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Legal Secretary Degree

A legal secretary degree can help individuals secure a position as a legal secretary and work to provide administrative support for law offices and legal departments. They take advantage of specialized experience regarding legal jargon and terminology to aid attorneys and paralegals with correspondence and transcription needs as well as document submission and organization. Legal secretaries can also help with legal research such as reviewing legal journals or verifying quotes in legal briefs.

Legal Secretary Degree Requirements

Aspiring legal secretaries generally need a high school degree or equivalent experience. Classwork for these degrees focuses on writing and transcribing legal material, managing schedules and calendars for various employees and standard office equipment and telephone systems. In addition coursework also includes accounting and small business management courses. These allow graduates to begin working in law firms or corporate legal departments to assist attorneys, and then move into office managerial roles as well.

Did you know? Starting as a legal secretary at a law firm can provide opportunities for advancement into a position as senior legal secretary or paralegal.

Source: About.com

Legal Secretary Salaries And Job Duties

The specialized duties of legal secretaries contributes to higher salaries and compensation. They earn several thousand more than those with less specific training, with legal secretaries earning a median annual wage of $42,460 nationally as of May 2011.¹ There are about 220,000 legal secretaries working in the US according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.¹ Prospects for advancement include increased responsibilities or moving to larger law firms and managing additional legal administrative staff. Standard job duties include managing incoming and outgoing legal documents, client and witness intake as well as general accounting and administrative duties.

Alternative Career Options for Legal Secretaries

Legal secretaries with experience in personal injury firms may also be able to transition into medical offices or hospital administrative roles. Legal secretaries may also be able to use their corporate law assisting experience to find work with other professional service firms such as accounting firms.