In this environment, legal secretaries prepare correspondence, maintain files, organize and manage meetings, transcribe meeting notes, and format and complete reports. Many legal secretary certification programs administer the exam for postgraduate students. The PLS review request and related documents can be found here. Many legal secretaries find that they can achieve better career advancement if they obtain specialized certifications offered by various organizations. These certifications not only allow legal secretaries to perform better in their jobs, but can also lay the groundwork for future promotion to paralegal jobs or even support secretaries looking to study law. To be eligible for most certifications, secretaries must have a combination of prior training and experience. The two most common certifications are the Accredited Legal Professional, offered by the National Association of Legal Secretaries, and the Certified Legal Secretary Status Specialist, offered by Legal Secretaries International. Both require at least one year of experience as a legal secretary to pass the exam, with the certified specialist legal secretary preferring five years of experience. Areas covered by certification exams include criminal law, civil litigation and litigation, business law, family law, contract law, inheritance law, and other specialties. On average, legal secretaries spend less than 1 month on on-the-job training after employment. Meanwhile, new legal secretaries acquire the skills and techniques required for their work and their employer.

The chart below shows how long it takes to become a legal secretary, based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and data from actual resumes of legal secretaries. If you decide to become a legal secretary, it is important to know what duties and responsibilities are required for this position. Some shared responsibilities are part of most legal secretary jobs. Here is a list of the main tasks that define the role: 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. It`s a good idea to develop legal secretary skills before applying for a job. Here are some skills often required in job descriptions for legal secretaries: A legal secretary must also arrange for the timely and appropriate filing of all court documents, arrange service of the case if necessary, and contact suppliers to ensure that documents have been filed and served correctly. Certification is voluntary and can be offered by a number of organizations. The National Association for Legal Secretaries (NALS) offers certification opportunities as an Accredited Legal Professional (ALP) or Professional Legal Secretary (PLS). The ALP is an entry-level certification, while the PLS is for individuals with at least three years of legal experience. Increasingly, the work of the legal secretary is done at least partly at home.

Teleworking legal secretaries are available. Some of these positions are stand-alone positions. As technology has advanced, it has become easier to work as a virtual secretary. Documents can be shared online, telephone conversations can be done by computer, most legal research today is done online, and dictation files can be shared digitally. A legal secretary holds an administrative position in a legal department or law firm and ensures the smooth running and efficiency of office activities. Typical duties of a legal secretary include typing, filing, scheduling, dictation, and other related duties that assist the lawyers in the office. Legal secretaries typically need to have excellent organizational and communication skills, as well as knowledge of software and IT tools such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat. Paralegals tend to focus on case management, such as creating case summaries, researching and documenting cases. Many paralegals help lawyers in court, although they are not allowed to give legal advice or represent a client in court. And like lawyers, paralegals can often specialize in a particular area of law, such as immigration, bankruptcy, baking, business defense, and criminal defense. Courses as part of a Legal Secretary Career Certificate/Diploma program often include: A legal secretary is an administrative position. A paralegal works more substantially with the facts and often helps a lawyer prepare for court appointments by working with documents, clients, witnesses and the facts of a case.

In contrast, a legal secretary works on preparing documents to be filed with the court, manages the schedule, and has limited substantive work with clients. Certifications can show employers that you have the basic knowledge expected for this position. They can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don`t need certification, we can help you stand out in an app. In addition, the certification process can give you new skills to bring to your work. We have identified the most common certifications for legal secretaries. The most common certification is the Professional Legal Secretary (PLS), but the Certified Paralegal/Certified Legal Assistant (CP/CLA) is also commonly seen on the resumes of legal secretaries. 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: While the duties of the Legal Secretary vary depending on the practice environment, the size of the firm and/or the legal specialty, a number of responsibilities remain constant throughout the profession, such as: In the United States, legal secretaries are employed at the federal level.

state and local, or in non-governmental offices such as law firms. Insurance companies, schools and non-profit organizations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) classifies legal secretaries under occupational classification 43-6012 and reports that more than 214,000 of them are employed nationwide. Although they perform clerical functions, legal secretaries should not be confused with federal law clerks (most of whom have law degrees), clerks, court administrators, court reporters, clerks or paralegals.