Legal secretaries play a crucial role in law offices, which is why they should possess a specific skill set.
The success of any law office depends on its support staff so legal secretaries should be dependable and competent to work in an environment that requires many talents from them in terms of organization and communication.
Most law offices work with many clients simultaneously, so it is essential for legal secretaries to be able to multitask.
Research skills and good attention to detail are also imperative if you want to work as a successful legal secretary – as you will be inundated with research and paperwork constantly.
Since legal secretaries need to converse with many people including attorneys, clerical personnel, courtroom staff members, and clients, they need to be able to talk intelligently so complete knowledge of the legal world is extremely important.
Moreover, legal secretaries must be able to understand civil litigation and use legal terminology correctly. Excellent writing skills are also important as legal secretaries create most of the correspondence in a law office.
A legal secretary resume should proclaim your abilities so the skills section of your resume needs to be created with much care.
Here are the key skills you can use.
Research
Researching cases to determine case similarities by investigating precedents, and using legal references and Internet resources.
Maintaining Calendars
Maintaining calendars and tracking important deadlines
Communication
Communicating with clients, courtroom staff members, witnesses, and attorneys through email, telephone calls, and video conferences
Scheduling
Maintaining attorneys’ schedules and handling appointments.
Preparing and Proofreading Correspondence
Preparing routine correspondence, filing memos, proofreading legal documents, and handling transactional documents
Organization
Maintaining electronic and paper files, tracking deadlines, handling calendars, and scheduling appointments
Typing
Good listening and typing skills with a sound ability to comprehend voice dictation files and convert them into meaningful written documents.
Legal Terminology
Familiar with legal documents and terminology with a special understanding of pre-se, voir-dire, and subpoena
Legal Procedures
Able to understand the nuances of legal procedures
Creating Pleadings
Creating and formatting pleadings and transactional documents
Collaboration
Working well with paralegals, attorneys, and file clerks in a bid to ensure the success of filed cases
Technology
Creating spreadsheets and presentations using the MS Office Applications, and using email applications to correspond with clients
Online Research
Using online services such as Westlaw and Lexis for legal research information.
Handling Confidential Information
Focused on handling highly confidential information with discretion and integrity.
Organization
Organizing and prioritizing cases according to their nature of urgency, and ensuring that clerical and administrative support is continuously available to attorneys.
Court Rules
Familiar with court rules and filing procedures and doing service to opposing parties.
Billing
Generating revenue by documenting and inputting the attorney’s billable time and reimbursable expenses.
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