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Legal specialist skills for your resume and career
Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted experts
Jason Cieslik,
Traci Dingle Ph.D.
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical legal specialist skills. We ranked the top skills for legal specialists based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 12.5% of legal specialist resumes contained legal support as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a legal specialist needs to be successful in the workplace.
15 legal specialist skills for your resume and career
1. Legal Support
Here's how legal specialists use legal support:
- Provide internal legal training and legal support to other department
- Provided paralegal support to the company commander.
2. Legal Research
Here's how legal specialists use legal research:
- Provided extensive litigation support through document drafting, legal research and file management; administrative support and data entry.
- Assisted attorneys in preparation of legal documents and compiled data from legal research and internal stakeholders.
3. Proofreading
Here's how legal specialists use proofreading:
- Assisted with drafting, amending and proofreading of the Fund s Plan document.
4. Litigation
Here's how legal specialists use litigation:
- Supported in-house attorneys across the company by interacting with other business units to obtain necessary documents to support litigation cases.
- Prepare written responses to demands related to fraud matters to satisfy government requirements and avert potential litigation.
5. Confidentiality Agreements
Here's how legal specialists use confidentiality agreements:
- Negotiated and drafted clinical trial agreements and confidentiality agreements between industry sponsors, academic institutions, and contract research organizations.
- Drafted and negotiated various contract agency agreements, confidentiality agreements, good standing documents and legal opinions for clients.
6. PowerPoint
Here's how legal specialists use powerpoint:
- Developed innovative PowerPoint presentation used by the Office of Admissions to market executive support programs to potential students.
- Prepared a PowerPoint presentation on utilizing forensics in custody cases for a supervising attorney.
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Subpoenas are formal and legal documents issued mostly by a court or some other government agency that demands the presence of the person the document is addressed to, to show up at court. Subpoenas are issued to individuals whom the court wants to appear either as a witness in a particular case in order to testify or to provide any evidence such as an object or a document.
Here's how legal specialists use subpoenas:
- Responded and entered various regulatory and anti-money laundering related subpoenas.
- Performed first-cut legal review of employment file documents in response to more than 100 domestic and Canadian subpoenas and information requests.
8. Travel Arrangements
Here's how legal specialists use travel arrangements:
- Coordinate domestic and international travel arrangements and process travel expenses.
- Planned and organized meetings and organized all travel arrangements.
9. Administrative Tasks
Here's how legal specialists use administrative tasks:
- Conducted legal assistance administrative tasks in support of 82d Airborne Division paratroopers.
- Managed administrative legal proceedings for unit commanders and conducted HR administrative tasks.
10. In-House Counsel
Here's how legal specialists use in-house counsel:
- Research and perform internal discovery and present written case analysis to high level business management or in-house counsel.
- Identified risk issues and informed in-house counsel and management as necessary for legal proceedings and document preparation.
11. HR
HR stands for human resources and is used to describe the set of people who work for a company or an organization. HR responsibilities revolve around updating employee records and carrying out management processes like planning, recruitment, evaluation, and selection processes. HR is a key contributor to any company or organization's growth as they are in charge of hiring the right employees, processing payrolls, conducting disciplinary actions, etc.
Here's how legal specialists use hr:
- Participated in special HR matters involving complex/controversial personnel, dismissals, reassignments; and administrative/policy issues.
- Provided legal & contract support, HR support and training support to line of business totaling over 300 employees.
12. Legal Issues
Here's how legal specialists use legal issues:
- Analyzed and revised policies, prepared and filed corporate documents, and responded to legal issues presented.
- Provide training to clients and co-workers regarding process and area of expertise legal issues.
13. Data Entry
Data entry means entering data into a company's system with the help of a keyboard. A person responsible for entering data may also be asked to verify the authenticity of the data being entered. A person doing data entry must pay great attention to tiny details.
Here's how legal specialists use data entry:
- Assisted with setting up and troubleshooting of network computers, printers & copiers Data entry, Microsoft Office, Outbound/Inbound
- Process correspondence and legal documentation including distribution of data entry of legal matters to direct report.
15. Collective Bargaining
Here's how legal specialists use collective bargaining:
- Researched and interpreted language in Collective Bargaining Agreements of Contributing Employers.
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What skills help Legal Specialists find jobs?
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What skills stand out on legal specialist resumes?
Jason Cieslik
Assistant Professor & Academic Advisor of Legal Studies, Illinois State University
Proofread, proofread, proofread! This is one absolute that the pandemic has not changed. The legal profession places a high value on written communication. Grammatical mistakes are an easy way to guarantee that you will not receive an opportunity to interview.
Since many employers are permitting their employees to work from home, the resume should demonstrate the ability to be a self-starter, ability to resolve a problem on their own, and computer literacy. Legal professionals that have training in specific legal technology platforms should make sure they emphasize those skills on their resume. Most ABA Approved Paralegal Programs require their students to take a course in legal technology. These skills should be emphasized, especially if they are going to be expected to work from home. On the flip side, employers should be as specific as possible in their job advertisements as to what qualities and skills they are seeking in a future employee.
When applying for any legal position, the applicant should modify their resume to the job that they are applying for, emphasizing the skills and qualities that the employer is seeking. Obviously, no applicant should stretch the truth, because those "facts" will eventually become exposed. Thus, if an applicant were applying for a position as a litigation paralegal, the applicant should emphasize the discovery experience they obtained during their internship, as opposed to their familiarity with probate law.
Since many employers are permitting their employees to work from home, the resume should demonstrate the ability to be a self-starter, ability to resolve a problem on their own, and computer literacy. Legal professionals that have training in specific legal technology platforms should make sure they emphasize those skills on their resume. Most ABA Approved Paralegal Programs require their students to take a course in legal technology. These skills should be emphasized, especially if they are going to be expected to work from home. On the flip side, employers should be as specific as possible in their job advertisements as to what qualities and skills they are seeking in a future employee.
When applying for any legal position, the applicant should modify their resume to the job that they are applying for, emphasizing the skills and qualities that the employer is seeking. Obviously, no applicant should stretch the truth, because those "facts" will eventually become exposed. Thus, if an applicant were applying for a position as a litigation paralegal, the applicant should emphasize the discovery experience they obtained during their internship, as opposed to their familiarity with probate law.
What soft skills should all legal specialists possess?
Traci Dingle Ph.D.
Professor, Berkeley College
Important soft skills include emotional intelligence and attention to detail. Working in the legal field, you may interact with attorneys, clients, or the public during stressful times. Accordingly, it is crucial to have self-awareness to be able to understand and control your emotions. It is also essential to gauge the feelings of others to provide the needed resources to support them and to show empathy, as working through the legal process may be emotional for some. Lastly, it is vital to exercise attention to detail when drafting documents or when talking with clients, as errors or not remembering important information about the client may imply that you or the office does not care about the client. Remember, you are a representative of the office, and your actions also reflect back on your colleagues.
What hard/technical skills are most important for legal specialists?
Traci Dingle Ph.D.
Professor, Berkeley College
The most essential hard or technical skills needed for Legal Specialists are computer skills. Learning or improving on these capabilities through formal training, certifications, or even free online courses is wise if you are unfamiliar with trending programs or suites. COVID-19 has shown how essential it is to have technological skills since traditional workspaces have shifted into working from your home space.
What legal specialist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Andrea Schneider
Professor of Law, Marquette University
Law school graduates should focus on developing client interaction skills and dispute resolution skills, including active listening, understanding emotional intelligence, and non-defensive communication. The need for low-cost legal assistance, particularly in large urban areas, in foreclosure, eviction, unemployment, and bankruptcy will be significant. Volunteers with legal training will be needed to address unprecedented impacts on individuals in many areas of the law. They could also work on the software or technological skills that law school may not have provided but which will make them even more attractive to employers after the pandemic.
What type of skills will young legal specialists need?
Eric Sader
Lecturer, Kelley School of Business, Indiana University Bloomington
The emphasis on high-level interpersonal skills is expected to continue. More than ever, graduates need to expect the unexpected in a turbulent and changing world. Those employees who best have exemplified leadership, active listening, patience, flexibility, and responsibility during recent months are assuredly ones management will look to for future promotions and advancement opportunities. Absolutely, technology is more important than ever, but what is it about personalities that we often see as "tech-savvy"? Sure, it helps to have grown up in the Internet age, but more broadly these personalities are often those who crave learning and new experiences, who are willing and eager to adapt to new modalities. And these traits are not limited to students of any age, with rewards far beyond the keyboard.
What technical skills for a legal specialist stand out to employers?
Peter Towne
Assistant Director of Career Services and Pro Bono Coordinator, New England Law | Boston
In a typical law office or other legal setting, technical skills aren't the biggest priority as much of the work in the legal world was still highly analog prior to 2020. Overall, the expectations are set fairly low in this category for legal practitioners as a result, but there is a certain amount of basic skill that is assumed in using software for word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations. The past year has created some opportunity for those that are skilled in a virtual setting, i.e. using video conferencing or knowing how to file documents electronically, to stand out.
I would encourage any law student to take advantage of the various opportunities in law school to learn as much as they can about using legal research platforms, including certifications offered by Lexis and Westlaw. Though it can be difficult to predict what methods a legal employer will use for this part of the job, the skills are easily transferrable. In a similar way, familiarity with practice management, billing, or administrative software can be an advantage. It may not be a "need to have" for a candidate to get a great job, but certainly a "nice to have" that can help boost a candidates profile.
I would encourage any law student to take advantage of the various opportunities in law school to learn as much as they can about using legal research platforms, including certifications offered by Lexis and Westlaw. Though it can be difficult to predict what methods a legal employer will use for this part of the job, the skills are easily transferrable. In a similar way, familiarity with practice management, billing, or administrative software can be an advantage. It may not be a "need to have" for a candidate to get a great job, but certainly a "nice to have" that can help boost a candidates profile.
Do you want to know more?
Read more about what experts have to say about legal specialistList of legal specialist skills to add to your resume
The most important skills for a legal specialist resume and required skills for a legal specialist to have include:
- Legal Support
- Legal Research
- Proofreading
- Litigation
- Confidentiality Agreements
- PowerPoint
- Subpoenas
- Travel Arrangements
- Administrative Tasks
- In-House Counsel
- HR
- Legal Issues
- Data Entry
- SharePoint
- Collective Bargaining
- Due Diligence
- Intellectual Property
- Real Estate
- Government Agencies
- External Resources
- Internal Clients
- Non-Disclosure Agreements
- Law Firm
- Management System
- Customer Complaints
- Pacer
- Legal Services
- Court Hearings
- Legal Advice
- Legal Assistance
- Legal Action
- Interrogatories
- Court Orders
- Discovery Responses
- USPTO
- HIPAA
- Lexis
- Probate
- AML
- Expense Reports
- Arbitration
- Court Cases
- Child Support
- Legal Correspondence
- Court Appearances
- Court Proceedings
- Law Library
- Delinquent Accounts
- Legal Claims
- Outbound Calls
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025