Job Profile: Legal Secretary

The Job

• Legal secretaries perform many of the same tasks as other secretaries, such as answering telephones and typing letters. Many of the documents they prepare must follow strict guidelines; so legal secretaries

  Legal secretaries are supervised by attorneys.

  need to know the specialized formats for legal documents.
• They also perform many critical office functions, including maintaining supplies and equipment, receiving, preparing and transmitting communications, planning conferences, receiving clients and instructing staff.
• Some legal secretaries read legal journals and assist with legal research.

Skills

• Professional demeanor, good communication and organizational skills, and proficiency with computers, fax machines and multiline telephone systems.
• The ability to multitask and solve problems under tight deadline is critical.

  Legal secretaries must be trustworthy, because they often deal with confidential material.

• Knowledge of legal terms and procedures

Education

• Legal secretaries must have a high school diploma or GED.
• Specialized training programs are available at junior colleges and technical schools for students who want to become legal secretaries.
• Certification is optional for legal secretaries, but it is rarely required for employment or advancement. Legal secretaries who have less than three years of experience can become Accredited Legal Secretaries (ALS). Those who have three or more years of experience can be certified as Professional Legal Secretaries (PLS). Applicants for the PLS title must pass an exam. For more information, contact the National Association of Legal Secretaries.

Outlook

• Nationally, employment of legal secretaries is expected to grow at an average rate through 2008.

  Salaries for legal secretaries are generally lowest in southern cities and highest in northern and western cities.

• Many positions will be available each year as experienced workers transfer to other occupations or retire.

Related Careers

• Several other occupations call for a specialized understanding of the law and the legal system but do not require a lawyer's extensive training. These include law office receptionists, abstractors and title examiners, paralegals, claim examiners, and tax preparers.
• Other similar careers include accountants and auditors, bookkeeping and accounting clerks, buyers, purchasing agents and secretaries.

Search Jobs with These Keywords:

Source: HiringTools and Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2000-01 Edition, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor