Below is a five-step guide on how to become a legal secretary: While the duties of the Legal Secretary vary depending on the practice environment, the size of the business, and/or the legal specialty, a number of responsibilities remain constant throughout the profession, such as: When filling out forms, Applicants must provide correct information, as clean and legible as possible. Forms with grammatical and spelling errors or manifestly exaggerated experience are discarded because they reflect negligence and lack of judgment on the part of the applicant. Today`s legal secretary certification programs and voluntary national certification opportunities provide individuals with the skills and qualifications to meet the rigors, challenges and opportunities of the profession now and in the future. Once you have completed your contract, you are a properly trained lawyer. You can then get a permanent position within the firm as a legal secretary or even PA. Find out what a legal career entails and what opportunities you have at our flagship event. According to the American Bar Association (ABA), the legal secretary`s job description is dynamic and constantly evolving to adapt to technological advances and the complexity of the U.S. legal system. Legal secretaries perform essential administrative tasks in a law firm or other legal environment, although their advanced knowledge and skills of the legal system and the nuances of legal practice set them apart from typical administrative assistants. There are no standardized hiring practices or requirements for employment in sub-federal offices – each office will write its own requirements based on individual needs for the position. At the federal level, however, all applicants must hold an associate`s degree (at least) and be U.S. citizens.
Other common requirements for a legal secretary include: Legal secretaries are highly adaptable professionals who can work under pressure and tight deadlines. These professionals are self-disciplined and expert in time management, and they have excellent interpersonal communication and organizational skills. Legal secretaries have strong drafting skills as they are responsible for drafting and reviewing correspondence and legal documents on a daily basis. Senior Legal Secretaries are often responsible for higher-level tasks, many of which may be highly confidential or sensitive, such as: This information was provided by the Institute of Legal Secretaries and Physician Assistants. If you are interested in training or would like further advice on how to become a legal secretary, please contact ILSPA. After several years of experience in legal secretarial positions of increasing responsibility, a secretary may be promoted to the status of “superior”. While the scope of duties a Senior Legal Secretary can perform varies from practice to practice, the role is generally as follows: in cases where there are no job offers, which is not uncommon, it is acceptable to send a letter of request to potential employers. The goal is to present yourself as a competent lawyer who can be considered and contacted as soon as a position becomes available. Potential employers can be searched on the internet or via local media. If phone numbers or email addresses are listed, it means that polite requests are welcome. Legal secretaries work primarily in law firms; However, they are also valuable additions for government agencies, corporate legal departments, and public interest entities.
Vacancies occur at different times, depending on staffing schedules or employer needs. There is no season for applications for legal secretarial positions, so it is best to regularly search for open positions or work with an employment agency. Networks are also an advantage here; Students who have had the opportunity to interact with other students or professionals in the field may be able to help each other with information about which offices it is best to work for and who is hiring. If you`re interested in pursuing a career as a legal secretary and believe you have what it takes, it`s wise to prepare yourself for the nuances of the profession that require training and experience. The clerical and secretarial functions required for the workplace should not be underestimated. Compiling accurate information (usually short-term) and providing meticulous work (with little margin of error) can be very difficult, even with the right training. The demands of the role require that quality work be produced punctually and efficiently; For example, a slight delay in sending official correspondence can have serious consequences. Obtaining a qualification is the best way to gain the legal knowledge and practical skills you need to work as a legal secretary. Law firms and legal recruiters often check whether candidates have a legal secretarial qualification on their CV as proof of their skills. Unless specifically refused, a pro forma application may be sent with a cover letter summarizing the achievements and skills of the future legal secretary. This introductory statement, which must also be drafted with the utmost care, aims to attract the attention of HR managers. The skills and qualifications you need to get an entry-level job at a law firm vary depending on the position you want to apply for.
The minimum requirement for entry-level or temporary secretarial or office positions is a high school diploma. You can also earn an associate`s degree in legal studies or a paralegal certificate from a community or vocational school. Junior lawyers must earn their law degree and pass the bar exam in the state where they work. While no experienced law firm jobs are hard to find, there are some, especially in small law firms or independent lawyers. To become a legal secretary, you start by completing high school or obtaining your GED. Plus, enroll in a legal secretary certificate program, pursue your associate`s degree, or take online courses in paralegal studies and secretarial skills to make yourself more marketable. Then, gain work experience by articling at a small law firm or finding a job as a paralegal`s assistant. As you develop your skills, you will learn how to prepare and file court documents and become familiar with retrieving court decisions from online legal databases. To find out how to apply for legal secretary jobs, read on! Relevant undergraduate programs include bachelor`s or associate`s degrees in criminal justice, paralegal studies, legal aid, legal advice and public administration. General programmes such as secretarial, business administration, finance and accounting also apply to entry-level positions. Core courses include the U.S.
legal system, constitutional law of the U.S. criminal justice system, criminal law, ethics and law, legal transcription, administrative procedures, word processing, algebra, computer-aided legal research, computer skills and applications, database administration, records management, Introduction to business accounting and organizational behavior. Electives include written communication, human resource management, human resource relations, public speaking, stenography, tax preparation, marketing, law firm management, and areas of law that may be an asset (consumer law, employment law, family law, intellectual property law and litigation). The National Association for Legal Professionals (NALS) offers the Professional Legal Secretary (PLS) designation to legal secretaries who have three years of experience in the legal field or a post-secondary degree. Qualified candidates must take and pass the PLS exam, which consists of four parts: Many Legal Secretary certification programs manage the exam for post-graduation students. The PLS review request and related documents can be found here. Courses as part of a Legal Secretary Career Certificate/Diploma program often include: Although the professional duties of paralegals (often referred to as paralegals) and legal secretaries often overlap, they are actually two very different support professionals in a law firm. While legal secretaries are responsible for most of the administrative tasks of a law firm, paralegals are responsible for helping lawyers provide legal services. Paralegals have a thorough understanding of the legal system and substantive and procedural law. To become a paralegal, individuals must complete an official paralegal program approved by the American Bar Association (ABA). Paralegal programs are offered in the form of diploma, associate and bachelor`s degree programs.