Legal secretaries are much like other secretaries or administrative assistants, with one big difference—they have a number of specialized duties, intrinsic to the legal profession, to fulfill.

Duties of a legal secretary

Legal secretaries perform many general clerical or administrative functions. These can include:

• Answering phones
• Taking messages
• Scheduling Appointments
• Greeting clients
• Typing business letters and reports

But in addition to these duties, legal secretaries prepare a number of specialized documents for the lawyer or legal department. These legal documents usually have stringent formatting requirements, so a legal secretary must have some knowledge of these formatting regulations as well as some legal knowledge. Some of the legal documents that they prepare include:

• Complaints
• Summonses
• Subpoenas
• Motions
• Responses

In addition to preparing legal documents, legal secretaries often help with research and assume some fact-checking responsibilities.

Necessary Qualities of Legal Secretaries

Legal secretaries hold very responsible positions. The best legal secretaries are:

• Organized
• Efficient so that they can keep the law office running smoothly
• Calm under pressure as the deadlines build
• Detail-oriented so that they can make sure that all of the details of the legal documents are entered correctly.
• Courteous as they constantly interact with the public
• Fluent with legal terminology

Advantages of Being a Legal Secretary

Although legal secretaries have a lot of responsibilities, they also have a lot of advantages. Their jobs are:

• Challenging. Legal secretaries are in the center of all of the dramatic events that affect clients and the law office or firm.
• Financially remunerative. According to Payscale.com, legal secretaries generally earn between $30,000 and $60,000 per year.
• Conducive to advancement (A legal secretary can eventually become a paralegal or even an attorney with the proper amount of training and education).

Becoming a Legal Secretary

Although it is possible to become a legal secretary without specialized schooling, your best chance of getting a good job is to obtain formal education in this field. Fortunately, there are a lot of educational opportunities for legal secretaries.

• Legal secretary diploma programs are offering at vocation and technical schools. These programs can be completed within one year.
• Associate’s degree in either Legal Office Administration or in Legal Studies. These are 2-year programs that can help you to advance in the field later on.
• Bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies or other applicable major. Many employers today are requiring that their legal secretaries have the minimum of a bachelor’s degree. These 4-year programs can help you with future advancements opportunities. Master’s and PdD in majors such as criminal justice, justice administration, and Master of Laws (law degree).

Coursework for Legal Secretaries

The coursework of legal secretaries varies quite a bit depending upon the degree program and the school. But you can expect to take courses similar to:

• Legal Ethics
• American Government
• American Jurisprudence
• Legal Procedures-Litigation
• Criminal Law
• Software Applications
• Family Law
• Legal Terminology
• Legal Contacts
• Legal Documents
• Estates and Probate