Post job

Office manager and legal assistant vs legal secretary

The differences between office managers and legal assistant and legal secretaries can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become an office manager and legal assistant, becoming a legal secretary takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an office manager and legal assistant has an average salary of $56,303, which is higher than the $41,725 average annual salary of a legal secretary.

The top three skills for an office manager and legal assistant include payroll, discovery responses and litigation. The most important skills for a legal secretary are litigation, legal correspondence, and dictation.

Office manager and legal assistant vs legal secretary overview

Office Manager And Legal AssistantLegal Secretary
Yearly salary$56,303$41,725
Hourly rate$27.07$20.06
Growth rate14%-8%
Number of jobs37,83813,182
Job satisfaction-3
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Average age4654
Years of experience124

What does an office manager and legal assistant do?

An Office Manager and Legal Assistant is responsible for providing administrative assistance to legal staff in a law office. They also supervise firm hiring and payroll processes, as well as prepare budget reports for owners.

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.

Office manager and legal assistant vs legal secretary salary

Office managers and legal assistant and legal secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.

Office Manager And Legal AssistantLegal Secretary
Average salary$56,303$41,725
Salary rangeBetween $41,000 And $76,000Between $28,000 And $60,000
Highest paying City-Washington, DC
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-Kane Russell Coleman Logan
Best paying industry-Professional

Differences between office manager and legal assistant and legal secretary education

There are a few differences between an office manager and legal assistant and a legal secretary in terms of educational background:

Office Manager And Legal AssistantLegal Secretary
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaBentley University

Office manager and legal assistant vs legal secretary demographics

Here are the differences between office managers and legal assistant' and legal secretaries' demographics:

Office Manager And Legal AssistantLegal Secretary
Average age4654
Gender ratioMale, 11.1% Female, 88.9%Male, 5.2% Female, 94.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% Asian, 5.6% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.2% Asian, 2.7% White, 71.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage9%15%

Differences between office manager and legal assistant and legal secretary duties and responsibilities

Office manager and legal assistant example responsibilities.

  • Gather and prepare documents for binders/notebooks for depositions, arbitration, hearings/trial; manage incoming document production mostly for litigation purposes.
  • Prepare all pleadings for family law cases, as well as document preparation for bankruptcy and probate cases.
  • Practice include plaintiff's personal injury, family law, criminal, real estate transactions, probate, corporate, collections.
  • Draft legal documents including correspondence, pleadings, interrogatories, subpoenas and affidavits.
  • Answer complaints, interrogatories and communicate with opposing counsel and insurance companies.
  • Gather and collect financial information through subpoenas providing summary of assets and liabilities.
  • Show more

Legal secretary example responsibilities.

  • 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.
  • Show more

Office manager and legal assistant vs legal secretary skills

Common office manager and legal assistant skills
  • Payroll, 9%
  • Discovery Responses, 7%
  • Litigation, 6%
  • Legal Research, 5%
  • Scheduling Appointments, 5%
  • Real Estate Closings, 4%
Common legal secretary skills
  • Litigation, 12%
  • Legal Correspondence, 11%
  • Dictation, 6%
  • Law Firm, 6%
  • Travel Arrangements, 4%
  • Scheduling Appointments, 4%