Tasks of a legal secretary can be as complex and broad as their types and specializations. Typically, a legal secretary are expected to do all sorts of stuff for a legal counsel. More often they are required to complete or extend assistance in the completion of researches, problem solving, organization and interpretation of data. Some legal assistants even go as far as assisting with formulations of arguments and presentations to be used in courtrooms.

Their tasks often lead people to think that legal assistants or secretaries are synonymous to lawyers. Then again, one would have to remember that there is a definite line that differentiates one from the other. Although legal secretaries become knowledgeable with a subject jurisdiction, they cannot even attempt on practicing law. They are not eligible to charge for fees and give out legal advices to anyone. That is restricted to practicing and licensed legal counsels.

With the current influx for legal secretary jobs, legal secretaries and other interested applicants may find that there are a lot of options available. They can choose from applying for a permanent or temporary legal secretary jobs.

While most of the applicants would gear towards applying for jobs who promises tenure, some would prefer to be a freelance legal secretary. Postings for floater legal secretary jobs can be easily spotted in any classified ad. They are the ones lawyers or firms look for when they need an extra hand to manage the overflows of their workload. They may be hired by law firms or individuals who need help with a current project.

Another type of assistant hired on a per need basis are temporary legal secretaries. Temporary legal secretaries are more often referred to as administrative assistants. Unlike regular legal secretaries, their tasks focus more on the clerical aspect. They manage a counsel’s schedule by arranging appointments. They are also in-charge of answering phones, photocopying documents and sometimes running errands. An administrative assistant should also be prepared to have a flexible schedule as their services may be required beyond working hours and holidays.

Duration of employment for both may be on a contractual basis. Once a project or the contract is over, there are no promises of tenure and extended benefits. Law firms and companies alike prefer hiring people who are okay with this working condition because they end up saving a lot of money. The law does not require employers to provide health care and other benefits to contractual employees. Furthermore, they save space because they do not need a permanent desk space in the office. Besides, the pool for freelancers is so deep that a law firm can simply hire the best legal secretary that practices a certain specialization.

On a different note, those advantages can be disadvantages to the employee. Once a contract is over, no one knows when they will get another employment offer. Thus, taking on these jobs is not advisable for people who seek regular income. They are more advisable for people who are looking for part time jobs.

If an applicant on the other hand does not want to settle with casual employment. They can opt to apply for a job that offers security and tenure. There are a lot of law firms who are searching for hardworking legal secretaries. A few job postings may include litigation secretary jobs, trust and estates legal secretary jobs and legal file clerk jobs.

A litigation secretary is required to accomplish a lot of technical tasks. Apart from being a clerk, a litigation secretary usually helps out with cases and courtroom activities. They assist the lawyers or sometimes even paralegals in preparing sound arguments for a case.  Strong interpersonal skills is a requirement as they communicate with lawyers, clients, judges and other people practicing law. Their employment is not limited to law offices or individual lawyers but they can also seek employment in other government offices, companies, private institutions and individuals.

Trust and estates legal secretaries on the other hand specifically assist lawyers who are practicing in the same subject jurisdiction. To give a brief background, trust and estates law provides guidelines on how to handle properties of a certain individual in an event of death or capacity. It gives the property owner a choice to bequeath important assets and valuables to his chosen beneficiary.

Trust and estates legal secretaries are expected to be knowledgeable with laws on estates, real property and should be able to produce legal documents written in correct formats, handle deposition notices and legal invoices.

Being a litigation and trust and estates legal secretary also requires additional skills like proficiency in written and oral communication, ability to use and process documents with the use of Microsoft Office, knowledge in proper formats of legal format and maintain databases as required by the law firm.

Certification is not required for people who wants to pursue the two above mentioned positions.  Nevertheless, acquiring a formal course and obtaining additional training is definitely a plus. Individuals who want to consider on seriously treading this career path, may opt to acquire certification from National Association for Legal Professionals (NALS). The group grants an Alternative Learning System (ALS) Accreditation to any one who pases their four hour, three-part examination.

Last and definitely not the least are legal file clerks. These individuals can work with any type of attorneys as their duties mostly involve keeping the filing cabinets clean and organized. They make sure that all the documents are in place and updated by filing daily correspondence. They may also draft notices and letters as requested by the client. Unlike the first two mentioned, landing a job as a legal file clerk can be relatively easier. The job does not require additional education, training or certification. A few requirements for these jobs are exemplary computer skills specially with Microsoft office, maintenance of legal databases and excellent interpersonal skills. 

The pay for these regular jobs may not be as competitive as those given to freelancers. Spending eight hours or more behind a desk can also be pretty gruesome. Then again, more people are willing to overlook these disadvantages as the promise of regular pays and health care benefits are much more appealing in these times.

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