Legal Secretaries
Overview
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
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average salary for legal secretaries was approximately $46,360 in May 2018. Salaries ranged from less than $24,690 to more than $64,230. In January 2020, Glassdoor, Inc. reported that the average base pay for legal secretaries was $50,582. Annual salaries ranged from a low of $35,000 to $68,000 or more. An attorney's rank in the firm will also affe...
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
Overall growth in the legal industry has slowed in recent years, which has reduced employment opportunities for legal secretaries. The U.S. Department of Labor predicts that employment for legal secretaries and paralegals will decrease 21 percent between 2018 and 2028 because technology has replaced much of the work they once performed, including document filing and preparation.
The empl...
