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Paralegal secretary skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Shelly Grunsted,

Emily Allen-Hornblower

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical paralegal secretary skills. We ranked the top skills for paralegal secretaries based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 11.5% of paralegal secretary resumes contained legal correspondence as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a paralegal secretary needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 paralegal secretary skills for your resume and career

1. Legal Correspondence

Here's how paralegal secretaries use legal correspondence:

Typed legal correspondence and petitions.
Draft legal pleadings, discovery, business and legal correspondence.

2. Legal Pleadings

Here's how paralegal secretaries use legal pleadings:

Prepared and filed legal pleadings, Court forms and other related documents (i.e.
Prepared correspondence and legal pleadings; maintained calendars, subpoenaed medical records; interacted with attorneys, clients and professional organizations.

3. Litigation

Here's how paralegal secretaries use litigation:

Maintained department manual and electronic litigation calendar, ensuring that all deadlines were timely met.
Handled multiple case management responsibilities through entire litigation cycle for busy practice groups.

4. Real Estate

Real estate is land that has buildings on it. This kind of property consists of permanent improvements either natural or man-made, which include, houses, fences, bridges, water trees, and minerals. There are 4 types of real estate namely; residential real estate, commercial real estate, industrial real estate, and vacant land.

Here's how paralegal secretaries use real estate:

Prepared documents relating to real estate such as a bond for title, rental or lease agreement and property restrictions.
Prepared interrogatories, answers, affidavits, briefs, real estate, child support, and TANF documents.

5. Discovery Responses

Discovery response is the response made by a person on trial once discoveries are made against them. Certain motions are filed against a person on trial, which may include a request for interrogations, request for production, etc, and they have to file a response within some time. The official response is filed in court and its copies can be distributed to the other parties.

Here's how paralegal secretaries use discovery responses:

Drafted discovery responses and requests, answers, cross-complaints, deposition notices, and settlement agreements.
Assist with insured and clients with discovery responses and answers.

6. Legal Research

Here's how paralegal secretaries use legal research:

Performed legal research and drafted legal documents and correspondence.
Responded to discovery requests and performed legal research.

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7. Subpoenas

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 paralegal secretaries use subpoenas:

Directed and coordinated delivery of subpoenas for medical records and witnesses.
Prepare Subpoenas for document collection.

8. Scheduling Appointments

Scheduling appointments is the practice of finding a free slot with the person(s) you want to meet. The process of scheduling appointments involves finding mutually free time, negotiating follow-ups, sending reminders, and creating new appointments. Scheduling appointments is important to ensure that the timings of consecutive meetings do not clash with each other.

Here's how paralegal secretaries use scheduling appointments:

Managed Attorney's diary by scheduling appointments with clients appropriately.
Provided direct support to 3 associates and performed administrative functions including heavy filing, maintaining calendars, scheduling appointments and meetings.

9. Trial Preparation

Trial preparation is the practice of gathering sufficient raw material for a court case. This preparation is done to make the bases of a case stronger by bringing the facts to light in a way that will give the concerned law bodies a better comprehension of the entire scenario. The method for preparing for a case may differ depending upon its nature.

Here's how paralegal secretaries use trial preparation:

Assist with trial preparation, including research on all expert witnesses of opposing counsel to decrease their credibility as witnesses.
Worked closely with and assisted senior partner with all facets of discovery and trial preparation.

10. Legal Articles

Here's how paralegal secretaries use legal articles:

Conducted research and reading legal articles.
Researched state statutes, decisions, legal articles, codes and documentation Prepared legal briefs, motions and pleadings.

11. Probate

Here's how paralegal secretaries use probate:

Draft legal documents including but not limited to estate planning, probate, quitclaim, personal representatives, and warranty deeds.
Coordinated firm-wide case transitions to the new practice and procedures of the Uniform Probate Code.

12. Court Dates

Here's how paralegal secretaries use court dates:

Corresponded with other Attorneys regarding court dates, deposition dates, and to see if their client agrees to the pleadings.
Maintain calendar update and schedule appointments and court dates with ICA, Social Security Court, Superior and Supreme Courts.

14. Interrogatories

Here's how paralegal secretaries use interrogatories:

Review file and draft Interrogatories and Request for Production, calendar response dates.
Typed interrogatories, entries of appearances and deposition summaries.

15. Travel Arrangements

Here's how paralegal secretaries use travel arrangements:

Perform secretarial duties such as calendaring meetings, scheduling travel arrangements, monitoring vendor invoices and contracts
Maintain executive schedule and travel arrangements.

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What skills help Paralegal Secretaries find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on paralegal secretary resumes?

Shelly Grunsted

Executive Director - Center for Student Success, Director, First Fidelity Integrated Business Core Program (IBC), Associate Professor, The University of Oklahoma

Depending on the job, but some that stand out: experiential learning experience, leadership skills, communication skills, problem-solving/analytical, internship experience, and collaboration efforts/group-work

What paralegal secretary skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Emily Allen-Hornblower

Associate Professor of Classics, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

No question our economy has been hit hard, and the job market will be very competitive, for students in all courses of study but those who have solid training in the Humanities, along with the strong writing and communication skills that come with it, should do well. Good writers and critical thinkers are essential across the board, and those who have studied history, philosophy, oratory, and literature at its source (that is, the Classics) are well equipped to be competitive in any market.

What type of skills will young paralegal secretarys need?

Deirdre Kelly

Assistant Dean for Career Development, Western State College of Law

Young graduates will need the same traditional legal skills that they have always needed. Additionally, they will need to be resilient and creative to weather a more challenging and ever-evolving work environment. They will need to be very disciplined and able to work independently if they are working more remotely and have enough technical skills to navigate the virtual world. New graduates will need to think about how they build relationships with their co-workers and develop mentors, as well as develop clients and networks if the future means working remotely more and not as many in-person meetings.

Do you want to know more?

List of paralegal secretary skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a paralegal secretary resume and required skills for a paralegal secretary to have include:

Legal Correspondence
Legal Pleadings
Litigation
Real Estate
Discovery Responses
Legal Research
Subpoenas
Scheduling Appointments
Trial Preparation
Legal Articles
Probate
Court Dates
Social Security
Interrogatories
Travel Arrangements
Federal Courts
Family Law

Court Appearances
Telephone Calls
Estate Planning
Civil Litigation
PowerPoint
Court Reporters
Client Billing
Office Procedures
Summons
Word Processing
Office Equipment
Insurance Defense
Administrative Tasks
Arbitration
Pacer
Notary
Malpractice

Court Filings
Law Firm
Client Interviews
Court Hearings
Summonses
Plaintiff
Billing Statements
Legal Briefs
Multi-Line Phone System
Criminal Law
Court Officials
Client Appointments
Office Functions
Conference Calls
Civil Cases

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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