Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants: Career Profile
Perform secretarial duties using legal terminology, procedures, and documents. Prepare legal papers and correspondence, such as summonses, complaints, motions, and subpoenas. May also assist with legal research.
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The Daily Work of Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Take On?
The core tasks performed by legal secretaries and administrative assistants span:
- Organize and maintain law libraries, documents, and case files.
- Mail, fax, or arrange for delivery of legal correspondence to clients, witnesses, and court officials.
- Prepare and distribute invoices to bill clients or pay account expenses.
- Prepare, proofread, or process legal documents, such as summonses, subpoenas, complaints, appeals, motions, or pretrial agreements.
- Make photocopies of correspondence, documents, and other printed matter.
- Assist attorneys in collecting information such as employment, medical, and other records.
- Complete various forms, such as accident reports, trial and courtroom requests, and applications for clients.
- Receive and place telephone calls.
Key Skills and Knowledge
Successful legal secretaries and administrative assistants combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
The competencies most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Types of Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Jobs
This career also goes by job titles like:
- Accredited Legal Secretary
- Certified Legal Secretary Specialist
- Confidential Secretary
- Law Firm Administrator
- Law Office Assistant
- Law Secretary
- Legal Administrative Assistant (Legal Admin Assistant)
- Legal Administrator (Legal Admin)
How Many Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Are There?
There are about 730,280 legal secretaries and administrative assistants working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to grow by +10.5% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $55,524 |
| Hourly median | $26.69 |
| 10th percentile | $37,806 |
| 25th percentile | $46,665 |
| 75th percentile | $64,383 |
| 90th percentile | $73,242 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $101,170 |
| New York | $74,400 |
| Delaware | $63,740 |
| Maryland | $63,110 |
| Rhode Island | $61,970 |
| Connecticut | $61,440 |
| Massachusetts | $61,440 |
| California | $61,320 |
| Minnesota | $61,300 |
| New Jersey | $60,400 |
| Washington | $59,680 |
| Alaska | $59,600 |
| Illinois | $58,070 |
| Hawaii | $57,030 |
| Colorado | $56,560 |
| Michigan | $56,030 |
| Oregon | $55,590 |
| Florida | $53,790 |
| North Dakota | $53,460 |
| Nevada | $51,540 |
| Virginia | $51,010 |
| Georgia | $51,000 |
| Maine | $49,950 |
| New Hampshire | $49,880 |
| Pennsylvania | $49,330 |
| Texas | $49,150 |
| Wisconsin | $48,980 |
| Guam | $48,660 |
| Arizona | $47,990 |
| New Mexico | $47,900 |
| Nebraska | $47,770 |
| Missouri | $47,650 |
| Oklahoma | $47,440 |
| Indiana | $47,260 |
| Vermont | $47,050 |
| West Virginia | $46,940 |
| Ohio | $46,710 |
| Alabama | $46,390 |
| Virgin Islands | $46,180 |
| Utah | $46,050 |
| South Dakota | $46,020 |
| Tennessee | $44,280 |
| Mississippi | $43,830 |
| North Carolina | $43,830 |
| Montana | $43,230 |
| Wyoming | $42,590 |
| Louisiana | $42,560 |
| Idaho | $41,920 |
| Kansas | $41,640 |
| South Carolina | $39,670 |
| Arkansas | $39,400 |
| Kentucky | $38,330 |
| Puerto Rico | $32,810 |
Where Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Earn the Most
Earnings for legal secretaries and administrative assistants differ across the country. The following regions pay the most:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Atlantic | $68,180 | 19.3% | 1.45 |
| Far Western US | $60,391 | 20.1% | 1.26 |
| New England | $58,811 | 4.1% | 0.95 |
| Great Lakes | $53,157 | 13.2% | 1.07 |
| Rocky Mountains | $49,559 | 2.8% | 0.73 |
| Southwest | $48,651 | 10.2% | 0.86 |
| Southeast | $47,348 | 22.8% | 1.02 |
| Plains States | $44,700 | 5.8% | 0.88 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $106,130 | 990 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | DC | $88,600 | 2,800 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $81,210 | 2,810 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | CT | $75,620 | 530 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | NY | $74,400 | 14,530 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | CT | $73,740 | |
| North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL | FL | $67,980 | 510 |
| Manchester-Nashua, NH | NH | $67,300 | 190 |
Which Industries Hire Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
The bulk of legal secretaries and administrative assistants are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 125,840 | $53,690 |
| Finance and Insurance | 2,420 | $59,990 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 1,730 | $43,470 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 1,140 | $65,690 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 950 | $55,910 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 750 | $37,370 |
| Educational Services | 520 | $61,270 |
| Information | 350 | $74,260 |
Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants work in the following industries:
Tech Stack
- Document management software: Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Accounting software: Intuit QuickBooks (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Process mapping and design software: Microsoft Visio (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
Work Environment
The on-the-job environment of legal secretaries and administrative assistants reflects the following characteristics:
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Contact With Others
- Telephone Conversations
- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks
How to Become Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
Entry-level legal secretaries and administrative assistants positions require an associate’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Medium Preparation Needed (Job Zone 3), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Compliance Officers (Supplemental)
- Lawyers (Supplemental)
- Judicial Law Clerks (Supplemental)
- Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers (Supplemental)
- Paralegals and Legal Assistants (Primary-Short)
- Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners (Primary-Short)
- Medical Records Specialists (Primary-Long)
- Private Detectives and Investigators (Supplemental)
Top Programs to Study For This Career
Future legal secretaries and administrative assistants typically earn programs in:
Legal Professions and Studies
1 programs across 1 majors
About the Data
This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 43-6012.00 (Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants).
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