Legal Secretaries

A legal secretary is often also called a paralegal or a legal assistant. Legal secretaries can work in a variety of different capacities, and have many different options in the type of law they wish to work in. Legal secretaries most often work in law firms of various sizes and focuses. Legal secretaries can work in non profits, government agencies, and in large corporations.

Necessary Education

There is no formal education needed to be a legal secretary, though most employers want a legal secretary to have experience doing secretary work. It is also very helpful to have a background in law, such as taking law classes in college or work in law in another area. Legal secretaries need to be very well organized and have a strong sense of attention to detail in order to excel at their job. It is also important for legal secretaries to be able to multi-task and complete several different jobs at once.

Basic Job Description

Legal secretaries do work in two main areas: secretarial duties and legal duties. Secretarial duties are those that are very common for any type of secretary. Legal secretaries must keep the office area running smoothly, and are in charge of keeping track of an attorney's calendar. They also must answer the phone and assist clients when they first enter the office. Other typical office work such as filing documents and sending faxes to clients, businesses, and other people are also very common. Some unique secretarial work that legal secretaries do includes keeping track of dates for hearings and trials, and preparing and organizing motions for the attorney or with the court.

Legal secretaries have additional responsibilities that are unique to the legal field. They often are required to do research and fact finding for specific trials or motions. In addition, sometimes legal secretaries are needed to do work with an attorney and a client. Responsibilities for a legal secretary often increase with experience.

Legal secretaries can expect to work in a fast paced environment with a lot of interesting people and situation. Legal secretaries need to be able to think quickly and work well under pressure. For those interested in being a legal secretary, it is a good idea to get as much experience as possible working in a secretarial environment and getting an early understanding of the law and legal field as early as possible, to do well.

Data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics

The salary range for Legal Secretaries begins around $29,260 and usually tops out around $73,450, with a mean in the neighborhood of $51,355. This is about 18% higher than the national average for annual salaries.

In order to qualify for most Legal Secretaries positions, you typically need to have a Associate's Degree or higher.

Data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics

The growth outlook for Legal Secretaries careers is estimated at about 28% while the estimated growth for all career fields over that same span is at about 10.12%. Over the next six years, Legal Secretaries jobs are expected to grow at a 177% higher rate than the national average for annual salaries.