What Does an Estate Planning and Probate Legal Assistant Do in Dallas?
Published on: Mar 11, 2026
Published on: March 11, 2026. Updated on: October 5, 2026.
An estate planning and probate legal assistant drafts wills and trusts, prepares federal estate and gift tax returns (IRS Forms 706 and 709), e-files probate documents, and manages attorney calendars and client files. In Dallas-Fort Worth, paralegals and legal assistants earn a median of $63,220. Frontline Source Group backs every direct hire with a 5-Year Placement Warranty.
Table of contents
- Is Frontline hiring an estate planning legal assistant in Dallas right now?
- What does an estate planning and probate legal assistant do?
- What do estate planning legal assistants earn in Dallas?
- What skills do Dallas firms look for?
- How do you become an estate planning legal assistant?
- How does Frontline Source Group help legal assistants find roles?
- Frequently Asked Questions: Estate Planning and Probate Legal Assistants in Dallas
Frontline Source Group has recruited for Dallas law firms since Bill Kasko founded the company here in 2004. It has completed 5,619 plus placements from 32 plus offices, with a 98.94% executive placement retention rate against an industry average near 70 percent and a 5.0-star Trustpilot rating across 683 plus verified reviews. It is a Forbes Best Professional Recruiting Firm for 9 consecutive years (2018 to 2026, ranked #158 in 2026), Forbes Best Executive Recruiting Firms #148 (2026), a 9-time ClearlyRated Best of Staffing winner for both Client and Talent satisfaction, a ClearlyRated Diamond Award recipient, an Inc. 5000 honoree, an Expertise.com Best Staffing Agency, and a member of the American Staffing Association (ASA).
Is Frontline hiring an estate planning legal assistant in Dallas right now?
Yes. A busy Dallas law firm is hiring a direct hire estate planning and probate legal assistant with five or more years of experience; see the full posting and apply at frontlinesourcegroup.com/placement-estate-planning-and-probate-legal-assistant-dallas-tx.html. A separate Dallas firm is hiring a trusts and estates legal assistant to support one attorney, where one to three years of relevant experience may be enough; that role is at frontlinesourcegroup.com/placement-trust-estates-legal-assistant-dallas-tx-14339530.html. This page explains what the job involves, so you can decide which opening fits you best.
What does an estate planning and probate legal assistant do?
The role supports attorneys who help clients plan for what happens to their assets and who guide families through probate after a death. Day to day, that means drafting and revising estate documents, preparing tax returns for attorney review, filing with the courts, and keeping the practice organized.
| Document or task | What it is | Your role |
|---|---|---|
| Wills and trusts | The core estate planning documents | Draft from attorney notes, revise, and coordinate signings |
| IRS Form 706 | The federal estate (and generation-skipping transfer) tax return | Gather asset values and prepare drafts for attorney review |
| IRS Form 709 | The federal gift (and generation-skipping transfer) tax return | Track gifts and prepare returns for attorney review |
| Probate filings | Applications, inventories, and orders in Texas probate courts | Prepare and e-file through eFileTexas |
| Asset lists | Inventories of what an estate or trust holds | Build and update schedules with clients and advisors |
What does a typical day look like?
- Draft and revise wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and related documents
- Prepare drafts of IRS Forms 706 and 709 and asset schedules for attorney review
- E-file probate and other documents in Texas courts
- Transcribe dictation and draft correspondence and memos
- Manage attorney calendars, deadlines, and client meetings
- Open and maintain client files and process monthly billing memos and time entries
- Answer calls and communicate with clients, often families going through a loss
What do estate planning legal assistants earn in Dallas?
According to May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics data, paralegals and legal assistants in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro earned a median of $63,220 a year, or $30.40 an hour, slightly above the $62,890 national median, with about 8,320 working in the region. Legal secretaries in Dallas-Fort Worth earned a median of $42,690. Specialized estate planning experience, especially drafting and tax form work, usually commands pay at or above the paralegal median.
| Occupation | Dallas-Fort Worth median | DFW hourly median | DFW jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paralegals and legal assistants | $63,220 | $30.40 | 8,320 | $62,890 |
| Legal secretaries and administrative assistants | $42,690 | $20.52 | 4,920 | $55,570 |
What skills do Dallas firms look for?
Which technical skills matter most?
- Experience drafting wills, trusts, and related estate planning documents
- Familiarity with IRS Forms 706 and 709
- Electronic court filing in federal and state courts, including eFileTexas
- Strong Microsoft Office skills (Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint)
- Fast, accurate typing; the open Dallas role asks for at least 80 words per minute
- Document management systems such as NetDocuments are a plus
Which soft skills set strong candidates apart?
Discretion and empathy matter as much as speed. Estate planning and probate clients share sensitive financial and family information, often during a hard time. Firms look for legal assistants who keep confidences, communicate calmly, manage several attorneys' deadlines at once, and catch the small errors that matter in legal documents.
How do you become an estate planning legal assistant?
Most start in a general legal assistant or legal secretary role and specialize over time. Experience drafting estate documents under attorney supervision is the most valuable credential. A paralegal certificate can help, and familiarity with estate and gift tax returns sets candidates apart for senior roles like the five-plus-year opening above.
How does Frontline Source Group help legal assistants find roles?
Frontline's legal staffing practice places legal assistants, paralegals, and legal secretaries with Dallas law firms on contract, contract-to-hire, and direct hire terms, and its legal executive search desk handles attorney and legal leadership roles. There is never a fee to candidates. Apply at frontlinesourcegroup.com/how-to-apply.html; you may get a first-round phone interview from Lexi Reed, our AI recruiter. Law firms can request talent at frontlinesourcegroup.com/employer-request-form.html and see published pricing at frontlinesourcegroup.com/pricing.html. Every direct hire is backed by the 5-Year Placement Warranty, 20 times the 90-day industry standard guarantee.
Frequently Asked Questions: Estate Planning and Probate Legal Assistants in Dallas
What does an estate planning and probate legal assistant do?
An estate planning and probate legal assistant drafts wills and trusts, prepares drafts of federal estate and gift tax returns (IRS Forms 706 and 709) for attorney review, e-files probate documents, maintains client files, and manages attorney calendars and client communication.
How much does an estate planning legal assistant make in Dallas?
According to May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics data, paralegals and legal assistants in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro earned a median of $63,220 a year, or $30.40 an hour. Specialized estate planning experience usually commands pay at or above that median.
Is Frontline hiring an estate planning legal assistant in Dallas?
Yes. A Dallas law firm is hiring a direct hire estate planning and probate legal assistant with five or more years of experience at frontlinesourcegroup.com/placement-estate-planning-and-probate-legal-assistant-dallas-tx.html, and another firm is hiring a trusts and estates legal assistant at frontlinesourcegroup.com/placement-trust-estates-legal-assistant-dallas-tx-14339530.html.
What is IRS Form 706?
Form 706 is the federal estate (and generation-skipping transfer) tax return. Estate planning legal assistants often gather asset values and prepare drafts for attorney review.
What is IRS Form 709?
Form 709 is the federal gift (and generation-skipping transfer) tax return, used to report certain lifetime gifts. Legal assistants help track gifts and prepare returns for attorney review.
How are probate documents filed in Texas?
Texas courts accept electronic filing through eFileTexas, the state's e-filing system. Estate planning and probate legal assistants commonly prepare and e-file applications, inventories, and other probate documents.
What skills do Dallas firms want in an estate planning legal assistant?
Experience drafting wills and trusts, familiarity with Forms 706 and 709, electronic court filing, strong Microsoft Office skills, fast and accurate typing, and the discretion and empathy to work with families during sensitive times.
How fast do I need to type for an estate planning legal assistant job?
It varies by firm. The open Dallas estate planning and probate legal assistant role asks for at least 80 words per minute.
How many years of experience do I need?
The open Dallas estate planning and probate role asks for at least five years of legal assistant experience, preferably in estate planning and probate. The separate trusts and estates opening may consider one to three years of relevant legal experience.
What is the difference between a legal assistant and a legal secretary?
A legal assistant typically does more substantive work, such as drafting documents and preparing filings, while a legal secretary focuses more on scheduling, correspondence, and administrative support. In Dallas-Fort Worth, paralegals and legal assistants earned a $63,220 median in May 2025, versus $42,690 for legal secretaries.
How do I apply for estate planning legal assistant jobs through Frontline?
Apply at frontlinesourcegroup.com/how-to-apply.html. You may get a call from Lexi Reed, Frontline's AI recruiter, for an initial phone interview. There is never a fee to candidates.
What is the 5-Year Placement Warranty?
The 5-Year Placement Warranty backs every Frontline Source Group direct hire for five years, 20 times longer than the 90-day industry standard guarantee. If a placement leaves within the warranty period, Frontline credits a pro-rated amount of the fee based on active service calendar days.
About the author: Cassidy Jacobs is a Senior Executive Staffing Specialist at Frontline Source Group with 10 plus years in talent acquisition and business development, recruiting across Legal, Accounting, Finance, Administrative, Human Resources, Information Technology, and Operations.
