What Does a Legal Administrative Assistant Do?

Not quite sure what a legal administrative assistant is or what the job entails? Then read on.

Sometimes people confuse the job of legal administrative assistant with that of a paralegal, however, they are quite distinct. The role of a legal administrative assistant is more akin to that of an administrative assistant than a paralegal. A legal administrative assistant focuses on administrative tasks within a law office setting, whereas a paralegal has specific qualifications that enable them to undertake legal work alongside other admin duties.

There can though, be a great deal of crossover between the two positions.

Someone with paralegal experience makes a great legal administrative assistant, and likewise, a legal assistant, with the right training and qualifications, could be well suited to a job as a paralegal.

However, the focus of this article is on the duties undertaken by the legal administrative assistant only. If you’re looking for a new career, or perhaps you work as an administrative assistant and would like to pursue a more specialized role, then read on to find out more about what is involved…

The tasks of an administrative assistant, and more

A legal administrative assistant will undertake most of the duties of an administrative assistant working for a company outside of the legal profession, and then some.

If you’re already familiar with the work of an administrative assistant, you may wish to move on to the next section, but if you’re exploring opportunities across a wider range of administrative assistant positions, then you may be interested in understanding the tasks you’re likely to be asked to complete if you take on a role as an administrative assistant.

Communication is a major part of an administrative assistant’s daily routine. They answer the phone, field calls and take messages. There will also be email and postal correspondence to deal with.

An administrative assistant is likely to spend their time putting together reports, filing, organizing paperwork, and dealing with general office admin such as ordering supplies or scheduling appointments.

A good administrative assistant is someone who is extremely organized, a great multitasker and works well under pressure.

Tasks specific to legal administration

All the duties we’ve mentioned in the previous section are likely to feature heavily in the job of the legal administrative assistant, but there are some tasks that are specific to this role within the legal industry.

As a legal administrative assistant, you will be dealing with, you guessed it, legal documents. This is where the job-specific training comes in, to fully understand how to deal with such types of paperwork.

While data-protection rules and regulations are relevant wherever you work, when you work in a law office, confidentiality is incredibly important and there is no room for error.

A simple admin error, such as sending a file to the wrong person in a case, can have massive repercussions and could even cause the unlucky legal administrative assistant to lose their job, so attention to detail is even more important within this role.

You could be asked to transcribe court proceedings or take notes within meetings, so knowledge of legal terminology is a must for a legal assistant.

Legal documentation can be confusing to the uninitiated, and it is this extra knowledge that the legal administrative assistant must possess in order to succeed. Legal research could also form part of the work involved in such a position.

Do legal administrative assistants earn more than other administrative assistants?

While every position is different, on the whole, due to the more complex and specialized nature of the role, legal administrative assistants command higher salaries than administrative assistants in more general roles.

In addition, because a legal administrative assistant is required to have a certain level of legal knowledge, and many admin assistants do not have these extra skills, legal administrative assistants are in high demand and this in turn pushes the rates of pay upwards.

What qualifications do you need to become a legal administrative assistant?

Surprisingly, there is no specific requirement to have any qualifications at all in order to work as an administrative assistant.

However, as the role is rather complex, and some specialist legal skills are required, it’s rare that someone with no qualifications or experience secures such a role.

Without qualifications, your best chance of entering into this field is to gain many years of experience working as an administrative assistant outside of the legal sphere, but if you want to fast-track into a legal admin role, gaining certification in legal administration would certainly be advantageous.

How to stand out from the crowd when applying for a job as a legal administrative assistant

This is a competitive industry, and the work can be full-on. It’s likely that the employer is looking for someone who can step right into the role with minimal training.

So let’s take a look at how you can increase your chances of getting your dream job as an assistant in a law office…

Have an excellent resume

A good resume is vital if you want to make the shortlist and get to the next stage in the recruitment process.

Ensure your resume highlights all your skills and experience that are most relevant to the job you’re applying for. Keep the resume short and easy to read and check it several times to make sure it is 100% error-free.

Ensure your public image is respectable

When you’re working in a legal environment, your image needs to be squeaky clean.

Now is not the time to have an unpaid parking fine, and it might be a good idea to check back through your social media and perhaps archive any photos of drunken nights out when you were a student!

Make sure your office skills are up to date

While the focus may be on the legal aspect of the position, a great deal of the job will be the same as that of any other administrative assistant.

So if you can prove your competence with commonly used office software and equipment, you’re showing a potential employer that you can get to work straight away, and that you’re a quick learner.

Take legal administration certification

Perhaps the most beneficial way to get your resume noticed is to have a qualification that is specific to the work you’ll be doing.

Understanding legal terminology, procedures and documentation takes time, and if you already have this knowledge, that’s a huge bonus to any employer.

When you take a course in legal administration that provides you with a certificate, you have solid proof of your abilities within this specific realm, and this will be incredibly attractive to potential employers.