What does a legal secretary do?
Legal secretaries are employees in a law firm who are responsible for many administrative tasks. They handle the tasks such as filing and keeping records, ensuring that all documents are stored properly, and update contact information data and other essential office databases. They must also be knowledgeable on the law because they are, at times, assigned to draw up legal documents such as motions and subpoenas, conduct legal research, and write up other important office memoranda. Legal secretaries should be organized, trustworthy, and level-headed.
Legal secretary responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real legal secretary resumes:
- Interview clients and manage discovery response process including responses to interrogatories and production of documents.
- Manage and perform paraprofessional and legal research functions relate to medical malpractice, products liability and general litigation.
- Perform administrative tasks for managing partner and trial attorney at a medical malpractice litigation firm including daily transcription and stenography.
- Draft and type probate documents, estate planning documents, discovery including interrogatories, correspondence.
- Prepare pleadings such as; summonses and complaints, motions, interrogatories, subpoenas and judgments as well as general correspondence.
- Provide full administrative and secretarial support for labor and employment law partner involve with high-stakes litigation on behalf of corporate clients.
- Create presentations in PowerPoint for national meetings, keep calendars, domestic and international travel arrangements and handle all administrative duties.
- Assist attorneys in devising, proofreading and executing legal documents that include motions, appeals, complaints, subpoenas and summonses.
- Assist in contract review and retention, create and monitor agreements for projects and ensure entry into SharePoint contract management system.
- Enter billing for department paralegals.
- Proofread all documents for accuracy and completeness.
- Provide administrative support for senior partners, associates and other paralegals.
- Draft legal papers including complaints, summons and interrogatories and all documents relate thereto.
- Update legal website uploading current documents, organization charts and company policies on SharePoint.
- Prioritize constant daily dictation work flow of correspondence and carrier reports detailing various medical conditions.
Legal secretary skills and personality traits
We calculated that 12% of Legal Secretaries are proficient in Litigation, Legal Correspondence, and Dictation. They’re also known for soft skills such as Writing skills, Interpersonal skills, and Organizational skills.
We break down the percentage of Legal Secretaries that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Litigation, 12%
Provided full administrative and secretarial support for labor and employment law partner involved with high-stakes litigation on behalf of corporate clients.
- Legal Correspondence, 11%
Research/drafted legal correspondence, setup /maintained extensive legal files for trial, prepared pleadings/letters/motions subpoenas, and monitored office supplies.
- Dictation, 6%
Typed general correspondence and extensive legal documentation; took dictation; filed and performed general office duties.
- Law Firm, 6%
Managed practice for busy partner in Intellectual Property and Technology department of an international law firm.
- Travel Arrangements, 4%
Coordinate travel arrangements, meetings and maintain business/personal calendar client contact, manage business/personal calendar for partner and associate.
- Scheduling Appointments, 4%
Provided direct support to 3 associates and performed administrative functions including heavy filing, maintaining calendars, scheduling appointments and meetings.
Most legal secretaries use their skills in "litigation," "legal correspondence," and "dictation" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential legal secretary responsibilities here:
Writing skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a legal secretary to have is writing skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "secretaries and administrative assistants write memos and emails when communicating with managers, employees, and customers." Legal secretaries often use writing skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "assist in writing mediation and arbitration summaries. "
Interpersonal skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling legal secretary duties is interpersonal skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "secretaries and administrative assistants interact with clients, customers, or staff." According to a legal secretary resume, here's how legal secretaries can utilize interpersonal skills in their job responsibilities: "used extensive interpersonal skills to assist clients with scheduling appointments and questions about their files. "
Organizational skills. This is an important skill for legal secretaries to perform their duties. For an example of how legal secretary responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "secretaries and administrative assistants keep files, folders, and schedules in order so that an office runs efficiently." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a legal secretary: "supervised law clerk as to administrative functions, established efficient organizational methods, and also performed duties corresponding to notary public. ".
The three companies that hire the most legal secretarys are:
- Robert Half70 legal secretaries jobs
- State of Arizona24 legal secretaries jobs
- Frontline Source Group17 legal secretaries jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable legal secretary resume templates
Build a professional legal secretary resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your legal secretary resume.
Compare different legal secretaries
Legal secretary vs. District court administrator
A service officer or client services officer is an individual who is a part of a financial management team that delivers services to customers. Service officers provide client support services by maintaining a high level of professionalism and competence in client interactions. They analyze and resolve customer service issues but inform management when they are faced with complex issues to discuss resolutions. Service officers are also required to attend educational training and workshops for their personal growth.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, legal secretary responsibilities require skills like "litigation," "legal correspondence," "dictation," and "law firm." Meanwhile a typical district court administrator has skills in areas such as "court operations," "police reports," "court administration," and "administrative capacity." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
District court administrators tend to reach higher levels of education than legal secretaries. In fact, district court administrators are 5.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 12.6% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Legal secretary vs. Service officer
A litigation paralegal is a specialist who is responsible for assisting attorneys throughout the trial process. On the plaintiff side, litigation paralegals conduct initial client interviews and legal research for case preparations. They assist with the preliminary examinations of witnesses and jury selection in the courtroom. Litigation paralegals often assist attorneys with case settlements and help identify issues for appeals. They must also possess excellent skills in verbal and written communication and should have great attention in detail.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that legal secretary responsibilities requires skills like "litigation," "legal correspondence," "dictation," and "law firm." But a service officer might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "customer service," "financial services," "patrol," and "veterans."
Service officers earn a higher average salary than legal secretaries. But service officers earn the highest pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $65,804. Additionally, legal secretaries earn the highest salaries in the professional with average pay of $49,727 annually.service officers earn higher levels of education than legal secretaries in general. They're 7.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 12.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for legal secretarys in the next 3-5 years?
Sharon Sawyer
Program Coordinator of Justice Studies, Assistant Professor, University of Maine at Augusta
Legal secretary vs. Litigation paralegal
Paralegals are law firm or legal department employees who work on cases with lawyers. They handle different activities, usually administrative or clerical, such as organizing and maintaining files, updating records, and managing correspondences, among others. Paralegals also handle different activities directly related to active cases being worked on by lawyers in the firm or department. They assist lawyers on cases by preparing materials needed for trials, conducting legal research, verifying trial facts, helping during interviews, getting statements from those involved in the case, and creating presentation materials. Paralegals should have knowledge of laws and should be familiar with landmark cases.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a legal secretary is likely to be skilled in "legal correspondence," "dictation," "scheduling appointments," and "transcription," while a typical litigation paralegal is skilled in "discovery responses," "mediation," "excellent organizational," and "affidavits."
Litigation paralegals earn the best pay in the professional industry, where they command an average salary of $64,050. Legal secretaries earn the highest pay from the professional industry, with an average salary of $49,727.litigation paralegals typically earn similar educational levels compared to legal secretaries. Specifically, they're 2.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 3.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Legal secretary vs. Paralegal
Types of legal secretary
Updated January 8, 2025
