Career and School Info for Legal Secretaries

Legal Secretary Job Description

Career tips, salaries, and lists of schools.

Lawyers and legal departments of companies, organizations and governments rely on legal secretaries to handle administrative tasks. Although they do perform some of the tasks that secretaries in any field do, legal secretaries are trained in the terminology and procedures that are specific to the legal industry. Their responsibilities, which are supervised by attorneys or paralegals, often include:

• Handling communications by letters, phone, email and memos
• Preparing legal papers such as motions, summonses, and subpoenas
• Helping with legal research and reviewing legal journals
• Maintaining a law library
• Teaching new lawyers how to prepare documents for submission in court
• Orienting new employees and other HR-related tasks
• Transcribing, copying, scanning and faxing
• Negotiating with vendors and ordering supplies
• Managing file systems
• Updating spreadsheets and websites
• Following legal billing practices and office procedures
• Maintaining office equipment; troubleshooting minor computer problems
• Processing incoming and outgoing packages and mail
• Planning and scheduling meetings, catering and travel

Degrees and Schools

Many community colleges and vocational schools offer 2-year certificate and associates degree programs designed to prepare students for careers as a legal secretaries.

Classes

A student in a legal secretary / legal administrative assistant degree or certificate program usually spends time in class, computer lab and getting supervised experience. Course topics typically include:

• legal terminology and transcription
• processing legal documents
• preparing and distributing correspondence
• maintaining legal files
• using legal office software
• using word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and other office software
• managing databases and updating websites
• office professionalism and communication skills
• other general secretarial skills

Online Classes and Programs

Online classes in legal terminology and degree programs for legal secretaries are readily available. Those programs that are offered by schools that are campus-based are more likely to coordinate internships and job placement.

Online courses should be part of an institution with accreditation from agencies approved by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or United States Department of Education (USDE).

Employment Requirements

Most employers require that legal secretaries and legal administrative assistants have an associate's degree or certificate from a program that provides them specialized training. Vocational schools and communities colleges that offer these programs often require that applicants have a high school diploma or equivalent. Some may require SAT scores.

The National Association of Legal Secretaries (NALS) offers the voluntary certification of Accredited Legal Secretary (ALS) to legal secretaries with one year experience in the field or who have completed an approved educational course. Certification is also offered through the International Association of Administrative Professionals and Legal Secretaries International, Inc.

How to Evaluate Schools

Asking the following questions can be helpful when evaluating certificate and associates degree programs for legal secretaries:

• Classes and focus- Does the curriculum emphasize terminology, preparing legal documents and other legal skills, or does it focus more on general office skills?
• Practical experience - Does the program require and coordinate substantial practical experience through internships? Are internship opportunities plentiful and appealing?
• Financial aid and expenses - What resources are offered to students who wish to take advantage of grant, student loan, scholarship and other financial aid opportunities?
• Graduate success - Does the school offer a job placement assistance program? How successful has it been over the past several years?

• Court Reporters
• Lawyers
• Paralegals And Legal Assistants
• (All Careers)

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