The Respective Roles
The roles of legal assistant and legal secretary are sometimes used interchangeably, which can be confusing even for those within the legal profession. Of course, with job titles and responsibilities evolving within the legal sector, the difference in legal terms is not always clear. It is important to recognise, however, that there are distinct duties and responsibilities associated with each role.
While both legal assistants and legal secretaries may produce legal documents, legal assistants have a more in-depth role that requires special training and relevant qualifications. Legal secretaries are often responsible for the whole office or department’s documentation and can even oversee other secretaries and administrative staff, whereas legal assistants are likely to focus solely on the specialist work associated with one specific case. For this reason, further training to become a paralegal is essential for legal assistants who wish to progress within their careers .
Employees in legal assistant positions are also likely to deal with clients and witnesses throughout a case. Their responsibility to engage and build positive working relationships with these individuals can mean longer hours than those undertaken by legal secretaries, particularly if meetings with clients and witnesses take place after office hours.
Because legal assistants have a more involved role in terms of specialist duties, they are required to have a comprehensive understanding of the litigation process and wider legal practices. Legal assistants are called upon to provide support that is more analytical and consultative than that of legal secretaries – the latter may be responsible for practical duties such as managing filing systems or overseeing invoicing procedures.
Both legal assistant and legal secretary roles are essential for maintaining a smooth office environment and high standards of organisation, performance and service within any legal or law enforcement department.
Qualifications
The educational requirements for legal assistants and legal secretaries vary depending on the nature of the tasks they will be performing and the complexity of the cases with which they deal.
Legal Assistants
In larger firms that engage legal assistants, a college degree in a related field may be required, along with the completion of a paralegal studies program. Such programs can sometimes be completed in under a year; an associate’s degree typically takes two years; a bachelor’s degree can take four years to complete. Some schools also offer certifications for legal assistants and paralegals. These certifications can often be earned in less than a year of study.
Legal Secretaries
Entry-level legal secretarial positions may require only a high school diploma or equivalent. Other secretarial jobs require a working knowledge of general office equipment and skills including typing, filing and data entry; some may also involve the performance of additional duties such as datasheet management and trial book preparation. In addition to general secretarial skills, legal secretaries are often required to have a good knowledge of legal terminology, procedures and documents.
Necessary Skills
When it comes to the skill sets required for legal assistants and legal secretaries, there are some overlaps but also notable differences. Both roles typically require proficiency in office software, familiarity with legal terminology, and strong organizational skills. However, the depth of these skills can vary. For example, a legal secretary might be expected to have a higher level of proficiency in word processing and document preparation, as they often handle more complex legal documents such as briefs, motions, and deposition summaries. They may also need to be familiar with e-filing and electronic discovery software.
In contrast, a legal assistant’s skill set may lean more towards client interaction and incoming communications. They often act as the first point of contact in a law office, so strong verbal and written communication skills are a must. Legal assistants also frequently manage scheduling, making them adept at organizing and prioritizing tasks effectively.
Both positions value soft skills highly. Detail-oriented work, confidentiality assurance, and multi-tasking capabilities are essentials for legal secretaries; legal assistants, on the other hand, need to be adaptable and able to quickly learn new practice management software and other digital tools as they may be the first to be trained on any new technologies brought into the firm.
Career Path and Possibilities
The career paths are more similar than you might think, but with different focal points. Both positions start with entry-level work and can lead to more advanced roles, but the paths taken differ.
In many firms, both legal assistants and legal secretaries might start as clerks or administrative assistants, learning the basics of the legal operation. Over time and as experience is gained on the job, opportunities for promotions may open up in the form of more senior roles.
Following this trajectory, a legal secretary may become a senior legal secretary and then switch into a law clerk position. They may later specialize in office management, career training to further enhance their skills in that area. In this position, they would take on broader administrative tasks or have the opportunity to specialize in software management, such as for e-filing.
A junior legal assistant may begin their career in light administrative work, without a law degree or prior training. As they gain experience and further pursue their education, they might become an office manager or litigation support specialist.
Both legal assistants and legal secretaries can move up in the ranks by getting involved in professional organizations, such as a paralegal association, or continuing their education. Where legal secretaries may have a more established progression through becoming office managers, legal assistants tend to have more diverse opportunities and specialization options.
In a traditional structure, legal secretaries are seniors to both clerks and legal assistants and thus work as supervisors, while legal assistants and clerks continue in their support role, eventually transitioning into their specialized areas as they choose a focus.
Work Environment
Legal assistants typically work in the comfortable surroundings of a law firm, corporate or government legal department. They work both independently and as part of a team with other legal professionals. Strong organizational skills are essential to remain thorough and accurate while completing tasks such as docketing important dates for court cases or scheduling client appointments. Attorneys appreciate when they can rely on their legal assistants to handle various tasks , yet they also need to be able to count on them to know when to seek assistance or alert them to potential problems. Legal secretaries work in the same type of environment. Corporate legal secretaries may work with an entire legal department, which includes several attorneys and paralegals. Legal secretaries can spend their entire time organizing the work of attorneys and legal assistants. They order supplies, track billing, maintain files, and provide word processing and general office services. Law firm administrators may assist legal secretaries in obtaining the necessary equipment and supplies.
Salary and Perks Analysis
Other aspects of the comparison are the benefits and salary. While remuneration is never the most important factor in choosing a career, it certainly has it place. For example, salary may be a definitive decision-maker for a new hire. The average salary for a legal assistant is $58,000 annually based on the latest figures from Payscale (October 2018). The highest paid legal assistants are in the San Francisco area, with a median salary of $90,000 per year.
PayScale also states that the average compensation for a legal secretary is $54,000 per year. Interestingly, the legal secretary position pays slightly better than the legal assistant, at $55,400, in the San Francisco area.
Why the legal secretary has a higher salary than the legal assistant in the San Francisco region is unclear. It may be because the legal secretary is more firmly located in the law offices where law partners are present. There may be many legal assistants at a high-paying firm who work from home or do not work directly with law partners on a daily basis.
Strong competition between legal support staff positions may have a slight impact on salaries as well. There are greater demand and job openings for legal assistants, but legal secretaries may be more in demand because they are harder to find.
Like most other positions in the legal field, both legal assistants and legal secretaries wages are tied to many factors, including the cost of living, the state of the economy, geographic region, the prestige of the firm where the legal assistants and legal secretaries work, and the type of skills and tools required for the position.
Guidelines to Determine the Fit
When deciding between a legal assistant and a legal secretary, it’s essential to understand their distinct functions. Legal assistants perform various tasks and are part of the legal process that involve providing research and administrative support. Legal secretaries are more involved in the internal functioning of the legal system and focus typically on managing information flow. The lines can sometimes be blurred, so think about how you want to be involved in the legal field.
Legal assistants are often in direct contact with clients. They work closely with attorneys both in and out of the court with the intention of gaining as much knowledge as possible for their clients. A legal assistant typically has a broader working knowledge of the legal process and field than a legal secretary. A legal secretary works more in the office or in-house. Secretaries will have daily tasks such as answering phones, filing, typing, and assisting with research. But a secretary will not have the ability to work with the attorney in the same way a legal assistant does .
The criteria for deciding which legal role you should pursue depend on who you are. If you’re a people person and enjoy working with others, then a legal assistant is the right choice for you. You can expect to work one-on-one with clients and help them navigate their legal issues. An assistant should be willing to learn as much as possible about their client’s or firm’s needs.
If you enjoy working in an organized environment and prefer to work independently, a legal secretary position may be a better fit for you. In law school, a legal secretary will have a clear understanding of the fundamental processes and will learn goals for the firm and its management style. You’ll be able to focus on the administrative side without worrying about client meeting schedules.
Finally, you should consider the field that you want to work in. Do you want to practice civil law? Criminal law? Family law? All of these have different requirements when it comes to becoming a legal assistant or legal secretary. You should have a clear understanding of your career path before starting in either of these roles.
