Legal Secretary in the Los Angeles, California Metropolitan Area

On the Job

On a daily basis, a legal secretary will perform secretarial duties utilizing legal terminology, procedures, and documents. The secretary also may prepare legal papers and correspondence, such as summonses, complaints, motions, and subpoenas, and assist with legal research. He will use his excellent communication and organizational skills, solid computer and typing skills, and the ability to effectively manage the calendar of busy executives. On top of all this, throughout the day one might have to answer and screen calls, maintain calendars, schedule meetings, make photocopies and send faxes, assist in the preparation of legal presentations, maintain files, prepare expense reports, assist attorneys with research projects, all a part of managing day-to-day office administration. Also, legal secretaries often teach newly minted lawyers how to prepare documents for submission to the courts. These responsibilities of a legal secretary will be very similar, no matter where one lives and works.


Salary

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual wage for a legal secretary in the Los Angeles, California area is $51,960. This breaks down to an hourly wage of almost $25. Across the nation, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in 2007 the average hourly wage for a legal secretary was $19.48 and the annual average wage was $40,556. Median annual earnings of legal secretaries were $38,190 in May 2006. The middle 50% earned between $29,650 and $48,520. The lowest 10% earned less than $23,870, and the highest 10% earned more than $58,770. Medical secretaries earned a median annual salary of $28,090 in May 2006. The middle 50% earned between $23,250 and $34,210. The lowest 10% earned less than $19,750, and the highest 10% earned more than $40,870. Salaries vary a great deal, reflecting differences in skill, experience, and level of responsibility, as well as cost of living. Certification in this field may be rewarded by a higher salary. The top paying area in the nation is Washington D.C. Almost one-fifth of secretaries work part time and many others work in temporary positions. A few participate in job-sharing arrangements, in which two people divide responsibility for a single job. The majority of secretaries and administrative assistants, however, are full-time employees who work a standard 40-hour week.

Requirements

An employer would look for many different qualifications when hiring a legal secretary. Probably first on the list is possessing excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communications skills. A close second would be the ability to take initiative, and be proactive. It is also very important to be resourceful and flexible, and be able to get work accomplished with limited supervision. To be a legal secretary, one must pay attention to detail, as well as be oriented with strong organizational skills. Professional skills of demeanor and complete confidentiality are an absolute must. Employers will demand that an individual applying for a position has the ability to set priorities, meet deadlines and follow through on projects. They must also be technologically literate including proficiency in Word, Outlook and Excel, and a fast and accurate typist. Increasingly required is extensive knowledge of software applications, such as desktop publishing, project management, spreadsheets, and database management. As a legal secretary, one will work often with other staff at all levels in a company, therefore, must be a team player. As far as schooling goes, a bachelor's or graduate degree is desired, as well as experience. Last, but certainly not least, is the need for a potential employee to possess a well-developed sense of humor. If an individual possesses many of these attributes, they would be a very good candidate for any position of a legal secretary.

Demand

In 2007, The Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of California, approximately 11,130 legal secretaries were employed. Out of all metropolitan areas in the nation, this was the largest. From this statistic, one may gather that the L.A. area would be an excellent location to search for a job as a legal secretary. Across the country, in 2007, around 266,180 legal secretaries were employed total.

Employment of secretaries and administrative assistants is expected to grow about as fast as average for all occupations, meaning it is expected to increase about 9%, between 2006 and 2016. Secretaries and administrative assistants will have among the largest numbers of new jobs arise, about 362,000 over the 2006-16 period. Additional opportunities will result from the need to replace workers who transfer to other occupations or leave this occupation. Overall, a career as a legal secretary could be a right choice, as the demand will continue to grow over the years. Los Angeles will especially be a hot spot for finding a great job, as that area fills more legal secretary positions than anywhere in America.