The Role of Legal Secretaries
Remember the old Perry Mason TV show? There was Perry Mason, brilliant legal eagle and tough cross-examiner. But behind him, there was his loyal assistant and legal secretary, Della Street, making sure that Mister Super Attorney had all his papers in order and that his legal briefs were legibly typed. As a legal secretary, it is your job to make sure that your boss has his own Della Street—you. Legal secretaries screen calls; take messages; keep lines of communication open between attorneys and their clients; do whatever research the law clerks can't handle; prepare all the lawyers' correspondence, documents, briefs, and pleadings; file all the relevant papers and make sure they can be easily found; deal with travel arrangements; proof legal documents—in short, become the dependable center of a well-run legal office.
Legal File Clerks
Less well-known but equally important are legal file clerks who help clear the busy work out of the attorney's way so that he or she can concentrate on clients. Like legal secretaries, legal file clerks are responsible for maintaining legal case files. This includes tracking all pertinent legal correspondence, notes from attorneys, legal research papers, and documentation. Legal clerks are more specialized in that they are trained to do extensive research.
As the workload for legal secretaries can vary based on the size of the legal firm and the number of cases the firm is handling, many temp firms offer positions for floater secretaries and clerks. These professionals are well-versed in legal secretarial procedures and are often brought in to handle heavy workloads caused by major cases. Floaters are often part-time workers. Because these workers are brought in to different offices over time, working as a floating legal secretary or legal clerk is a good way to appraise potential law offices with an eye towards applying for a long-term position.
Working Conditions
As a legal secretary or clerk, you will be working alongside attorneys, traveling to and from the courtroom, the law library, and the legal office. You'll probably spend more time in the last two; clerks are often engaged in long hours researching cases and gathering information, while legal secretaries must prepare legal papers, briefs, motions, and other important documents. Legal secretaries will also on occasion go with attorneys to interview clients or witnesses; they will be expected to compile notes and have all relevant documents on-hand in case the attorney needs them. There will be long hours; most lawyers put in fifty-hour-plus weeks and often need legal clerks or secretaries on hand during the critical parts of an ongoing case. Floater legal professionals' hours may be far more variable—often you are filling in for an unavailable person or are on call to handle work overflow.
Qualifications
A formal legal education is not required, but basic legal administrative assistant skills are important for all legal secretaries. Excellent typing, editing, and proofreading skills are even more important. Legal secretarial programs are offered by many community colleges and universities and are an advantage in any legal secretarial job search.
Legal clerks also do not require special legal training; in most cases, a high school diploma is sufficient. Experience with law firm procedures and records management is a plus and strong communication, organizational skills, and computer/office skills are critical.
Earnings
Salaries for law careers such as legal secretaries and clerks are typically around $47,000, with a high end of around $52,000 for ten or more years of experience. Salaries can be expected to vary based on the type of law practice, with patent and intellectual property secretaries topping at $54,000 yearly.
How to Find Jobs
Floater legal secretaries and clerks are often hired by temp-worker firms that specialize in legal help. Positions can be found online or through specialized legal help service ads. In addition, ads are often found in law school publications and through general temp services (although not as often).
Conclusion
If you are looking for a good job working in the legal profession, but would like a better work/life balance, the position of floating legal secretary or clerk may be just what you need to build up your skills for a full-time position or just to keep your skills up to snuff if you've already been a legal support professional.
