how to be a great secretary for a lawyer

15 Skills and Qualities to be Best in Your Legal Secretary Job

1. Writing Skills. Writing is an important part of the legal secretary job that everyone working in that role or those aspiring to get into the career should possess. ...
2. Listening and Communication Skills. Legal secretaries should be able to understand legal terminology and use it correctly and at the appropriate time. ...
3. Computer Skills. ...
4. Research Skills. ...

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Full Answer

What makes a good Secretary for a lawyer?

Patience is key. The secretary who handles these issues with diplomacy and tact, smoothing over differences or forging solutions, can become an invaluable member of the legal team. Attorneys have high-pressure jobs that keep them extremely busy and dependent on their assistants and secretaries.

How do I become a legal secretary?

In a nutshell, the starting point for anyone recruiting a legal secretary is to find someone who can type, is organised, is methodical, can concentrate, is accurate, will proofread, and has knowledge of legal terms and procedures. Having these skills means you should be shortlisted for an interview.

What do hiring managers look for in a legal secretary?

Since legal secretaries, also known as legal assistants, work to support attorneys and assist with many aspects of legal work, hiring managers usually look for candidates with exceptional communication, administration skills and specific knowledge about their field of law.

What skills do you need to be a secretary?

Top-notch interpersonal and communication skills are essential. In addition to face-to-face contact, secretaries communicate by email, telephone, and video conferencing systems. Do you think that attorneys compose their own written correspondence? Think again.

What are some goals for a legal secretary?

Paralegal Goals & ObjectivesAnalyze legal problems;Engage in legal writing and preparation of litigation and mediation summaries.Conduct legal research;Evaluate, analyze and understand the elements of a lawsuit.Complete necessary legal documents, forms, and formats for litigation and other purposes;More items...

What does a secretary do in a law firm?

A legal secretary improves attorney efficiency by providing administrative support in a law firm. Also referred to as a legal assistant, these professionals play a crucial role in a law office, preparing court documents, maintaining attorney calendars, and typing court minutes. Completely free trial, no card required.

What are the 3 most important skills that you think a lawyer needs?

They must develop superior multi-tasking skills, a strong work ethic, and the ability to juggle competing priorities. They must be able to meet tight deadlines, and this requires calendar and time management skills.

What are the five personal qualities of a legal secretary?

How to Be the Best Legal SecretaryBe Reliable. PeopleImages / Getty Images. ... Be a Self-Starter. The most successful secretaries possess drive and initiative. ... Be Efficient. ... Be Discrete. ... Be Pleasant. ... Be Patient. ... Be Compassionate.

What is a legal secretary salary?

Salary range for the majority of workers in Legal secretaries - from R5 482 to R26 101 per month - 2022. A Legal secretaries typically earns between R5 482 and R12 180 net per month at the start of the job. After 5 years of service, this is between R7 227 and R15 140 per month for a working week of 45 hours.

Are lawyers critical thinkers?

Lawyers and judges often use inductive reasoning when they analyze a series of specific cases to develop a general legal rule. Another form of critical thinking is reasoning by analogy. This process is based on the concept that similar facts or principles should lead to similar conclusions.

What are the four responsibilities of lawyers?

It describes the sources and broad definitions of lawyers' four responsibilities: duties to clients and stakeholders; duties to the legal system; duties to one's own institution; and duties to the broader society.

What is the starting salary for a lawyer?

A newly qualified solicitor in a regional firm or smaller commercial practice may expect to earn around £25,000 to £40,000. Starting salaries for newly qualified solicitors in larger commercial firms and those in the City will be from £58,000 to £65,000, with the larger City firms paying £80,000 or more.

What is a professional legal secretary?

One definition of a professional is someone who exhibits great skills – an expert. If you are a competent legal secretary, you will already be an expert typist and administrator. To be a great legal secretary, however, you should be willing to develop extra skills.

What time does a legal secretary work?

‘A well-known law firm is looking to recruit a highly motivated and skilled legal secretary. Work 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for a competitive salary and the opportunity to develop your own professional skills in a challenging and fast-paced environment.’

How do secretaries become indispensable?

The best secretaries become indispensable by organising the people for whom they are working. If you understand techniques for managing your own workload – e.g. using diaries, time sheets, planners, to-do lists and schedules to prioritise tasks – then help your boss to use these techniques as well.

What skills do legal secretaries need?

Legal secretaries need to possess the skills required for copying and pasting, creating spreadsheets, printing documents, writing emails, researching legal documents, and faxing and transcribing notes. 4. Research Skills. Legal secretaries should possess research skills if they desire success in their career.

What is legal secretary?

A legal secretary is an administrative assistant trained specially to perform law-related duties and tasks. It is a job that requires certain level of skills, qualities, education, and training.

How fast do legal secretaries type?

Typing fast will help them meet deadlines, and that makes them to be trusted by the attorney. Large law firms often require 65 to 80 wpm typing, but for government entry jobs 45 to 50 wpm can be acceptable. 10.

Why do legal secretaries need to do research?

Legal secretaries should possess research skills if they desire success in their career. Research skills are required when a secretary is looking for documents for an attorney or locating an expert witness for a case, etc. 5. Proofreading.

How reliable is a legal secretary?

A legal secretary can be said to be reliable when he or she can finish a workload within a specified timeframe. With reliability skills, secretaries can put in the amount of time and efforts necessary for completing certain tasks assigned to them. 9.

Why is writing important in legal?

Writing is an important part of the legal secretary job that everyone working in that role or those aspiring to get into the career should possess. Attorneys need secretaries a lot for drafting routine correspondences and file memos.

Do legal secretaries need to use the dictionary?

Proofreading. Legal secretaries should be able to proofread documents that they or others have typed, and correct errors found in spelling and usage. They need to use the dictionary for effective proofreading, especially where they are not very sure. 6.

Training as a legal secretary

There are no compulsory training courses you need in order to become a legal secretary but there are some courses to take to increase your chances of landing the role.

Legal secretary duties

What you will be required to do as part of your role depends a lot on the nature of the practice and what they are involved with.

What makes a good legal secretary?

So what are the skills and characteristics that make a good legal secretary and that you can work on in yourself?

Good people skills

As the first point of contact for clients coming to the business, good people skills are important. You will also have to liaise with other professionals, other secretaries and legal specialists so being able to talk to people, listen to their problems and have a friendly manner is important.

Basic legal knowledge

As a legal secretary, you won’t be expected to know as much as a solicitor or lawyer although you will pick up a lot over time. However, a good basic understanding of legal terminology and the courts system is a good foundation.

Job prospects

The job of a legal secretary is changing with the use of technology in the office, but job prospects remain strong with a continuous demand for these skills.

What does a legal secretary do?

Legal secretaries do what any administrative assistant might do, except that the legal world is a bit more complicated. They perform secretarial duties using legal terminology, procedures, and documents. Legal secretaries also prepare legal papers and correspondence, including summonses, complaints, motions, and subpoenas.

What skills do secretaries need?

Strong grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and language skills are necessary, as well as an understanding of legal terminology. As mentioned above, secretaries must be proficient in word processing applications and transcription equipment. Active Listening. Typing.

What software do legal secretaries need?

Some of the most common technologies that legal secretaries must master include: Word Processing Software. Microsoft Office Suite.

Do attorneys use technology?

Many attorneys have neither the time nor expertise to operate law office technology well. They rely on tech-savvy legal secretaries to perform a variety of computer-based tasks such as building spreadsheets, preparing presentations, auditing timesheets, managing invoices, creating/typing documents, maintaining calendars, and tracking deadlines.

Do paralegals have to keep track of all legal documents?

While paralegals often perform attorney duties under supervision from an attorney, legal secretaries must keep track of all details circling the law firm. Law has been and always will be a world of red tape and semantics. Attorneys must be fully prepared for each and every legal proceeding.

What You Need to Be Good Legal Secretary

The duties of a legal secretary include a mixture of administrative work and a good understanding of the law. Most law firms will want an individual with relevant education and a genuine interest in law and, as a legal assistant, your understanding of the law and the lawyer’s needs are critical.

Qualifying For Your Future

Gaining a qualification from our Criminal Justice School puts you in an excellent position to access a variety of employment opportunities as you look for one that suits your skills and interests.

Rofidah Azman Follow

A checklist for you, if you are a secretary/PA and equivalent. A checklist if you are screening for your next secretary. A checklist if you're just browsing around looking for something to read on.

Festus Onadairo

1. Must be tactful 2. Must be honest and trustworthy 3. Must keep secret

Busayo Opeola

how is it possible to show anger in ones voice while wearing a smiling face? I think the two goes together. Or am i wrong? Please expatiate on no.3

Rofidah Azman

Hello Busayo. Why would you want to show anger at work? :) If you are facing a difficult or challening caller (s), just keep smiling, it will ease your anger. It happened to me several times that I've been insulted on the phone. I was shaking but I kept the smile on my face and told him that I was not happy with what he had just said.

What do legal secretaries need?

Legal secretaries will need fluency in billing and bookkeeping to assure billable hours are logged correctly. While there will not be accountant-level skills required, an understanding of spreadsheets/billing software will be needed.

Can a secretary do research?

Although not on par with a paralegal, a secretary who can do basic research would be a huge asset to any organization. Their work will need to be verified by others, but in many cases, they can begin the process or start paralegals or attorneys on the right pathway for further research. A legal secretary with this skillset will be highly sought-after.