What is it like to work as a legal secretary?

Asked by: Garnett Feeney DVM  |  Last update: January 21, 2026
Score: 4.7/5 (28 votes)

Most legal secretaries possess various skills since the role involves traditional administrative duties like answering phones, creating detailed reports, and conversing with expert witnesses. With the complexity of your duties, you need to be conversant with legal terms, procedures, and documentation.

Is it worth being a legal secretary?

There's Good Income Potential. The income potential is quite good for a career that only requires an associate's degree. The BLS reports that the median yearly salary for legal assistants and paralegals in 2023 was $60,970.

What is the day in the life of a legal secretary?

As a legal secretary or legal assistant, the day might start off by preparing documents, calendaring hearings, or scheduling appointments. As a clerical clerk, your day may be filled with answering phones, filing, and sorting mail.

What is better paralegal or legal secretary?

The differences

The main difference between paralegals and legal assistants is in the scope of their responsibilities. Paralegals typically have more extensive legal education and training, and may perform tasks such as legal research, drafting legal documents, and assisting with client communication.

What is the average age of a legal secretary?

The average legal secretary age is 53 years old.

Legal Secretary Career Overview

44 related questions found

Can you be a legal secretary with no experience?

No experience law firm jobs include various entry-level, support positions. As a paralegal or legal secretary, for example, you may have office administration responsibilities or conduct research and complete paperwork in support of a firm's lawyers.

Who makes more money, a legal secretary or a paralegal?

Since paralegals complete more education to qualify for their roles, they tend to earn more. The average annual salary for a legal assistant is $52,530 per year , while paralegals earn $43,494 per year . Paralegals who hold a paralegal certificate can also potentially earn a higher salary.

Do legal secretaries go to court?

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.

What does a legal secretary need to know?

Research skills : Legal secretaries must have excellent research skills to gather client information, find directions, research the competition and locate expert witnesses. Multitasking skills: Legal secretaries must be able to handle multiple assignments at the same time and manage growing workloads.

Do legal secretaries go to law school?

However, one of the key differences between a legal secretary and a legal assistant is that secretaries typically don't require formal education to work in a law office. While employers often prefer a candidate with more education or some experience in law, a secretary rarely conducts legal research.

How many hours does a secretary work?

Secretaries work in an office setting. They can be found in nearly every industry. Their work schedule is typically 40 hours, 5 days a week, although some Secretaries may only be needed on a part-time basis. Secretaries may support one person in the office or a group of members that are part of the executive staff.

What is the outlook for legal secretary?

Employment of paralegals and legal assistants is projected to grow 1 percent from 2023 to 2033, slower than the average for all occupations. Despite limited employment growth, about 37,300 openings for paralegals and legal assistants are projected each year, on average, over the decade.

How can I be a better legal secretary?

Steps to Being a Successful Legal Secretary
  1. Mastering Organization in a Law Firm. ...
  2. Being Proactive and Adaptable. ...
  3. Continuous Professional Development. ...
  4. Effective Communication and Influence. ...
  5. Developing Strong Research Skills. ...
  6. Managing Confidential Information.

What are the cons of being a legal secretary?

Managing time and workload

One of the biggest challenges faced by legal secretaries and virtual assistants is managing their time and workload effectively. They often have to juggle multiple tasks and deadlines, which can be overwhelming.

Do legal secretaries work from home?

As a work from home legal secretary, your job is to assist your firm's lawyers with a variety of administrative tasks from a remote location. In this role, you may type legal documents, schedule appointments, file correspondences, bill clients, and provide other remote services as requested.

Is a paralegal higher than a legal secretary?

They both provide assistance to the lawyer that they work for. Generally speaking however, a paralegal usually holds a higher position than that of a legal secretary. Paralegals typically have a higher level of educational attainment.

What kind of secretary makes the most money?

Assistant Secretary is the highest-paid type of secretary with an average salary of $107,366 and an average hourly rate of $51.62. The second highest-paying type of secretary is executive secretary, with an average salary of $46,594.

Which legal profession pays the most?

Highest-Paid Types of Lawyers
  • Patent attorney: $180,000.
  • Intellectual property (IP) attorney: $162,000.
  • Trial lawyer: $134,000.
  • Tax attorney: $122,000.
  • Corporate lawyer: $115,000.
  • Medical lawyer: $113,000.
  • Real estate lawyer: $98,000.
  • Family lawyer: $93,000.

What is another name for a legal secretary?

The terms “legal secretary”, “legal assistant”, and “paralegal” are sometimes used interchangeably. While most people believe that these legal support roles are very similar, there are actually many differences between the jobs— including what it takes to become one.

Is secretary job stressful?

Secretaries frequently handle stressful situations, from managing tight schedules to dealing with challenging client requests. A balanced work-life approach is essential for preserving their mental and emotional health, allowing them to remain composed and effective under pressure.

Can you be a secretary without a degree?

Temporary placement agencies also may provide training in word processing, spreadsheet, and database software. A bachelor's degree typically is not required to become a secretary or administrative assistant.

What is the highest paying job?

Get Matched!
  • Obstetrician and Gynecologist. #1 in Best-Paying Jobs. ...
  • Psychiatrist. #2 in Best-Paying Jobs. ...
  • Emergency Medicine Physician. #3 in Best-Paying Jobs. ...
  • Orthodontist. #4 in Best-Paying Jobs. ...
  • Anesthesiologist. #5 in Best-Paying Jobs. ...
  • Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon. #6 in Best-Paying Jobs. ...
  • Radiologist. ...
  • Pilot.

What other jobs can a legal secretary do?

What are similar professions a Legal Secretary can transition into?
  • Legal Researcher.
  • Practice Assistant.
  • Law Clerk.
  • Attorney.
  • Real Estate Paralegal.
  • Court Clerk.

Can you work in a law office without a law degree?

Individuals without law degrees who work in law-related careers generally either work as paralegals, legal assistants and legal secretaries, and/or in any of a number of positions in the criminal justice fields.