Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
People classed as Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants perform secretarial duties using legal terminology, procedures, and documents. The skills rated most useful are reading comprehension, active listening, and writing. A regular part of the work is to organize and maintain law libraries, documents, and case files. On the six-type interest model it reads CES, meaning orderly work with data, records and clear procedures comes first, followed by leading, persuading and making business decisions. Getting in usually takes one or two years of vocational training, an apprenticeship or an associate’s degree, a level O*NET calls medium preparation. It tends to suit people who want orderly work with data, records and clear procedures, and it offers little for anyone seeking hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world.
What they do
Perform secretarial duties using legal terminology, procedures, and documents. Prepare legal papers and correspondence, such as summonses, complaints, motions, and subpoenas. May also assist with legal research.
Main tasks
- Organize and maintain law libraries, documents, and case files.
- Mail, fax, or arrange for delivery of legal correspondence to clients, witnesses, and court officials.
- Prepare and distribute invoices to bill clients or pay account expenses.
- Prepare, proofread, or process legal documents, such as summonses, subpoenas, complaints, appeals, motions, or pretrial agreements.
- Make photocopies of correspondence, documents, and other printed matter.
- Assist attorneys in collecting information such as employment, medical, and other records.
Skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Speaking
- Time Management
- Social Perceptiveness
Who this career fits
May suit you if
- You like clear rules and getting the details right.
- You like taking the lead and making the call.
- You are willing to put in a year or two of focused training.
- You are comfortable relying on reading comprehension and active listening.
May not suit you if
- You get restless with routine, records and exact procedures.
- You want to work with your hands for most of the day. Realistic rates 1.4 out of 7 here.
- You need to start within a few months, with no training period.
Interest profile
O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code CES takes the three highest, and Conventional comes first here.
Preparation
Medium preparation. Expect vocational school, an apprenticeship, related experience or an associate’s degree, usually one or two years in total.
Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree. This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.
Also called
- Confidential Secretary
- Legal Administrative Assistant (Legal Admin Assistant)
- Legal Administrator (Legal Admin)
- Legal Coordinator
- Legal Management Assistant
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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.