Trusts and Estates Legal Assistant in Dallas: Is Probate Experience Enough?
Published on: Oct 2, 2026
Yes, it can be. A Dallas law firm is hiring a direct hire Trusts and Estates Legal Assistant to support one attorney in its estate planning and probate practice, and strong probate experience will be considered. Frontline Source Group is running the search and backs every direct hire with its 5-Year Placement Warranty. The job is in office, and roughly 1 to 3 years of relevant legal experience may be enough.
Frontline Source Group has recruited for Dallas law firms since Bill Kasko founded the company here in 2004. Today it runs 32 plus offices, has completed 5,619 plus placements, and holds a 98.94% executive retention rate and a 5.0 star Trustpilot rating across 677 plus verified reviews. The firm has made the Forbes Best Professional Recruiting Firms list 9 years running (2018 to 2026) and ranked #148 on the 2026 Forbes Best Executive Recruiting Firms list. It is also 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).
What does this Trusts and Estates Legal Assistant job in Dallas involve?
This is a one-attorney desk. You would be the go-to support person for a single Trusts and Estates attorney at an established, full-service Dallas law firm, handling the documents, scheduling, client contact, and file management that keep an estate planning and probate practice running.
Who will the legal assistant support day to day?
One attorney. That matters, because a dedicated desk lets you learn how your attorney drafts, how they like client calls handled, and which deadlines they want flagged early. Clients will get to know you too, since you will be the person coordinating their meetings, signing appointments, and document questions.
What estate planning and probate work crosses this desk?
Expect wills, trusts, and related estate planning documents on the planning side, plus probate and estate administration matters once a client passes. In Dallas County, probate cases are heard by three statutory probate courts at the George Allen Courts Building on Commerce Street downtown, so familiarity with how probate matters move through a Texas county court system is helpful.
Why does original document custody matter in a Trusts and Estates practice?
Estate planning firms often keep clients' signed originals, and when an estate goes to probate, the original will is usually what the court needs to see. This role helps organize, maintain, and store those original documents and keeps accurate records of what was executed and where it is kept. Careful, consistent recordkeeping is a big part of doing this job well.
Client Profile:
Established full-service law firm, Dallas, TX. The firm has a sophisticated Trusts and Estates practice and a strong reputation in the Texas legal market, with a professional, collaborative environment, excellent benefits, long-term stability, and the chance to work alongside experienced attorneys.
Trusts and Estates Legal Assistant Role:
- Provide dedicated day-to-day administrative and legal support to one attorney in the Trusts and Estates practice
- Assist with estate planning, probate, and related Trusts and Estates matters
- Prepare, revise, organize, and maintain legal documents and correspondence
- Coordinate client meetings, document execution, appointments, and matter-related activities
- Manage attorney calendars, deadlines, and follow-up items
- Communicate professionally with clients about scheduling, documents, and administrative matters
- Maintain organized physical and electronic client files
- Scan, profile, index, and save documents in the firm's document management systems
- Assist with the organization, maintenance, and storage of original estate planning documents
- Maintain accurate records of original and executed client documents
- Prepare correspondence and transmittal materials as needed
- Handle confidential and sensitive client information with discretion
- Keep matters organized and moving forward without waiting to be asked
Do you need Trusts and Estates experience, or will probate experience qualify?
The firm prefers Trusts and Estates experience, but it has been clear that strong probate experience will be considered. You also do not need to have spent your entire legal career in this practice area. If you have meaningful time supporting wills, trusts, probate, or estate administration work, it is worth applying.
How much experience does the Dallas law firm want?
Approximately 1 to 3 years of relevant experience may be sufficient. Prior law firm experience, or comparable legal experience, is required. That puts this role within reach for legal assistants and legal secretaries who are early in their careers but have already worked on estate matters.
Which software and file management skills matter most?
You will live in Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, so strong Office skills are a must. Experience with a legal document management system is preferred, since much of the job involves scanning, profiling, indexing, and saving documents so that anyone at the firm can find them later.
Trusts and Estates Legal Assistant Background Profile:
- Prior law firm or comparable legal experience required
- Trusts and Estates experience required, or strong probate experience will be considered
- Approximately 1 to 3 years of relevant experience may be sufficient
- Candidates do not need to have spent their entire legal career in Trusts and Estates if they have meaningful experience supporting the practice area
- Experience supporting estate planning, probate, wills, trusts, estate administration, or related matters preferred
- Strong document and file management skills
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
- Experience with legal document management systems preferred
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
- Professional written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to work independently, manage deadlines, and provide proactive support
- Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information appropriately
What benefits come with this direct hire legal assistant role?
The benefits package is strong for a legal support position, especially the profit sharing 401(k), three weeks of vacation that grows with tenure, and an HSA with employer contributions. Because the job is in office downtown, the firm also covers parking or offers a mass transit subsidy.
Features:
- Profit Sharing 401(k)
- Paid parking or mass transit subsidy
- Three weeks of vacation, with additional vacation based on tenure
- 10 paid holidays
- Healthcare and wellness plans
- HSA with employer contributions
- Life insurance
- Accidental death and dismemberment insurance
- Paid short-term and long-term disability
What happens after you apply through Frontline Source Group?
Every candidate applies through the Frontline Source Group application page. After you apply, you may get a call from Lexi Reed, Frontline's AI recruiter, who conducts phone interviews with applicants to support the recruiting team. From there, a Frontline legal recruiter reviews your background against what this attorney needs.
Frontline's legal desk includes Cassidy Jacobs, a Senior Executive Staffing Specialist whose coverage includes legal, along with accounting, HR, IT, and administrative roles. Candidates who move forward receive interview instructions before meeting the firm, and some roles include skills testing when the client asks for it. You can also browse other recent placements to see the kinds of positions Frontline fills.
Why do Dallas law firms use Frontline Source Group for legal support hiring?
Law firms and corporate legal departments come to Frontline for legal assistants, paralegals, legal secretaries, and attorneys, on a contract, contract-to-hire, or direct hire basis. The legal staffing practice handles support roles, and legal executive search covers senior and attorney-level hiring. The Dallas legal staffing agency page has more on the local market.
What does the 5-Year Placement Warranty mean for a law firm?
Most staffing agencies stand behind a direct hire for 90 days. Frontline backs its direct hire placements with a 5-Year Placement Warranty, which is 20 times longer than that 90-day industry standard guarantee. For a firm hiring a legal assistant who will hold client originals and learn one attorney's practice inside and out, that kind of long-term commitment counts.
How open is Frontline about what it charges?
Frontline publishes its engagement models on its pricing page, which is rare in this industry. Direct hire is a contingent fee based on first-year base salary, and contract staffing is billed hourly. That openness lines up with what clients and candidates say on the testimonials page and with the firm's staffing awards. Firms with an opening can start through the employer request form or the contact page.
Frequently Asked Questions: Trusts and Estates Legal Assistant Job in Dallas, TX
Is this Dallas trusts and estates legal assistant job direct hire or contract?
It is a direct hire position. The legal assistant joins the Dallas law firm as a permanent, full-time employee from the first day, with the firm's full benefits package. Frontline Source Group handles the recruiting and presents candidates to the firm, and the direct hire placement is backed by the Frontline 5-Year Placement Warranty.
Will I qualify with probate experience but no estate planning background?
Possibly, yes. The firm prefers Trusts and Estates experience but has said strong probate experience will be considered. You also do not need to have spent your whole legal career in Trusts and Estates, as long as you have meaningful experience supporting wills, trusts, probate, or estate administration work.
How many years of experience does the Dallas law firm want for this role?
Approximately 1 to 3 years of relevant legal experience may be sufficient. Prior law firm experience, or comparable legal experience, is required. Candidates should also be comfortable with Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and ideally with a legal document management system.
What does a trusts and estates legal assistant do at a Dallas law firm?
In this role, the legal assistant supports one attorney with estate planning and probate matters. The work includes preparing and revising documents and correspondence, coordinating client meetings and will signings, managing the attorney's calendar and deadlines, keeping physical and electronic files in order, profiling documents in the firm's document management system, and maintaining the records and storage of original estate planning documents.
Is the trusts and estates legal assistant role remote, hybrid, or in office?
The role is fully in office at the law firm's Dallas location. The firm offers paid parking or a mass transit subsidy to help with the commute.
What benefits does the Dallas law firm offer this legal assistant?
The firm offers a Profit Sharing 401(k), three weeks of vacation with more added based on tenure, 10 paid holidays, healthcare and wellness plans, an HSA with employer contributions, life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, paid short-term and long-term disability, and paid parking or a mass transit subsidy.
What is the difference between a trusts and estates legal assistant and a probate paralegal?
Titles vary from firm to firm, so there is real overlap. A probate paralegal usually carries more substantive work under attorney supervision, such as drafting probate applications, estate inventories, and accountings. A trusts and estates legal assistant, like this Dallas role, centers on document preparation, calendaring, client coordination, signing logistics, and custody of original documents. Paralegals and legal secretaries with estate planning or probate exposure are welcome to apply.
How do I apply for the trusts and estates legal assistant job in Dallas?
Apply through the Frontline Source Group application page at frontlinesourcegroup.com/how-to-apply.html. After you apply, you may receive a call from Lexi Reed, Frontline's AI recruiter, who conducts phone interviews with applicants to support the recruiting team. A Frontline legal recruiter then reviews your background against the firm's requirements and reaches out to qualified candidates about next steps.
What is Frontline Source Group?
Frontline Source Group is a nationwide professional staffing and executive search firm that Bill Kasko founded in Dallas in 2004. The firm has 32 plus offices, has completed 5,619 plus placements, holds a 98.94% executive retention rate, and carries a 5.0 star Trustpilot rating across 677 plus verified reviews. Frontline has been named a Forbes Best Professional Recruiting Firm for 9 consecutive years (2018 to 2026) and was ranked #148 on the 2026 Forbes Best Executive Recruiting Firms list.
What is the Frontline Source Group 5-Year Placement Warranty?
The 5-Year Placement Warranty backs Frontline Source Group direct hire placements for five years. That is 20 times longer than the 90-day guarantee most staffing agencies offer. Full terms are published at frontlinesourcegroup.com/5year-placement-guarantee.html.
How does Frontline Source Group charge Dallas law firms for direct hire legal placements?
Direct hire placements are billed as a contingent fee, typically 20 to 30 percent of the placed candidate's first-year base salary depending on seniority and search complexity, so the firm pays only when it hires. Frontline publishes its engagement models at frontlinesourcegroup.com/pricing.html, which is uncommon in the staffing industry.
How can a Dallas law firm request a legal assistant or paralegal from Frontline Source Group?
Law firms and corporate legal departments can submit an opening through frontlinesourcegroup.com/employer-request-form.html or call Frontline Source Group at (214) 760-7700. A Frontline legal recruiter will confirm the practice area, the attorney's working style, the software environment, and whether the role is contract, contract-to-hire, or direct hire before presenting candidates.
