Legal Secretaries

Overview

Legal Secretaries

Introduction

Legal secretaries, sometimes called litigation secretaries or trial secretaries, assist lawyers by performing the administrative and clerical duties in a law office or firm. Legal secretaries spend most of their time writing legal correspondence, preparing legal documents, performing research, and answering incoming calls and e-mails. Legal secretaries read and review many law journals to check for any new court decisions that may be important for cases pending at that time. Legal secretaries also maintain files an...

Quick Facts


Median Salary

$50,680

Employment Prospects

Good

Minimum Education Level

High School Diploma|Some Postsecondary Training


Experience

Prior secretarial experience recommended


Skills

Computer|Interpersonal|Organizational


Personality Traits

Hands On|Organized|Outgoing

Earnings

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average salary for legal secretaries was approximately $50,680 in May 2023. Salaries ranged from less than $34,780 to more than $82,890. Fifty percent of legal secretaries earned between $41,450 and $66,510. Legal secretaries who were employed by local government agencies earned average annual salaries of $54,000, while those who worked for insuran...

Work Environment

Legal secretaries spend the majority of their day behind their desk at a computer. They spend lengthy periods of time typing or writing, which may cause hand and wrist strain. Long hours staring at a computer monitor may also cause eyestrain. Legal secretaries work with lawyers, other legal secretaries, paralegals, clients, court personnel, library personnel, and other support workers. Senior l...

Outlook

The U.S. Department of Labor predicts that employment for legal secretaries will decrease 5 percent between 2023 and 2033 because technology has replaced much of the work they once performed, including document filing and preparation.

The staffing firm Robert Half predicts a more optimistic employment outlook for legal secretaries, including the career in its 2025 list of the hottest leg...