What Does a Legal Administrative Professional Do?
Legal administrative professionals are administrative professionals working in a legal environment. Their scope of duties and responsibilities may vary depending on the needs of their employers since the profession can include various individuals with different titles such as legal secretary, legal assistant, and legal administrative assistant. However, in general, legal administrative professionals provide administrative support to all areas of the law including criminal, corporate, and family law. They interact with clients, lawyers , and legal assistants and take hundreds of phone calls each day.
Legal administrative professionals manage calendars, enter legal information into computerized databases, draft correspondence, maintain files, review court documents, sort and verify legal documents, prepare and file pleadings, and prepare billing statements. In addition, they may coordinate meetings and organize court dates with judges, attorneys, and other legal professionals. Legal administrative professionals typically work in a standard 40hr/week office environment, but may have the possibility of working overtime hours.
Skills Needed to Be a Legal Administrative Professional
To become a successful legal administrative professional, it is essential to develop and enhance a particular skill set. While it may be necessary to acquire supplemental skills and knowledge depending on your area of specialization, most legal assistants should have both hard and soft skills, including:
Hard Skills:
Generally, hard skills can be acquired through formal education programs and training. It is important to note that for legal administrative professionals, in addition to basic hard skills, the following skills are required:
Soft Skills:
While the hard skills listed above are crucial for legal administrative professional, soft skills are often equally as important. These often-personal attributes are what attract employers and set you apart from the competition:
Many of these skills are also applicable to job roles in other areas of law such as legal secretary and paralegal. Furthermore, many can be developed over time through various formal education programs.
Education and Certifications
Educational requirements and certifications for a legal administrative professional include both formal education and on-the-job training. Fortunately, most employers give greater weight to the value of experience than specific education and training.
Postsecondary education at a community college or career college is available in the form of an associate’s degree in a paralegal studies program. Some schools offer a certificate program as well.
Another option is a bachelor’s degree in legal studies. Some employers do prefer applicants that have either the associate’s or the bachelor’s degree.
Moreover, it is often possible to complete an internship within the paralegal studies program, which enhances work experience.
While not typically required, certification is often an asset for legal administrative professionals. Three organizations offer some degree of certification. They are:
Certifications require the completion of the degree or certificate in paralegal studies, two years of general legal work experience, two years of general legal work experience under the supervision of a lawyer or law firm, 30 hours of continuing education credits, and a passing exam.
Daily Responsibilities and Tasks
Legal administrative professionals are vital players in legal departments and law firms. Their day-to-day duties include: Managing schedules: Liaisons to the legal teams, legal administrative professionals juggle their busy schedules and the schedules of their attorneys. Understanding their employer’s preferred workflows, these professionals schedule appointments and meetings, and they manage the calendars of senior lawyers and executives, including setting and responding to calendar invitations. Collecting and organizing case materials: Legal administrative professionals have a keen understanding of the cases represented by their employer. They prepare for upcoming meetings and hearings by organizing and archiving relevant case materials for easy retrieval. As needed, they also manage storage and indexing of documents and evidence. Preparing legal documents: Drawing on their deep knowledge of legal procedures, legal administrative professionals prepare documents such as briefs, pleadings, contracts, and affidavits. Many legal administrative professionals are experienced in transcribing legal dictations, and they prepare the final versions of documents by correcting the grammatical, typographical, and formatting errors. Conducting research: When needed, legal administrative professionals conduct legal research and may review evidentiary materials. Assisting with discovery: In some cases, legal administrative professionals are called on to assist with discovery by organizing and reviewing documents, performing data analysis, and preparing reports. Coordination with others: Often acting as the point of contact for the legal team, legal administrative professionals communicate and coordinate with other professionals including clients, witnesses, and external service providers. They arrange travel, handle invoices, coordinate events, and manage supplies. Supporting the full team: Legal administrative professionals may also assist their employer by managing other office operations, such as getting and filing records, keeping track of transactions, filing and storing documents, and organizing and tracking billable hours.
Pathways to Career Advancement
As with many roles in the legal space, advancement opportunities in the profession of legal administrative professional are very much dictated by the environment that you are working in. In a large firm, for example, you could climb the proverbial ladder to become an Office Manager or Practice Group Manager, managing a large team of people across multiple offices. If you find yourself in smaller firms, however, you may find managing a smaller team or taking on a more specialized and senior role to be more common. For example, you may become a Senior Executive Assistant or Administrative Assistant, specializing in specific tasks for a high-level partner. You may also take on the role of Office Manager, where you manage all of the administrative support staff with a focus on ensuring that the office runs smoothly. For example, at the law firm Dorsey & Whitney, Legal Administrative Assistants have the opportunity to progress through the ranks, starting as a Legal Administrative Assistant I (with some prior secretarial or legal experience) and moving to Legal Administrative Assistant II (Senior Legal Administrative Assistant) and Senior Legal Administrative Assistant II – with the requisite years of experience to match the title and, of course, depending on the needs of their particular practice group. At the City of Chicago’s Law Department, in their Paralegal Department, there are six levels available to paralegals . Level I, which requires four years of legal office experience, is entry level, and Level VI is the most senior paralegal title, requiring 10 years of legal office experience. Having said that, with offices constantly looking to restructure to cut costs or to follow the trends of distributed firms, many legal administrative professionals are now finding themselves in either a centralized or hybrid team, bringing together people with various specialties to support an entire office. It often comes down to personal preference as to what type of environment is preferable. In looking to advance your career, you can always go above and beyond in your current role. Learn new skills – what will make your manager’s life easier? Are there ways that you can take key tasks off your manager’s plate while also expanding your knowledge of how the business works so you can become more effective in your role? You could also look to expand your current responsibilities in the firm, either through the colleagues that you work with – can you help them in any other way? Or through volunteer opportunities to get outside of your normal routine. If you are looking to formalize your career progression, there are a few certifications available to legal administrative professionals to help you find the right advancement opportunity. The International Association for Court Administration (IACA), the VitalSmarts, the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA) and the International Paralegal Management Association (IPMA) all offer certification programs.
Expected Salary and Prospects
According to a survey by the National Association of Legal Secretaries, which is now part of the National Association of Legal Support Professionals, the average base salary for legal secretaries was $27.40 per hour in 2013. This translates to about $57,000 per year. Legal administrative assistant/specialist earned an average of $26.98 per hour or $56,000 per year. Legal administrative specialists (as opposed to legal administrative assistants) made $39.24 per hour or $81,000 annually. Legal administrative supervisors averaged more than $70,000 per year or $34.29 per hour.
Legal administrative professionals include those in law firms, corporations, banks, and government, including state and federal courts. There are many opportunities outside of traditional law firms, as these types of jobs are nearly ubiquitous across all industries.
The BLS does not specifically list legal administrative professional jobs by name. Instead, they are considered "secretaries and administrative assistants."
The BLS projections, however, include all secretary jobs – including less skilled positions. The BLS expects employment in these occupations to grow 13 percent from 2012 to 2022, roughly in line with the average for other occupations. Job growth in the legal profession, on the other hand, is expected to be between 7 and 10 percent, which is significantly below the national average.
Again, it’s important to put this job outlook information into perspective.
Common Challenges for Legal Administrative Professionals
Legal administrative professionals are tasked with a vast variety of responsibilities, and while many of their duties are likely to be routine and predictable, a number of challenges can crop up as well. Professional legal administrative assistants must be prepared to meet all of these challenges and to do so in a manner that not only gets the job done, but also handles it in a way that is professional and respectful of the needs and expectations of the client. These challenges can come from clients, partners, other administrative professionals and outside vendors.
Legal administrative professionals may find themselves confronted by difficult clients who have time-sensitive requests or who are closely tracking the progress of a case. The legal administrative professional is often expected to be the person who coordinates communications between the client and the rest of the firm. Fully understanding the situation and knowing the best way to communicate manage these demands can mitigate the challenges of servicing a client.
Legal administrative professionals may also have many different individuals who are tracking the progress of numerous matters within one case. It is essential for these professionals to be aware of what everyone wants and needs, and to help facilitate those communications. This requires the legal administrative professional to know enough about each case to keep the progress organized and make sure that everyone who needs to be aware of changes is informed in a timely manner.
An important way to mitigate legal administrative professionals’ workload as well as prevent confusion and delays is to optimize the use of technology in the office. Legal administrative professional should ensure that office technology is fully functional and organized, and that users understand how to use it. Using a case management system can help facilitate case document management, filing organization and communications in one platform.
Advice for Success as a Legal Administrative Professional
To successfully navigate this unique and dynamic field, legal administrative professionals should take advantage of opportunities for networking, continuing education, and participation in professional organizations. These resources can provide invaluable knowledge and support.
Networking: Building a network of peers and industry contacts is crucial for career advancement. Attend seminars, workshops, and industry conferences to meet other legal professionals and gain insights into the latest industry trends. Consider joining professional associations that offer networking opportunities, such as the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) or the National Association of Legal Secretaries (NALS).
Continuing Education: In a constantly evolving field , staying current is essential. Many legal administrative professionals pursue additional education to improve their skills and knowledge. Look for courses and training programs focused on legal software, office management, and other relevant topics. Many universities and community colleges offer certificate programs for legal administrative professionals.
Professional Development: Engage in activities that enhance both personal and professional growth. This may include participating in mentorship programs, volunteering for committees within professional organizations, or staying active in local community service projects. These experiences can help you develop leadership and communication skills that are essential in the legal administrative field.
By investing in these opportunities to expand your knowledge and network, you can help ensure a successful and fulfilling career as a legal administrative professional.
