legal secretary.

The work of a legal secretary varies depending on the legal environment. Some of the tasks include:

• preparing correspondence and legal documents: as a legal secretary, you respond to emails and receive letters on behalf of lawyers. You also write down various legal documents and agreements used in litigation. For instance, you prepare deeds and agreements for land sales and sale contracts for property purchases. You also write affidavits, wills and briefs from dictation and handwritten notes. After writing the documents, it is crucial to proofread them for errors and ensure they comply with legal requirements.
• managing schedules and appointments: your primary duty as a legal secretary is to support attorneys, lawyers and other legal professionals. That means you organise their schedule and ensure they meet with clients on time. You also attend appointments, client interviews and hearings to write notes and later present reports to the lawyers.
• assisting in research: as a legal secretary, you collect all the relevant facts concerning a case and document findings from interviews. You find out previous court rulings and precedents related to a case. You also evaluate legal publications and materials to identify the best approach for the case.
• organising legal documents: when the opposing counsel sends discovery documents of the complaint, your job is to sort them. You organise the files and ensure the lawyer goes through them. You should be conversant with every relevant document for easy retrieval during court procedures. Since you are in charge of the filling system, you should ensure the documents are in order.
• attending court: as a legal secretary, part of your job is to write notes and witness statements in court sessions. You also provide relevant information for rebuttals and assist lawyers in finding the required documents during legal proceedings.

As a legal secretary, you work in law firms, corporate settings and government agencies. Regardless of your employer, your work setting is indoors in a well-ventilated office environment. You spend long periods standing or sitting when researching and completing your clerical duties. As a legal secretary, you meet with various people during interviews and daily meetings. Sometimes, you work outdoors when researching cases. Legal secretaries also spend considerable time in courtrooms during hearings and negotiation tables in corporate offices. As a legal secretary, you should maintain a professional dress code during work hours.

Depending on your employer and the industry you work in, your colleagues might include paralegals, lawyers and judges. You might also be working in close proximity to administrative assistants and office managers, as well as other specialists that could include, but not be limited to, accountants, receptionists and office administrators.

Most legal secretaries work between 36 to 38 hours a week with the regular 9 am to 5 pm office hours. Sometimes, you work overtime, and your duties may extend to weekends and evenings. While most jobs are full-time, a legal secretary looking for flexible work can find a part-time job. Some legal secretaries also work temporary positions on short-term contracts.

As a legal secretary, your job falls between traditional administrative and paralegal responsibilities. You can improve your educational qualifications and skills to become a paralegal or lawyer. Alternatively, branch out to become an executive assistant or office manager and work in a corporate environment. You can also specialise in specific aspects of law like corporate or criminal cases.

Finding your legal secretary job through Randstad provides important advantages such as:

• a wide variety of training and development opportunities
• an experienced contact person to provide help if needed
• a range of opportunities in your area
• get paid weekly or monthly, depending on the job
• temporary and permanent contracts

Want a permanent contract? A temporary job as a legal secretary is often a stepping stone to an attractive permanent job. Every year, thousands of people earn a permanent contract with great employers thanks to a temporary job found through Randstad. What's more, many companies recruit their permanent employees through Randstad too.

As a legal secretary, your remuneration package is around $51,000 annually. Work experience and academic qualifications usually determine the salary structure. For instance, in entry-level jobs, you receive a salary of $44,000 annually, while experienced legal secretaries earn $75,000 yearly. Some organisations also provide bonuses and overtime pay for working additional hours.

A paralegal is a legal practitioner working under an attorney. A legal secretary focuses on administrative duties and running an office or legal department. A paralegal usually works with minimal supervision assisting lawyers on cases and drafting legal documents. As a legal secretary, you perform clerical duties like maintaining the filing system and recording clients' billable hours.

A legal secretary performs administrative and clerical duties. That involves transcribing client recordings and drafting files and legal documents. You are also the bookkeeper of the lawyer or judge you're assisting. That means you record information on bills and keep tabs on the office petty cash. Your job also involves organising schedules and appointments or assisting with research.

Working as a legal secretary has promising career prospects. It is the best way to join the legal team. You can become a paralegal from a legal secretary position before furthering your skills to become a lawyer. Alternatively, some legal secretaries specialise in administrative functions to become executive assistants, office managers or office administrators.

Applying for a legal secretary job is easy: create a Randstad profile and search our legal secretary job offers. Then simply send us your CV and cover letter. Need help with your application? Check out all our job search tips here.