Legal secretaries type up deeds, wills and affidavits, either from handwritten
notes or shorthand. They also review and proofread all the documentation to
make sure it complies with legal procedures and proper grammar.
They also handle regular administrative duties -- scheduling appointments,
meetings and conferences, taking notes, minutes or dictation, and running
offices.
Knowledge of legal and technical terminology is a must. With experience,
a legal secretary may also review legal journals and help with research.
"There's always room for advancement, so don't be afraid to start at the
bottom and work up," suggests legal secretary Sonja Butler. "Training helps,
but the actual hands-on experience is worth far more."
Hours vary and are often dictated by court appearances. "Working as a litigation
legal secretary is never average," says Carol Wilson. She is the director
of certification at a legal secretaries organization.
"When a trial is going on or being prepared for, it's not uncommon to work
80 to 100 hours a week. All-nighters are commonplace during trial preparation."
If you want to be a legal secretary, you'll need great computer skills.
But while computers and other technologies are important forces in the wave
of automation sweeping the legal service field, they can't do it all.
Legal secretaries use specialized word processors and other advanced law-specific
computer programs to make their jobs easier and more efficient.
"Automation will never replace the legal secretary," says Wilson. "Automation
just makes it possible for both the lawyer and the legal secretary to do more
for the clients.
"While there are some lawyers who are doing all their own work, thanks
to the magic of computers, those who realize the value of a legal secretary
are finding that it makes them both able to do that much more.
"In other words, the lawyer can multiply himself many times in services
to his clients when both the lawyer and his secretary are computer-literate
and take advantage of it."
"This is an ever-changing field. Technology changes every day," says Lee
Schnabel. Schnabel is a legal secretary in South Dakota. "You need to keep
abreast of the most efficient way to get things done." Those with experience
and computer skills will do better in the job market.