What Does a Legal Office Assistant Do?

A Legal Office Assistants serves as the apprentice of lawyers. They are responsible for doing daily clerical works inside a law office. They gather relevant information like pieces of evidence and organizes all the needed data. They also prepare subpoenas and summonses, review legal documents, and take down notes in a courtroom. Unlike the Lawyers, this career handles a more significant caseload. They must also have good communication skills with clients regarding their cases.

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Legal Office Assistant Responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real legal office assistant resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

Gather and prepare documents for binders/notebooks for depositions, arbitration, hearings/trial; manage incoming document production mostly for litigation purposes.
Compile information for and prepare all probate documents.
Lead liaison between legal staff and probate courts.
File pleadings and correspondences and present documents to courthouse personnel.
Provide file copies for litigation purposes and distribute to appropriate personnel.
Digitize case files for storage/submission; prep files and exhibits for current/pending litigation.
Serve subpoenas to obtain records such as medical and employment information and initiate surveillance.
Assist with investigations by drafting subpoenas, identifying issues, and communicating with detectives regarding assign tasks.
Answer and propound discovery/mandatory disclosure/financial affidavits.
Provide orders of the court, such as probation orders, release documentation, sentencing information, or summonses.
Assist district attorneys in the courtroom, create and maintain files, prepare civilian, local and state police summonses.
Transcribe and prepare correspondence and legal documents using Dictaphone and personal computer.
Answer and propound discovery/mandatory disclosure/financial affidavits.

Legal Office Assistant Job Description

Between the years 2018 and 2028, legal office assistant jobs are expected to undergo a growth rate described as "much faster than average" at 12%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. So if the thought "should I become a legal office assistant?" Has crossed your mind, maybe you should take the growth rate into account. In addition, the number of legal office assistant opportunities that are projected to become available by 2028 is 39,000.

On average, the legal office assistant annual salary is $34,133 per year, which translates to $16.41 an hour. Generally speaking, legal office assistants earn anywhere from $24,000 to $47,000 a year, which means that the top-earning legal office assistants make $23,000 more than the ones at the lower end of the spectrum.

It's hard work to become a legal office assistant, but even the most dedicated employees consider switching careers from time to time. Whether you're interested in a more challenging position or just looking for a fresh start, we've compiled extensive information on becoming an office worker, office clerk, legal clerk, and administrative office specialist.

Learn More About Legal Office Assistant Job Descriptions

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5 Legal Office Assistant Resume Examples

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Frank Price Legal Office Assistant Contact Information Miami, FL (860) 555-1758 fprice@example.com Skills Law Firm Legal Documents Document Review File Management Special Projects Client Correspondence Word Processing State Law Criminal Cases Travel Arrangements Employment History Legal Office Assistant 2019 - Present LAW OFFICES OF WINN SIMS Miami, FL Manage all administrative tasks as well as maintain court calendar for two attorneys. Reviewed legal documents and contracts for accuracy and completeness. Legal Assistant 2017 - 2019 Greenberg Traurig Miami, FL Prepared and filed various legal documents. Create Visio and PowerPoint presentations. Assisted in preparation of discovery and discovery responses. Prepared detailed conflict checks and drafted subsequent engagement letters. Law Internship 2016 - 2017 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Miami, FL Joined Branch of Legal Counsel and Enforcement upon graduation from law school. Clerked for the Staff Attorneys and Senior Trial Counsel in the Litigation Unit. Drafted international grant, licensing and intellectual property agreements as well as institutional policy guidelines. Conduct legal research Draft memorandums of law Prepare discovery responses with English and Spanish speaking clients Education Doctoral Degree Business 2013 - 2016 Miami Dade College Miami, FL Master's Degree Business 2012 - 2013 Miami Dade College Miami, FL Bachelor's Degree Business 2009 - 2012 Miami Dade College Miami, FL


Sara Davis Legal Office Assistant Contact Info New York, NY (410) 555-5752 sdavis@example.com Skills RadiologyCourt ProceedingsFront OfficeScheduling AppointmentsLegal ProceedingsPatient CareLegal DocumentsProceduresCustomer ServiceCounsel Employment History Legal Office Assistant 2017 - Present Sidley Austin New York, NY Perform quality check and disassemble hard copy records to prepare for court Scan in legal documents and transfer into electronic files. Processed legal documents in timely fashion to be filed promptly in courts. Draft legal documents, transcribe dictation, appointment scheduling, file management, field calls between attorneys and clients. Acted as a liaison with attorneys, insurance adjusters, healthcare professionals and government agencies. Administrative Office Assistant 2008 - 2017 Citi New York, NY Coordinated meetings, conference calls, business luncheons for Managing Directors and team members. Make travel arrangements for group, place building maintenance service calls with Corporate Realty Services. Created a weekly QTD/YTD sales report for analysis of the executive management group. Maintain Church Calendar for special events and Programs. Medical Office Assistant (Part-Time) 2006 - 2008 D-R SERVICES New York, NY Obtained labs, outpatient test results, hospital discharge summaries prior to office visit. Assisted physician with basic patient care. Maintain lab area and equipment in accordance to OSHA and MLE standards. Processed payroll, scheduled, filed, phones/switchboard, inventory Education Bachelor's Degree Criminal Justice 2005 - 2008 John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York New York, NY


Sara Davis Legal Office Assistant New York, NY (410) 555-5752 sdavis@example.com Experience Legal Office Assistant2017 - Present Sidley Austin•New York, NY Perform quality check and disassemble hard copy records to prepare for court Scan in legal documents and transfer into electronic files. Processed legal documents in timely fashion to be filed promptly in courts. Draft legal documents, transcribe dictation, appointment scheduling, file management, field calls between attorneys and clients. Acted as a liaison with attorneys, insurance adjusters, healthcare professionals and government agencies. Administrative Office Assistant2008 - 2017 Citi•New York, NY Coordinated meetings, conference calls, business luncheons for Managing Directors and team members. Make travel arrangements for group, place building maintenance service calls with Corporate Realty Services. Created a weekly QTD/YTD sales report for analysis of the executive management group. Maintain Church Calendar for special events and Programs. Medical Office Assistant (Part-Time)2006 - 2008 D-R SERVICES•New York, NY Obtained labs, outpatient test results, hospital discharge summaries prior to office visit. Assisted physician with basic patient care. Maintain lab area and equipment in accordance to OSHA and MLE standards. Processed payroll, scheduled, filed, phones/switchboard, inventory Skills RadiologyCourt ProceedingsFront OfficeScheduling AppointmentsLegal ProceedingsPatient CareLegal DocumentsProceduresCustomer ServiceCounsel Education Bachelor's Degree Criminal Justice2005 - 2008 John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York•New York, NY

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Legal Office Assistant Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 9% of Legal Office Assistants are proficient in Management System, Legal Correspondence, and Litigation. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Computer skills, and Research skills.

We break down the percentage of Legal Office Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:

Management System, 9%
Converted hundreds of archived hard files to electronic Document Management system.
Legal Correspondence, 8%
Reviewed outgoing legal correspondence / documents to ensure proper signature and conformance to style / format requirements and procedural instructions.
Litigation, 8%
Maintained files for 911/Lower Manhattan Master Litigation and handled discovery related requests with outside counsel.
Data Entry, 8%
Perform criminal history/criminal records checks and bureau specific data entry.
Legal Research, 5%
Conducted legal research on pertinent university issues for the General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel.
Office Equipment, 5%
Ordered supplies, maintained office equipment, provided Notary services, receipted payments, and ran errands.

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"management system," "legal correspondence," and "litigation" aren't the only skills we found legal office assistants list on their resumes. In fact, there's a whole list of legal office assistant responsibilities that we found, including:

Communication skills can be considered to be the most important personality trait for a legal office assistant to have. According to a legal office assistant resume, "paralegals must be able to document and present their research and related information to their supervising attorney." Legal office assistants are able to use communication skills in the following example we gathered from a resume: "provided phone support, legal correspondence, transcribing letters and assisting with legal documents; communication with potential customers. "

Another trait important for fulfilling legal office assistant duties is computer skills. According to a legal office assistant resume, "paralegals need to be familiar with using computers for legal research and litigation support." Here's an example of how legal office assistants are able to utilize computer skills: "performed data entry, computer reports, and various other paperwork-related clerical tasks. "

Legal office assistants are also known for research skills, which can be critical when it comes to performing their duties. An example of why this skill is important is shown by this snippet that we found in a legal office assistant resume: "paralegals gather facts of the case and research information on relevant laws and regulations to prepare drafts of legal documents for attorneys and help them prepare for a case." We also found this resume example that details how this skill is put to the test: "created and updated client files - case research - data entry - accounts receivable - general office duties"

In order for certain legal office assistant responsibilities to be completed, the job requires the skill "interpersonal skills." According to a legal office assistant resume, "paralegals spend most of their time working with clients and other professionals and must be able to develop good relationships" As an example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies: "demonstrated outstanding interpersonal skills in answering, relaying, screening, and placing telephone calls. "

Yet another important skill that a legal office assistant must demonstrate is "organizational skills." Paralegals may be responsible for many cases at one time This is clearly demonstrated in this example from a legal office assistant who stated: "managed front desk and attending duties prepared files and discovery docs for attorneys filed detailed legal documents requiring exceptional organizational skills"

See the full list of legal office assistant skills.

Before becoming a legal office assistant, 48.5% earned their bachelor's degree. When it comes down to graduating with a master's degree, 5.5% legal office assistants went for the extra education. If you're wanting to pursue this career, it may be possible to be successful with a high school degree. In fact, most legal office assistants have a college degree. But about one out of every six legal office assistants didn't attend college at all.

The legal office assistants who went onto college to earn a more in-depth education generally studied business and legal support services, while a small population of legal office assistants studied criminal justice and political science.

Once you're ready to become a legal office assistant, you should explore the companies that typically hire legal office assistants. According to legal office assistant resumes that we searched through, legal office assistants are hired the most by My Florida Regional Mls, Florida Department of Transportation, and Epiq. Currently, My Florida Regional Mls has 12 legal office assistant job openings, while there are 10 at Florida Department of Transportation and 7 at Epiq.

If you're interested in companies where legal office assistants make the most money, you'll want to apply for positions at Epiq, Clark County, and Minnehaha County. We found that at Epiq, the average legal office assistant salary is $49,659. Whereas at Clark County, legal office assistants earn roughly $41,723. And at Minnehaha County, they make an average salary of $40,689.

View more details on legal office assistant salaries across the United States.

If you earned a degree from the top 100 educational institutions in the United States, you might want to take a look at Law Office, Skadden, and Manley Holding Company. These three companies have hired a significant number of legal office assistants from these institutions.

The three companies that hire the most prestigious legal office assistants are:

My Florida Regional Mls12 Legal Office Assistants Jobs
Florida Department of Transportation10 Legal Office Assistants Jobs
Epiq7 Legal Office Assistants Jobs

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What Office Workers Do

An office worker is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the daily operations of the business. Office workers assist in receiving calls to respond to the clients' inquiries and concerns, as well as welcoming visitors, verifying their appointments, and leading them to the appropriate personnel and department for their business needs. They also do data processing, sorting mail, and filing documents for easy retrieval and reference, especially during meetings and company activities.

In this section, we compare the average legal office assistant annual salary with that of an office worker. Typically, office workers earn a $6,870 higher salary than legal office assistants earn annually.

While the salaries between these two careers can be different, they do share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both legal office assistants and office workers positions are skilled in data entry, office equipment, and word processing.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. A legal office assistant responsibility is more likely to require skills like "management system," "legal correspondence," "litigation," and "legal research." Whereas a office worker requires skills like "payroll," "customer service," "computer system," and "computer programs." Just by understanding these different skills you can see how different these careers are.

Office workers really shine in the education industry with an average salary of $40,267. Whereas legal office assistants tend to make the most money in the non profits industry with an average salary of $41,921.

On average, office workers reach similar levels of education than legal office assistants. Office workers are 1.7% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 2.5% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

What Are The Duties Of an Office Clerk?

Office clerks are administrative employees who handle clerical activities for the organization. They are in charge of managing company records, organizing and storing documents, filing and sorting hard copies of documents, and liaising with other departments or external partners. They are also in charge of handling and scheduling meetings and appointments, managing the reservation of office meeting rooms, and manning telephone lines. Office clerks may also be in charge of ordering office supplies, preparing purchase requisitions for office needs, sending out and receiving official company documents, and other correspondences.

Now we're going to look at the office clerk profession. On average, office clerks earn a $3,206 lower salary than legal office assistants a year.

A similarity between the two careers of legal office assistants and office clerks are a few of the skills associated with both roles. We used resumes from both professions to find that both use skills like "data entry," "office equipment," and "word processing. "

But both careers also use different skills, according to real legal office assistant resumes. While legal office assistant responsibilities can utilize skills like "management system," "legal correspondence," "litigation," and "legal research," some office clerks use skills like "customer service," "payroll," "direct calls," and "hr."

It's been discovered that office clerks earn lower salaries compared to legal office assistants, but we wanted to find out where office clerks earned the most pay. The answer? The transportation industry. The average salary in the industry is $31,504. Additionally, legal office assistants earn the highest paychecks in the non profits with an average salary of $41,921.

When it comes to the differences in education between the two professions, office clerks tend to reach similar levels of education than legal office assistants. In fact, they're 3.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

How a Legal Clerk Compares

A legal clerk is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to legal offices and organizations to ensure smooth legal business operations. Legal clerks sort and distribute documents to the appropriate personnel, update information on the database, schedule appointments, respond to clients' inquiries and concerns, and document meeting objectives. They may also coordinate with other offices and institutions to acquire files and research data according to the needs of the managing department. A legal clerk must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in monitoring business transactions and submitting reports timely and accurately.

Let's now take a look at the legal clerk profession. On average, these workers make higher salaries than legal office assistants with a $1,019 difference per year.

While looking through the resumes of several legal office assistants and legal clerks we discovered that both professions have similar skills. These similarities include skills such as "management system," "legal correspondence," and "litigation," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

Some important key differences between the two careers are a few of the skills necessary to fulfill responsibilities. Some examples from legal office assistant resumes include skills like "data entry," "scheduling appointments," "office procedures," and "bank deposits," whereas a legal clerk might be skilled in "computer system," "legal memos," "legal process," and "legal proceedings. "

Additionally, legal clerks earn a higher salary in the professional industry compared to other industries. In this industry, they receive an average salary of $39,441. Additionally, legal office assistants earn an average salary of $41,921 in the non profits industry.

Legal clerks typically study at similar levels compared with legal office assistants. For example, they're 1.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 9.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Description Of an Administrative Office Specialist

An administrative office specialist helps offices to run efficiently and smoothly by performing clerical support tasks. Their responsibilities often include preparing and processing documents, arranging meetings and appointments, monitoring the budgets and expenditures, answering calls and correspondence, handling the inventory and procurement of office supplies, and developing strategies to optimize office operations. They may also address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and professionally. Furthermore, as an administrative office specialist, it is essential to coordinate staff, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Administrative office specialists tend to earn a higher pay than legal office assistants by about $1,044 per year.

According to resumes from both legal office assistants and administrative office specialists, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "management system," "data entry," and "office equipment. "

Each job requires different skills like "legal correspondence," "litigation," "legal research," and "law firm," which might show up on a legal office assistant resume. Whereas administrative office specialist might include skills like "customer service," "payroll," "phone calls," and "hr."

Now, let's take a closer look at the financials in each career. The technology industry tends to pay more for administrative office specialists with an average of $36,820. While the highest legal office assistant annual salary comes from the non profits industry.

The average resume of administrative office specialists showed that they earn similar levels of education to legal office assistants. So much so that the likelihood of them earning a Master's Degree is 0.3% less. Additionally, they're less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 2.2%.

Updated October 2, 2020