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Become a Legal Secretary

February 16, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Article by Matt Murren







Most legal offices today employ someone to perform the daily clerical functions that are necessary for efficient business processes.  A legal secretary is usually the person hired for this function and is sometimes known as an administrative or executive assistant.  This person not only performs normal administrative duties such as typing, phone answering, filing, and dictation but also is skilled in other things relating to the legal profession.  Most legal offices depend on this person to gather and organize all of the preliminary paperwork that is required for most legal proceedings.  It would be difficult to efficiently run a legal business without the help of a secretary well-versed in legal language and processes.

A secretary in a law firm performs a variety of specialized functions such as preparing and typing pleadings, briefs, discoveries, motions and subpoenas.  He or she is responsible for tracking legal filing deadlines and for creating all of the graphs and reports related to the tracking.  The secretary will need to be highly skilled in creating spread sheets and be able to understand how to index and update pleadings and discoveries.  The secretary must have excellent written and verbal communication skills so that he or she can easily communicate with attorneys, vendors and other professionals.  Dispositions will need to be scheduled, as will hearings, closings and other legal meetings. 

A legal secretary must have certain skills in order to meet the qualifications necessary for the position.  He or she must be at least familiar with legal terminology as well as state and federal court filing rules.  Of course, as a secretary the person will be expected to have outstanding typing and clerical skills to go along with his or her legal abilities.   Being dependable enough to meet deadlines is a critical skill that must be met by anyone performing administrative work in a law office.   Missing a deadline could put the law firm in a negative position, resulting in a default judgment.  In today’s high technology environment, a secretary in a law firm must be adept at computer processes and be able to use the computer for word processing, spread sheets, research and billing. 




About the Author

Matt D Murren owns and operates http://www.legal–secretary.com Legal Secretary

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So You Want to Be a Part Time Legal Secretary

February 16, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Article by Matt Murren







One of the most challenging secretarial jobs available today is just waiting for you!  You can become a part time legal secretary by having strong administrative skills in legal terminology, procedures and documentation processing.  You will need to prepare and organize legal documents for court proceedings and to write, edit and understand legal correspondence. You will need to have knowledge and expertise in summonses, complaints, motions, pretrial agreements and subpoenas.  And, you may be asked to help in researching critical legal information. 

As a legal secretary, you will be performing a variety of tasks. You likely will be responsible for mailing, faxing and delivering legal correspondence to clients, witnesses and court officials. You probably will be asked to answer phone calls in a professional manner and to make phone calls to clients and others.  You will be scheduling appointments and making copies of legal documents and other printed information.  Your organizational skills will have to be top notch so that you can maintain law libraries and files in a satisfactory manner.  You probably will be asked to attend meetings and/or interviews and take notes as appropriate.  As a legal secretary, you might be asked to draft and type office memos so your computer and communication skills must be excellent.  And, you will be expected to be professional at all times so that you are a valued and respected member of the legal staff.   

Being a legal secretary requires you to have a good understanding of legal as well as administrative processes.  You will need excellent clerical skills in word processing, forms design, records management and general office procedures.  You also will need to be aware of laws, court proceedings, federal and state regulations, legal codes and so on.  Your written communication skills must include a sound understanding of the English language including rules of composition and grammar.  You will need to present yourself in a positive manner and to provide excellent customer service to clients and professional associates.   A legal secretary career can be exciting and rewarding.  Even working as a  part time legal secretary gives you the unique opportunity to enhance and strengthen your administrative skills.




About the Author

Matt D Murren owns and operates http://www.legal–secretary.com Part Time Legal Secretary

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The Role of the Legal Secretary

February 16, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Article by Elizabeth Martinez







Think legal assistants are limited in their job choices? Think again. Legal secretaries are filling positions far away from law firms. Many are finding lucrative careers working corporations, hospitals, government agencies, schools and even real estate companies.

The primary difference between an administrative assistant and a legal assistant comes down to a thorough understanding of legal procedures. They know how to properly prepare legal notices, court documents and contracts. They’re competent to handle even the smallest legal tasks, including formatting legal documents, documentation efforts and confidentiality issues. While a legal secretary also conducts traditional administrative tasks, such as typing and filing, those in the legal field must remain focused and detailed oriented. He or she is often entrusted with a client’s deepest secrets and most private information. It’s no surprise then that experienced legal secretaries can do quite well from a financial standpoint. They must be detail oriented, flexible, creative and a strong penchant for working well under pressure.

Many, regardless of which sector they ultimately choose, might discover they spend a lot of time in a courtroom, says LawCrossing.com founder, A. Harrison Barnes. He continues, “The level of responsibility these professionals have goes far beyond what the traditional role of secretary once was”. Legal secretaries ensure resources are available for the lawyers in their firms, records are found and court cases are pulled from time to time. Further, they follow state and federal laws to ensure their employer is current with contemporary changes in the law.

Legal secretaries will also meet with clients, either with the attorney or alone, depending on the dynamics. Often, bankruptcy lawyers hire legal assistants to handle all aspects of gathering the necessary paperwork and client meetings. It’s not until the client is due to appear in court that an introduction is made. This only reiterates the importance of the role.

The educational requirements vary from state to state and from one law firm to another. Experience is often more of a consideration than education and those who have proven track records are sometimes preferable over those just entering the job market, regardless of their educational levels. A. Harrison Barnes, who is also an attorney, agrees that many law firms simply don’t have the time or resources to spend any considerable amount of time in training new employees.

“This”, says Barnes, “is exactly why we developed LawCrossing.com”. The purpose was to provide the brightest talent complete access to those law firms and other industries that need someone to step in and run with it. Barnes has more than met the challenge and as a result, has grown his network to include sites such as EmploymentCrossing.com, Hound.com and LegalAuthority.com. Each site has its own unique characteristics and each brings certain elements to both employers and job seekers. Think you have what it takes to become a sought after legal secretary? Visit LawCrossing.com today for the latest in position announcements and a ton of great resources, including a resume service that works with you to make your resume shine.



About the Author

Matinez Betheliza – Ph.D. – Organizational Psychology. Provides you with a deep level of insight into your career direction and career development.

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