled to the following benefits: resident tuition, a salary, and subsidized health/dental insurance. These LRA positions are a wonderful way to enhance both our law students’ legal education and add experience to their résumés. Click here to view our LRA Fact Sheet which has all helpful information regarding LRAs in one place.

Hear from law students about their experience as research assistants and what they took away from the experience below. 

Law Students Highlight RA Experience

Research assistant, Claire Eichhorn, improved skills and built a strong relationship with faculty

Lucas Wetsch gains valuable career skills working as research assistant for Professor Odinet

As a research assistant, Julia Harrison explores areas of law that spark her interest

Current Openings

12twenty is used to advertise LRA positions. To view current openings, please go to the Student Login for 12twenty .  If you are a faculty member seeking to advertise an opening, please go to the  Employer Login to 12twenty .  Please review the  Instructions for LRA Postings in 12twenty  for how to post positions.

Hours Per Week Limitations

Student hourly work limitations are established by State of Iowa law. Student employment exists to support students in the pursuit of an academic degree. In order to ensure success, both in the classroom and on the job, balance is the key. Too many work hours may place a student's academic success at risk. For more information about hour limitations, visit here . The limitations apply regardless of the number of student jobs a student has or the number of semester hours for which they are enrolled (i.e., enrolled in one class or full-time).

Frequently Asked Questions

What do you need to know about law research assistant positions, what is a law research assistant.

Law Research Assistant (LRA) positions are primarily intended as learning experiences, which contribute to the student’s progress toward a program of study. LRA positions are available during the second and third year with most of the faculty.

What are the advantages to having a salaried LRA position?

-Tuition Adjustment for Non-Residents to the Resident Rate: For those students classified as a  non-resident for tuition  purposes, a quarter-time salaried research assistant position will change your tuition status during that semester to resident, thus reducing your tuition charges and financial aid package accordingly.

-Subsidized Health Insurance: Employed Graduate Students/Fellows, enroll online via  MyUI . "Student Insurance" is listed under "Student Life Management" on the "Student Information" page.

-Salary: over $2000 for the year

What are the next steps once hired as an LRA?

As you begin any form of employment with the University, federal law requires that you complete an I-9 form to confirm your eligibility to work. You must be prepared to present appropriate documentation to a University representative on or before your first day of employment, who will then work with you to complete this form. Please refer to the list of acceptable documents .

What are the faculty expectations for the LRA position?

Faculty expectations  .

An LRA position offers professional training as a legal employee. Faculty members will expect you to:

-Treat the position with respect. Be professional and prepared

-Meet submission deadlines. If you suspect you will not meet a deadline inform your supervisor as soon as possible

-If you don’t understand an assignment, ask questions until you do

-Above all: communicate with your supervisor

Bar Character & Fitness

State licensing agencies routinely require you to report all employers on your application. LRA supervisors receive the following inquiries from state judicial licensing agencies:

-Would you hire this person again?

-Was this person trustworthy?

-Would you recommend this person for admission to the bar?

Where do you find answers about your paycheck?

For answers to your questions about your paycheck go to the  Employee Self Service Website . After you sign in select "Personal" then select paycheck review. All employees are paid by Direct Deposit to a checking or savings account.

Who do you contact with Questions, Troubleshooting or Concerns?

Please contact the appropriate staff member based on the subject of your question or concern.

Payroll and Timesheets :

Jessica Diers

Phone: 319-335-9142 Email:  [email protected]

Nathan Davis

Phone: 319-467-3115 Email: [email protected]  

Employee & Supervisor Concerns :

Josh Patterson, Director of Financial Aid: 

Phone: 319-467-4666 Email: [email protected]

Carin Crain, Associate Dean for Student Affairs:

Phone: 319-335-9544 Email: [email protected]

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Working as a Research Assistant

A Research Assistant performs legal research, analysis and writing for a professor related to the professor’s scholarly or pedagogical work. Professors are almost always in the process of writing a scholarly paper and often need various types of help, such as research on legal issues, written summaries of areas of law, and other types of help with substantive legal questions. Occasionally, professors also need help improving their courses, and thus may desire assistance researching and summarizing law, writing practice questions, or other related tasks.

In sum, a Research Assistant performs ordinary legal work, but does so for a professor in an academic context rather than for a client in a practice context.   For more information, please review the questions and answers below.  

Either academic credit or money. It’s up to you. If you’d like academic credit, you can choose either 1 or 2 credits of work in a given semester. You can earn as many research credits as you like during your law school career, but you may use no more than 3 credits towards your J.D. degree . Each credit requires 42.5 hours of work. If you’d rather have the money, the pay is standard student employee rate.

There are several benefits to being a Research Assistant. First, it provides you the opportunity to further develop your research and writing skills. Unlike research and writing in your first year, the work of a Research Assistant is usually more open-ended and requires more judgment and creativity.

Second, it allows you to develop your knowledge of an area of law that you find interesting. If you are interested in corporate law, for example, performing specialized research on various corporate law topics could be just as meaningful as taking a corporate law seminar.

Third, being a Research Assistant allows you get to know a professor and their scholarly agenda. This often ignites within students their own ideas for further study—whether as part of law school or beyond. Moreover, professors for whom you have worked will often offer you guidance as you pursue this work.

Fourth and finally, research assistant work is often a good way to make

a bit of extra money or pick up a credit or two. Many students find the credit option particularly attractive if they need 1 or 2 credits to graduate and do not see a class that interests them.

Research Assistants are graded on a pass/fail basis. There is no limit to the number of courses you can take on a pass/fail basis, but don’t forget that there is a limit to the number of Research Assistant credits (i.e., 3) you can use towards your degree.

There are 3 steps:

• First, find a professor who needs research assistance. You can do this by looking on LawQuest o r by contacting professors directly. It is often useful to contact professors directly because not every professor posts a position on Symplicity. To figure out who to contact, think about who you want to work with—whether because you enjoyed taking a course with that professor or because you are interested in the professor’s area of scholarship. Ask the professor if they have any research needs in the coming semester or year. You might also take the liberty of emailing the professor your resume and telling them a bit about why you are interested in being a research assistant. Not all professors use research assistants, and those that do sometimes don’t need assistance at a given time, so don’t be surprised if several professors decline your offer. Don’t take this personally.
• Second, apply for the position. If the position is posted on  LawQuest , just follow the application requirements indicated on the site. If you have contacted a professor directly, supply whatever the professor asks for. Regardless of whether the professor asks for it, it’s often wise to send the professor a resume and writing sample. Also, you should let the professor know whether you wish to work for credit or for pay, and if for credit, how many credits. Keep in mind that just because you want to earn two credits does not mean that the professor has 90 hours of work for you to do.
• To register for the course, you should submit a “Research Assistant Registration Form” to Sharon Krol in the Dean’s Office. You can obtain the form by either emailing Sharon Krol or by picking one up in the Dean’s Office. Please make sure to submit this form during the time in which registration is open for the semester in which you want to serve as a research assistant. For example, if you want to become a Research Assistant in the spring semester, you can register for that in the preceding fall semester or at the outset of the spring semester, but you cannot register any later than the add/drop deadline for the spring semester (which is 5pm on the second Friday of the semester).
• To register for pay, contact Tracy Cauthorn . It is important that you register through Tracy before starting your research, as you cannot be paid for any work you completed prior to registering. Nonetheless, you need not worry about registration or add/drop deadlines. You can begin working as a research assistant for pay at any time of the year, provided you have not yet graduated.

Yes, but there are important economic factors to consider. Full-time students are entitled to take up to 17 credits during each fall and spring semester. Thus, if you are registered for 15 credits in your spring semester, you can add 2 credits of research work at no extra cost to you. In contrast, summer courses are not covered by your fall and spring tuition and thus would require an additional tuition payment. Normally, the cost per credit is one-ninth of the full tuition price for a single semester. For this reason, most students who work serve as a research assistant during the summer do so for pay rather than credit.   

Legal Research Assistant Job Description, Key Duties and Responsibilities

This post provides detailed information on the legal research assistant job description, including the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities they commonly perform.

It also highlights the major requirements you may be expected to perform to be hired for the legal research assistant role by most recruiters/employers.

What Does a Legal Research Assistant Do?

A legal research assistant supports attorneys and paralegals by finding relevant laws, legal decisions, documents, and other information to help build and support legal cases.

In a law firm environment, legal research assistants typically report to paralegals or junior attorneys.

In a corporate legal department, they may report to a senior paralegal or attorney focusing on a specific practice area.

Legal research assistants work in a variety of legal environments. Law firms and corporate legal departments are the largest employers.

Government agencies also utilize their search skills, with many working in courthouse record departments collecting and organizing relevant case files.

Some legal research assistants function within private investigation firms or work directly for practices specializing in environmental law, personal injury, mergers and acquisitions, contracts or litigation.

While some roles only require a high school diploma and on-the-job training, many legal research assistant positions prefer candidates with an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field like legal studies, criminal justice or paralegal studies.

Coursework specifically focused on legal research and analysis is highly valued.

Many employers also expect proficiency with leading online legal research databases and search tools including Westlaw, LexisNexis, Bloomberg Law or Fastcase.

Voluntary professional certifications like NALA’s Certified Legal Assistant/Certified Paralegal (CLA/CP) or Certified Legal Assistant Specialist (CLAS) can demonstrate mastery of legal search skills as well.

The legal research assistant job description involves utilizing legal databases, search tools, law libraries and other channels to uncover statutes, case law, verdicts, contracts, judicial decisions, and documents an attorney needs to address a case or legal matter.

This requires continuously honing search techniques to dig up relevant precedents, track down obscure citation references, verify case details and compile findings into summaries, memos or reports for attorneys.

Organization, indexing and verification of legal records also fall under their purview.

Legal research assistants may also be called on to prepare trial exhibits, draft chronologies detailing case events and evidence, attend court hearings to access records or case files and help develop new research processes and guidelines for their firms.

Seasoned assistants are also tapped to assist with case strategy by highlighting precedents or laws that strengthen legal arguments.

Exceptional attention to detail, organizational ability, analytical thinking and communication skills are highly sought after when hiring for the legal research assistant role.

Knowledge of legal terminologies and mastery of legal databases are also important for success in the legal research assistant career.

No mandated licenses or certification, however, voluntary certification (CLA/CP or CLAS) through NALA helps demonstrate mastery of legal search skills.

Legal Research Assistant Job Description Example/Sample/Template

The legal research assistant job description consists of the following duties, tasks, and responsibilities:

• Conduct in-depth research projects based on attorney requests to uncover case law precedents, rulings, contracts, and other legal items relating to cases
• Search legal libraries and proprietary databases like Westlaw for relevant judicial decisions, statutes, verdicts and regulatory actions
• Verify case details, attorney credibility qualifiers, citations and case outcomes through cross-referencing
• Prepare comparative analyses detailing how attorneys successfully utilized key laws, arguments and evidence to sway verdicts in similar past cases
• Read through case law, briefs, motions and contracts to identify relevant facts, precedential patterns and winning case strategies
• Catalog pertinent case details, precedent relevance rankings and summary findings in centralized databases for attorney access
• Draft memorandums conveying most applicable statutes, past verdicts, evidentiary procedures and case law discoveries to attorneys 
• Create chronologies and histories detailing seminal case evidence, dates, rulings and lawsuit events
• Review pending legislation and new court rulings to identify changes possibly affecting current cases
• Attend trials, hearings and lawyer meetings to collect pertinent case documents, exhibits and records
• Index physical case evidence such as contracts, photos, videos, journals, receipts or weaponry logged for trials
• Prepare comprehensive mistrial reports outlining potential precedent-setting impacts on other active cases  
• Generate weekly litigation trend reports covering the latest verdicts, settlements and emerging legal tactics within focus areas
• Interview plaintiffs, defendants and subject-matter experts to gather background details for case preparation
• Contact reputable secondary sources such as medical experts, financial analysts or engineers to obtain analysis of evidence, reports or evaluations
• Organize mountains of case evidence into easily searchable formats for analysis and document production 
• Oversee rotating legal interns, delegating research items and training them on proprietary legal search tools 
• Develop new internal knowledge management protocols for properly logging, tagging and safeguarding critical case documents
• Craft custom search algorithms, boolean phrases and databases filters allowing lawyers to quickly access past verdict info 
• Score incoming judicial opinions, laws and regulatory changes on potential usefulness for current cases
• Verify citation references across legal journals, case law databases and court records for accuracy
• Sit in on client meetings, depositions or settlement proceedings to identify unanswered aspects that require more research
• Compare notes with other legal teams to identify different approaches, oversights or new sources overlooked
• Continuously hone proprietary tools, shorthand techniques and legal search tactics to boost research efficiency
• Train new department hires on ideal information gathering, database usage and analysis best practices.

Legal Research Assistant Job Description for Resume

If you are making a new resume or CV and have worked before or are presently working as a legal research assistant, then you can create a compelling Professional Experience section for your resume by applying the legal research assistant job description sample provided above.

You can highlight the major duties and responsibilities you have carried out or currently performing as a legal research assistant in your resume’s Professional Experience by utilizing the ones in the job description example above.

This will show to the recruiter/employer that you have been successful performing the legal research assistant duties and responsibilities, which can greatly enhance your chances of being hired for the new job that you are seeking, especially if it requires someone with some legal research assistant work experience.

Legal Research Assistant Requirements: Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities for Career Success

Here are important requirements candidates who are applying for the legal research assistant position may be expected to fulfill to be hired:

• Research Skills : Superior online investigation skills including mastery of legal databases like Westlaw and LexisNexis. Advanced search strategies utilizing filters, boolean phrases and legal terminology look ups.
• Communication Skills : Ability to convey complex research findings, case revelations and analysis concisely both verbally and in writing.
• Analytical Skills : Aptitude for scrutinizing intricate details within lengthy legal opinions, contracts and regulatory text to identify relevant precedent connections and case-influencing items. 
• Technical Skills : Proficiency learning new case management systems, proprietary legal platforms and document review tools critical to organizing case knowledge.
• Information Governance Know-How : Deep understanding of evidence handling, legal chain of custody, discovery and compliance protocols to properly catalogue sensitive case documents.
• Subject Matter Expertise : Knowledge of core legal frameworks like tort law, contract law, personal injury law, criminal law, corporate law and litigation procedures preferred. 
• Strategic Vision : Recognize links between seemingly disconnected precedents and legal arguments that align to positively strengthen cases.
• Time Management : Juggle tight deadlines, shifting attorney priorities and rapid context switching between various complex research assignments simultaneously. 
• Interpersonal Skills : Build constructive working relationships with notoriously high-pressure legal teams by instilling confidence in research abilities.
• Teaching Ability : Patience instructing legal clerks or paralegal trainees on proprietary search tools, analysis best practices and research approaches to aid knowledge transfer.

Legal Research Assistant Salary

The typical yearly pay for legal research assistants was over $56,000 nationally in 2022, according to government data.

However, salaries varied widely across the country.

Those in the top 10% of earners made more than $83,000 annually, while those in the bottom 10% made less than $36,000.

When looking at salaries on a state level, five states stood out for much higher pay. California topped the list with legal research assistants making almost $64,000.

Pennsylvania and New Jersey were close behind at over $63,000 and $61,000 respectively.

New York and Washington rounded out the top five, with average salaries near $60,000 and $54,000.

Clearly, major coastal states seem to offer the most lucrative opportunities in this field.

However, pay can fluctuate substantially even within a state based on factors like experience and employer.

As illustrated, legal research assistants perform absolutely vital work serving as the search-and-discovery fuel powering high-stakes legal matters.

Leveraging first-class investigation skills, they uncover game-changing details that can make or break multi-million dollar verdicts.

We’ve outlined key job responsibilities, must-have abilities and projected growth trajectories for these recession-proof administrative all stars.

For detail-driven candidates, becoming a legal hound dog provides challenging work along with solid compensation and immense career upside.

Beyond relevant college coursework, cultivating advanced database and search engine proficiencies both on and off the job paves runways for success.

Willingness to burn midnight oil perfecting the craft also a plus in this rapid-fire field. Aspiring legal detectives should clarify specific employer skill requirements upfront through informational interviews and workforce development outreach.

For legal departments and law offices, clearly conveying must-have qualifications and competencies in job listings allows for better identification of research rainmakers that boost competitive advantage.

Fostering talent mobility through internal stretch assignments, continuing education and professional development also key for retaining top talent within specialized legal research realms.

In closing, as the nature of disputes, contracts and deals evolve, so too do the tools and insights legal research professionals bring to the bargaining table.

Bridging past precedent, emerging litigation trends and modern analytical approaches, legal research assistants provide the backbones helping law practices stand tall during turbulent times.

This post is helpful to individuals interested in the legal research assistant career. They will be able to learn all they need to know about the work legal research assistants do to decide if that’s the job they want to do.

It is also useful to recruiters/employers in making a detailed job description for the legal research assistant role in their organizations for use in hiring for the position.

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