Legal Secretaries are responsible for preparing legal documents for judges, court hearings, and lawyers. These professionals may work at corporations, real estate firms, law firms, or at legal departments of insurance companies. They are required to greet clients, schedule appointments, research legal journals, answer phones, among other duties. They also maintain everything running smoothly at the lawyer´s office in order to have all documents readily available.

Legal Secretaries usually perform many of the following tasks:
• Arranging legal documents.
• Organizing hearing dates.
•   Scheduling appointments.
• Delivering documents to clients and court officials.
• Interacting with clients.

• Having high attention to details.
• Being able to compose reports.
• Having good knowledge of legal practices.
• Being able to handle individuals swiftly.
• Having typewriting skills.
• Being reliable and trustworthy.
• Having good knowledge of legal terminology.
• Being flexible.
• Having good communication skills.
• Being able to do different tasks at the same time.

Many employers require Legal Secretaries having an Associate´s Degree in Accounting, including relevant work experience in the secretarial and administrative area. Students who want to work in this sector are encouraged to take courses in court orders, laws, political practices, and legal terms. There are some schools that offer classes for administrative or accounting students that are suitable for this field. Some persons working on this industry start working at lower level positions such as receptionists at court houses or law firms and then move forward to higher level secretarial positions.

The National Association for Legal Secretaries offers the Accredited Legal Secretary Certification for professionals working on this field. This qualification is not compulsory and requires candidates having an accredited law or business course and passing an examination.