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Senior legal assistant skills for your resume and career
Updated January 8, 2025
5 min read
Quoted experts
Jason Cieslik,
Andrea Schneider
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical senior legal assistant skills. We ranked the top skills for senior legal assistants based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 14.9% of senior legal assistant resumes contained litigation as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a senior legal assistant needs to be successful in the workplace.
15 senior legal assistant skills for your resume and career
1. Litigation
Here's how senior legal assistants use litigation:
- Provided support to several attorneys in defense litigation proceedings and improved customer service by building stronger rapport with clients.
- Ensured that time sensitive litigation court related filings strictly adhered to federal and state civil procedural guidelines.
2. Legal Research
Here's how senior legal assistants use legal research:
- Conducted legal research, prepared medical treatment abstracts and analysis in injury matters and coordinated compilation of treatment and billing records.
- Managed and trained legal assistants, maintained databases, performed legal research and summarized depositions.
3. Legal Correspondence
Here's how senior legal assistants use legal correspondence:
- Experienced case manager in preparation of legal correspondence for immigrant and non- immigrant visas.
- Prepare and process legal correspondence for assigned attorney.
4. Legal Support
Here's how senior legal assistants use legal support:
- Provided legal support to Visa's marketing department to implement Visa-branded promotional programs.
- Provided legal assistant/paralegal support to four attorneys for a prominent Orlando law firm.
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 senior legal assistants use discovery responses:
- Prepared discovery responses, performed factual investigation, and analyzed medical and employment records.
- Performed case analysis, discovery responses and trial preparation.
6. 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 senior legal assistants use subpoenas:
- Reviewed all incoming subpoenas, document production and discovery requests and coordinated responses with appropriate units.
- Researched local authorities regarding service of process of subpoenas or exemptions regarding liens and garnishments.
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Here's how senior legal assistants use dictation:
- Supported Senior Executives in preparation for taking & defending depositions, transcribed dictation.
- Position entailed all secretarial correspondence, dictation, expense reporting, record keeping and the handling of settlement documents and payments.
8. Administrative Tasks
Here's how senior legal assistants use administrative tasks:
- Assisted management with other administrative tasks.
- Perform administrative tasks such as submit expense reports, schedule meetings and conference calls, and other tasks as assigned.
9. Law Firm
Here's how senior legal assistants use law firm:
- Worked closely with the Real Estate, Affordable Housing and Syndication practice groups at this law firm of 100+ attorneys.
- Cultivated relationships with local law firms, public officials, courthouse personnel, and service providers.
10. Travel Arrangements
Here's how senior legal assistants use travel arrangements:
- Organized international and domestic travel arrangements and processed expense reports through GEER Expense Reporting System.
- Schedule conference arrangements, scheduling appointments and travel arrangements with our in-house software system.
11. 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 senior legal assistants use trial preparation:
- Support experience with computerized document control systems & trial preparation exhibits & techniques.
- Assisted paralegals in trial preparation notebooks.
12. Interrogatories
Here's how senior legal assistants use interrogatories:
- Prepared various legal documents including interrogatories, discovery demands and closing documents.
- Drafted Answers, responses to complaints, interrogatories, requests for production and requests for admissions.
13. 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 senior legal assistants use scheduling appointments:
- Supported attorneys by scheduling appointments and coordinating schedules.
- Provided direct support to 3 associates and performed administrative functions including heavy filing, maintaining calendars, scheduling appointments and meetings.
14. Expense Reports
Here's how senior legal assistants use expense reports:
- Coordinated travel and lodging arrangements and processed monthly expense reports which reflected supporting documents and budget code indexes.
- Prepared and submitted travel and entertainment expense reports and responsible for maintaining absence/vacation schedules.
15. Litigation Support
Here's how senior legal assistants use litigation support:
- Coordinated paralegal and litigation support staff in regard to management of work-flow, delegation of assignments and scheduling of vacation time.
- Provide litigation support by assisting with case investigation including conducting witness interviews and gathering discovery materials.
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What skills help Senior Legal Assistants find jobs?
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What skills stand out on senior legal assistant 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 senior legal assistant 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 senior legal assistants 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 soft skills should all senior legal assistants possess?
Jennifer Brobst
Associate Professor, Southern Illinois University
Two soft skills come to mind immediately: kindness and self-restraint. I have noticed that this generation of new attorneys is less accustomed to taking conflict in stride. What I mean is that in a social media world, one can overreact without facing the other person or simply walk away without responding to a text or post that seems confrontational or disrespectful. In person, there is usually no way to walk away without making the situation worse, so we get better and better at figuring out how to respond with kindness, humor, and patience. That is an excellent skill to have with clients who naturally feel stressed, or with overworked or overzealous opposing counsel or judges.
As to self-restraint, many ethics violations occur among attorneys who feel overwhelmed by their workload. Law school is the best place to learn how to figure out how to manage one's time, and to learn self-restraint -- i.e., when to stop and move on to the next task. This quality of self-restraint will not only help to make sure that new attorneys are reliable on behalf of their clients, but that they are happy with their job for the long-haul. There will always be more clients, but an attorney who knows their limits, but still gets the job done, will be glad to be an attorney throughout their career.
As to self-restraint, many ethics violations occur among attorneys who feel overwhelmed by their workload. Law school is the best place to learn how to figure out how to manage one's time, and to learn self-restraint -- i.e., when to stop and move on to the next task. This quality of self-restraint will not only help to make sure that new attorneys are reliable on behalf of their clients, but that they are happy with their job for the long-haul. There will always be more clients, but an attorney who knows their limits, but still gets the job done, will be glad to be an attorney throughout their career.
Do you want to know more?
Read more about what experts have to say about senior legal assistantList of senior legal assistant skills to add to your resume
The most important skills for a senior legal assistant resume and required skills for a senior legal assistant to have include:
- Litigation
- Legal Research
- Legal Correspondence
- Legal Support
- Discovery Responses
- Subpoenas
- Dictation
- Administrative Tasks
- Law Firm
- Travel Arrangements
- Trial Preparation
- Interrogatories
- Scheduling Appointments
- Expense Reports
- Litigation Support
- Trial Support
- Legal Issues
- Telephone Calls
- Management System
- Real Estate Transactions
- Civil Litigation
- Pacer
- Due Diligence
- Insurance Defense
- Federal Courts
- Attorney Review
- PowerPoint
- Probate
- Notary
- Administrative Law
- Court Appearances
- Arbitration
- Conference Calls
- Social Security ACT
- IP
- Legal Memoranda
- Court Filings
- Estate Planning
- Employment Law
- Court Dates
- Office Equipment
- Trial Notebooks
- Demand Letters
- UCC
- Government Agencies
- HR
- Court Hearings
- Court Reporters
- Insurance Adjusters
- Summonses
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025