Legal
A legal secretary provides administrative support to attorneys, preparing legal documents, managing calendars and handling correspondence and filings. The role depends on knowledge of court procedure and formatting standards, which keeps a practice professional and on schedule.
Median pay
$48,310a year
Secretaries and administrative assistants, U.S. BLS, May 2025
The role
Employers hire legal secretaries when attorneys need dedicated administrative support, when a practice adds lawyers, or when an experienced secretary leaves and the work still needs covering.
Typical responsibilities
Core skills
Tools and systems
Related titles
Typical background
High school diploma or associate degree, with two to five years in a law office and strong typing and formatting skills.
At a glance
The essentials for planning the hire: level, background, how you can hire and what the role typically pays.
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FAQ
Straight answers to the questions employers and candidates ask about this role.
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A legal secretary provides administrative support to attorneys, preparing legal documents, managing calendars and handling correspondence and filings. The role depends on knowledge of court procedure and formatting standards, which keeps a practice professional and on schedule. Typical responsibilities include: type, proofread and format pleadings, letters and legal documents; maintain attorney calendars, deadlines and court appearance schedules; file documents with courts and agencies, including e-filing.
Look for legal formatting, typing accuracy, court procedures, calendar management, client service and confidentiality. Experience with Microsoft Word, Outlook, Adobe Acrobat, Clio and Dragon is common in this role.
Yes. A legal secretary is one of the roles employers most often hire on contract, for projects, busy periods, leave cover and vacancies. Contract-to-hire is also an option if you want to work together before making a permanent offer.
The titles overlap, and firms use them differently. A legal secretary is typically focused on documents, calendars and administrative support for specific attorneys. A legal assistant may take on more case file tasks. Define duties in the job description rather than relying on the title.
Litigation, real estate and busy transactional practices usually rely on strong secretaries because deadlines and formatting rules are strict. Match the candidate’s background to your area, since court filing rules and document types differ between them.
Related roles
Every role in the practice is recruited by the same specialist team.
