Legal Secretaries

Legal secretaries must be able to handle all the duties of a general secretary plus all the specific responsibilities that come with working for a lawyer. Although every law office or firm may vary in the exact duties required for the position, in general, most legal secretaries spend their time managing information that comes in and goes out of the law office. A typical day as a legal secretary begins with setting priorities. Next, the work is addressed according to priority. Work can include any number of things ranging from attending legal meetings to filling out trial and courtroom requests.

Legal secretaries may type letters and legal documents, such as subpoenas, appeals, and motions; handle incoming and outgoing mail; maintain a detailed filing system; and deliver legal documents to the court. Besides these duties, legal secretaries spend much of their time making appointments with clients, and dealing with client questions. The legal secretary is a sort of personal assistant to one or more lawyers as well, and must maintain the calendars and schedules for the office. Always knowing where an attorney can be found is an important part of the process.

Legal secretaries are asked to conduct research for the cases that are current within the office. They may research and write legal briefs on a topic or case that is relevant to the lawyer's current cases. Legal secretaries spend many hours researching cases in law libraries, public libraries, and on the Internet. Part of this research includes scouring legal journals and magazines looking for relevant laws and courtroom decisions that may affect the clientele. As mentioned earlier, legal secretaries also use generative AI to conduct basic research, draft documents, and meet other goals, although law firms and corporate and other legal departments have strict rules in place so that it used appropriately. Nineteen percent of legal professionals surveyed by the law technology firm Clio in 2023 said that they were using AI in some format. And 51 percent of respondents said that they wanted to use AI in the future in their practices. 

Legal secretaries are also record keepers. They help lawyers find information such as employment, medical, and criminal records. They also keep records from all previous clients and court cases for future use. Legal secretaries must also track and use various forms, such as trial request, client application, and accident report forms.