Also called: Attorney Editor, Legal Publishing Editor, Case Law Editor
Writes and edits the summaries, guides, and databases that lawyers use for research, at companies like Westlaw, Lexis, and Bloomberg Law.
A legal editor reads new court decisions every day, writes short summaries of the key rulings, and tags them so lawyers can find them. Others update practice guides when laws change. It's a law job without clients or courtrooms.
Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 7 years after high school. Bachelor's degree; many positions require a J.D.
Ways in: 4-year college, Professional school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: English, Journalism, Political Science.
Growing slowly. Publishers are investing in AI.
High risk for 10 years. AI writes case summaries and tags new decisions quickly; legal publishers need far fewer editors to review its output.
Classes: AP English Language, AP U.S. Government, Journalism, AP U.S. History.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-3041.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.