How Does a Legal Secretary Spend a Workday?
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Even though there are no specific educational requirements for becoming a legal secretary, this person must be versed in office, administrative and legal procedures.The legal secretary job will require this person to observe confidentiality of all of the clients the office deals with, and to diligently see to the schedules of each attorney.
Desk Work
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The legal world is quite an intriguing business to work in, as the legal secretary will need to attend to many different types of legal paperwork. She will need to type up various papers, concerning court issues as well as private papers for clients.
This secretary will spend the majority of the work day at an office desk. He may be typing briefs, filing paperwork or answering phone calls to be dispatched to the attorney. If the attorney is not available, the legal secretary will talk briefly with the client and then write up a message for the attorney. The notes taken need to be precise, and clearly written.
If a client calls in with an urgent need to talk with an attorney, the legal secretary may call the attorney and report on the situation. The secretary will then call the client back to rely any messages the attorney may have for them, or to set an appointment for the client to come in to the office to see the attorney.
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Overseeing Others
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The legal secretary spends part of the day traveling to the courthouse to file any legal documents that she has prepared. She may even be asked to bring certain documents to the court if the attorney is attending a case there with his client.
Depending on the size of the office, the legal secretary may assume a managerial position and oversee other secretaries, typist or bookkeepers that work in the office. In this case, the legal secretary must see to it that everyone else is getting their daily duties done as well.
Assisting the Attorney
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He may also make personal arrangements for the attorney they work for. This could include making dinner reservations for the attorney, scheduling out of town trips, or even doctor appointments. The legal secretary assists the attorney in whatever needs done to insure that the office and the legal practice operate smoothly and efficiently
The legal secretary must insure on a daily basis that all of the information in the files she works with is kept discreet and confidential. This means that the secretary must remember not to leave a file laying open or a computer screen on. This secretary has access to privileged information, and must make sure it stays that way.
The secretary will also spend part of the day making sure that the attorney has the proper files on his desk, when meeting with individual clients. It is up to the legal secretary to know where all of the paperwork and files are at all times and to get them where they need to go in a timely fashion. A lot of the attorney's success will depend on the quality of the legal secretary that works with him.
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