An administrative assistant who specializes in the field of law is known as a legal secretary. He or she assists lawyers assisting them in the preparation of legal documents. Law firms, as well as the legal departments of insurance companies, corporations, and real estate firms, employ legal secretaries. Many legal secretary positions require completion of a legal assistant training program of up to a year in length.
In the field of law, transcription and legal terminology are two of the most important areas of secretarial training. A legal secretary’s primary responsibility is to type legal documents and correspondence, but he or she may also answer phones, greet clients, and schedule appointments. A receptionist may perform those duties in larger law firms, while legal secretaries are in charge of filing, preparing, and typing up legal paperwork. Legal secretaries frequently focus on a specific area of law, such as family law, contracts, or wills and estates.
In most legal secretary jobs, you’ll need to be able to type quickly and have a good understanding of computers. It is common to expect a typing speed of at least 60 words per minute (wpm). Many legal secretaries use file management systems and transcribing a lawyer’s dictation into letters or other correspondence. Most legal secretaries’ workdays include the use of technology such as voice mail, legal computer software, and photocopiers. Accounting tasks may be part of a legal administrative secretary’s job description in smaller businesses.
A legal secretary who works for a trial lawyer may accompany the lawyer to court to take notes for the case files. Most legal secretaries must work independently as well as as part of a team. To assist lawyers on cases, some secretaries conduct research in legal journals and books. At all times, client confidentiality must be respected. Other important characteristics of successful legal administrative assistants or secretaries include attention to detail and the ability to follow through on legal cases.
A legal secretary may be promoted to a supervisory position after a few years. He or she may be able to work as a paralegal after taking more legal courses or earning a certificate or degree. Paralegals are different from legal secretaries in that they are in charge of more legal work rather than administrative work. A lawyer may, for example, supervise a paralegal in the preparation and typing of legal drafts, whereas a secretary would only prepare and type the documents. The term legal assistant can be confusing in some cases because it can refer to either a paralegal or a legal secretary.