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Legal Associate Jobs (NOW HIRING)

What is this role like We're looking for a Commercial Legal Associate to join our growing global team. This role is focused on helping our commercial engine move faster. You'll own the day-to-day ...

Requisition Name - Legal Associate// Legal Assistant Estimated Duration - 08/10/2026 - 12/31/2026 Location - Nashville, TN - On Site Rate - USD 28.88 Per Hour w2 Description Legal Assistant Our ...

What is this role like We're looking for a Commercial Legal Associate to join our growing global team. This role is focused on helping our commercial engine move faster. You'll own the day-to-day ...

Pre-bar associates and recent law graduates awaiting bar admission are encouraged to apply. * Strong legal research, writing, analytical, and problem-solving skills. * Excellent verbal and written ...

Highly organized, detail-oriented, and tech-savvy Legal Operations Associate to support our dynamic legal team. This role is critical in keeping our operations running smoothly across the globe. This ...

The Legal Operations Associate is a key member of the legal team, responsible for supporting daily operations related to claim and matter management, payment processing, and compliance activities.

Associate, Bowery Legal

New York, NY · On-site

$135K - $150K/yr

Bowery Legal is looking for a talented attorney with relevant in-house and/or law firm experience in transactional and corporate law. The associate will primarily be responsible for handling emerging ...

Legora is redefining how legal work gets done by leveraging AI technology to enhance efficiency and precision for legal teams. The role involves supporting client-facing pilots, designing use cases ...

As an Associate, Legal Engineering at Litera, you will be part of a dynamic team that is passionate about driving innovation in the legal technology space. You will have the opportunity to work with ...

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Legal Associate information

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$8

$29

$60

How much do legal associate jobs pay per hour?

As of Jul 5, 2026, the average hourly pay for legal associate in the United States is $29.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $19.23 and $33.65 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are Legal Associates?

Legal Associates are early-career lawyers who support more senior attorneys in a law firm or legal department. They conduct legal research, draft documents, assist with case preparation, and may represent clients under supervision. Legal Associates are typically recent law school graduates who have passed the bar exam, and their role is designed to provide hands-on experience while allowing them to develop their legal skills. Over time, Legal Associates may work toward becoming partners or taking on more senior legal positions within their organization.

What is a legal associate?

A legal associate is a junior attorney or lawyer who supports senior lawyers by conducting research, drafting documents, and preparing cases. They typically work in law firms or corporate legal departments and need a law degree and bar admission to practice. The role often involves analyzing legal issues and assisting with client consultations.

What is the lowest position in a law firm?

The lowest position in a law firm is typically a legal assistant or legal secretary, who provides administrative support to attorneys. Entry-level roles often require basic legal knowledge, strong organizational skills, and familiarity with legal software. These positions serve as a foundation for advancing to higher roles such as paralegal or associate.

What are some typical challenges Legal Associates face during their first year at a law firm?

Legal Associates often encounter challenges such as managing a high volume of work under tight deadlines, adapting to the expectations of different partners, and learning to balance administrative tasks with substantive legal research and drafting. Navigating firm culture and building relationships with senior attorneys and clients can also be demanding. However, these challenges provide valuable learning opportunities and help associates develop strong time management, communication, and legal analysis skills crucial for career growth.

What Is a Legal Associate?

A legal associate is a practicing junior attorney at a law firm who works on cases for clients, conducts legal research, and provides legal advice to clients. Other job duties include developing and implementing litigation strategies, supervising legal assistants and paralegals, and representing clients in court. The qualifications you need for a career as a legal associate include a bachelor’s degree and then a law degree from an accredited law school, a license to practice law through your state’s bar association, at least one year of experience working in a law firm, and excellent communication and collaborative skills.

What can you do with an associate degree in law?

A legal associate degree prepares individuals for entry-level roles such as legal assistant, paralegal, or legal secretary. These positions involve supporting attorneys, conducting research, and managing case files, often requiring knowledge of legal software and procedures.

Is $900 an hour a lot for a lawyer?

For a legal associate, earning $900 an hour is considered very high and typically reflects senior-level experience, specialized expertise, or work in high-demand areas such as corporate law or litigation. Most legal associates earn significantly less, with hourly rates often ranging from $100 to $300 depending on location and firm size. Such rates are more common for partners or highly specialized attorneys rather than entry-level associates.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Legal Associate, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Legal Associate, you need a law degree (JD or equivalent), strong research and analytical skills, and attention to detail. Familiarity with legal research databases such as Westlaw or LexisNexis, document management systems, and proficiency in drafting legal documents are essential. Excellent written and verbal communication, time management, and the ability to work collaboratively set standout candidates apart. These skills ensure effective legal analysis, high-quality client service, and successful case outcomes in a demanding legal environment.

What is the difference between Legal Associate vs Paralegal?

AspectLegal AssociateParalegal
Required CredentialsJuris Doctor (JD), bar admission often preferredAssociate's degree or paralegal certification
Work EnvironmentLaw firms, corporate legal departments, government agenciesLaw firms, legal departments, courts, corporate offices
Job ResponsibilitiesLegal research, drafting documents, client interaction, assisting attorneysLegal research, document preparation, case organization, support tasks

Legal Associates typically hold a JD and are licensed to practice law, performing more advanced legal tasks. Paralegals assist attorneys with research and administrative duties but do not require a law degree or license. Both roles work in similar environments, but Legal Associates have a broader scope of responsibilities and legal authority.

What cities are hiring for Legal Associate jobs? Cities with the most Legal Associate job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Legal jobs? The most popular types of Legal jobs are:
What states have the most Legal Associate jobs? States with the most job openings for Legal Associate jobs include:
Infographic showing various Legal Associate job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $60,327 per year, or $29 per hour.
Commercial Legal Associate

Commercial Legal Associate

Topsort

Somerville, MA

Full-time

Posted 3 days ago


Job description

We're quickly growing and super excited for you to join us!

About Topsort

At Topsort, we believe in the mission of democratizing the secret technologies of the walled gardens and creating a privacy-first cookie-free world of clean advertising with modern tech, friendly products, and AI. We believe in making advertising intuitive, intelligent, and genuinely cool, without any of the creepy ads or cookie-obsession (well, maybe just the chocolate ones). In a rapidly changing industry, we're on a mission to democratize monetization access for all and ensure that advertising doesn't leave any brand or seller feeling confused or overwhelmed

Today, Topsort has 6 major hubs worldwide, and employees in 13+ countries, including Menlo Park, Boston, Santiago Chile, Sao Paulo Brazil, Barcelona Spain, and Sydney Australia. We are a truly global company that was born in the pandemic that's had rapid growth since out of a genius product, a customer-first mentality, and a hardworking team of talented individuals. Since our founding in 2021, we've gained customers in retail, marketplaces, and delivery apps in 40+ countries and quickly approaching the #1 position in the industry.

Do you enjoy a fast-paced environment? Do you like seeing your work create real-time impact, being part of a rocket ship from the very beginning? Let's do the unimaginable - let's make ads clean and cool again, with AI and modern technology.

Why Topsort? Why now?

Topsort is changing the way Retail Media works. By joining our scaling team, you'll feel your impact from day 1. The processes and messaging you build today will be a critical part of our foundation as we accelerate toward 200 Topsorters worldwide, and your innovations will leave a lasting mark on the industry, as a whole. Retail Media is on the verge of a new era, and Topsort is gathering the ecosystem together to shape a brighter future. Joining us now, you'll work directly alongside our co-founders and founding members to bring on Retail Media 3.0. If you're looking to define your career as something greater than yourself, come scale with us.

What it's like to work at Topsort

Our team is all about straightforward communication, embracing feedback without taking it personally, and fostering a super collaborative environment. It's a sports team that's hyper focused on winning, collaborative internally, and competitive externally - never the other way around. We thrive on working in the open, lifting each other up, and getting things done with a sense of urgency. We're the kind of team that loves making bold choices, sharing extraordinary opinions, and maintaining a 100 mph pace. No endless meetings here – if it can be done today, we're all about getting it done today.

What is this role like

We're looking for a Commercial Legal Associate to join our growing global team. This role is focused on helping our commercial engine move faster. You'll own the day-to-day execution of customer and vendor contracts, coordinate negotiations, manage contract redlines, and work closely with Sales, Security, Finance, and Procurement to keep deals moving. This is not a traditional legal research or litigation role. Instead, we're looking for someone who enjoys working on commercial agreements, thrives in a fast-paced startup environment, and can balance legal risk with business practicality.

If you're highly organized, detail-oriented, collaborative, and excited about supporting a rapidly growing company, we'd love to hear from you.

What you will do

  • Review, draft, and negotiate commercial agreements, including:
    • Master Services Agreements (MSAs)
    • Data Processing Agreements (DPAs)
    • Security Addendums
    • NDAs
    • Vendor agreements
  • Manage contract redlines and coordinate revisions with internal stakeholders and external counterparties.
  • Partner closely with Sales to support customer negotiations and help accelerate deal cycles.
  • Coordinate procurement and vendor onboarding processes.
  • Work cross-functionally with Legal, Security, Finance, People, and Operations to resolve contract issues efficiently.
  • Maintain contract documentation and improve legal processes, templates, and playbooks.
  • Identify recurring negotiation themes and recommend scalable improvements to contract workflows.
  • Help ensure commercial agreements align with company policies and risk guidelines.
What we're looking for
  • Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school and licensed to practice law in the U.S.2–3 years of experience reviewing and negotiating commercial contracts in-house or at a law firm.
  • Experience working with SaaS, software, technology, or B2B commercial agreements.
  • Strong understanding of commercial contract fundamentals, including MSAs, DPAs, and procurement processes.
  • Comfortable managing contract negotiations and redlines independently.
  • Excellent attention to detail and strong organizational skills.
  • Able to prioritize multiple agreements simultaneously in a fast-moving environment.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills.
  • Collaborative, pragmatic, and business-minded approach to legal work.
  • Comfortable partnering with Sales and other cross-functional teams.
  • Professional proficiency in multiple languages is a plus, particularly when supporting global commercial agreements.
What We Value
At Topsort, we seek professionals who embody the following qualities to drive our mission forward:
  • Deep dive into details: Professionals who are not content with superficial answers and dive deeply into the details to uncover root causes and optimal solutions.
  • Team first: A low need for individual recognition, always prioritizing collective results over personal credit.
  • You thrive with ambiguity: Exceptional ability to tackle open-ended problems in unstructured environments, turning chaos into structured innovation.
  • Adaptability: Willingness to learn, mentor, lead, and follow as the situation demands, fostering growth at all levels.
  • Urgency: A disproportionate sense of urgency in execution, while keeping scalability and the creation of replicable processes in mind to ensure long-term success.
  • Curiosity: Genuinely curious individuals who can quickly learn difficult concepts and apply them effectively.

Do you sound like the right fit? Let's dive right in!