Legal Secretary Job Description, Key Duties and Responsibilities

This post provides complete information on the job description of a legal secretary, to help you understand the key tasks, duties, and responsibilities they perform.

What Does a Legal Secretary Do?

A legal secretary is a person who files and prepares documents for lawyers in a law firm for proper processing and dissemination.

The job description of a legal secretary entails ensuring the smooth flow of activities in the office by providing secretarial and administrative assistance to legal practitioners to make their job easier and more effective.

These professionals are the ‘gatekeepers’ in the office of attorneys and other practitioners. They keep track of whatever information that goes in and out of the office and reports them accordingly to their bosses.

Part of their duties is also to receive visitors to the office, inquire about their mission and attend to them in a cordial and professional manner to ensure their needs are met.

As an organized staff, the secretary is responsible for arranging all official documents in the office in specific files for easy accessibility, reference, and appraisal in the course of duty.

As one with good typing skills, he/she types all legal documents, such as suits, pleadings, motions, and briefs, getting them ready on time and presenting them upon request to their superiors.

His/her role also includes carrying out research on legal matters as instructed by the attorney, to providing deeper insights and facts to issues at hand.

The secretary at a law office is expected to welcome guests cordially, with warm greetings. He/she will also answer calls with good telephone etiquette.

He/she enhances the efficiency and productivity of the attorney by rendering information management support, and giving them all the necessary items for smooth flow of work.

Due to the attorney’s busy schedule, the legal secretary might be called upon to represent him/her at client meetings and other functions that don’t necessarily require their appearance.

Legal Secretary Job Description Example/Sample/Template

The legal secretary job description example presented below shows key duties, tasks, and responsibilities usually performed by people working in that position:

• Send out mails of legal documents to clients and court officials, and receive all mails sent, and sort them out accordingly.
• Arrange appointments and ensure that the attorney meets up with them.
• Print and make photocopies of all legal documents made, for reference.
• Help attorneys in the collection of client medical, occupational, family, and other information.
• Be present at legal meetings, which may include hearings, client interviews, briefings and other legal functions.
• Evaluate legal publications and other materials through research to find out previous court rulings and pending cases that are relevant to the present case.
• Forward all information and articles retrieved from database to their legal superiors for review and consent to use them.
• Maintain high level of discreetness by keeping all information about client and attorney highly confidential.
• Ensure that all items needed in the office are available by checking stock and placing orders for items that are unavailable.
• Improve on job knowledge by enrolling in educational opportunities, joining professional bodies, and reading specialized professional publications.

Legal Secretary Job Description for Resume

The above job description sample provides essential information needed in making the work history section of a resume for seeking the job of legal secretary.

Legal Secretary Requirements: Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities for Career Success

Here are important qualities, including skills and abilities usually needed by the secretary in a law office to excel on the job.

• Having good communication skills.
• Having good organizational skills.
• Having good time management skills.
• Having good human relations skills.
• Having good computer skills.
• Being discreet.
• Being trustworthy.
• Having the ability to work under pressure.