Office and administrative support
Legal secretaries and administrative assistants
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.
Median pay
$55,570
Growth to 2035
−5%
declining
Openings a year
18,100
Time to qualify*
6 months
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Legal secretaries and administrative assistants
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
Calculate your switch to legal secretaries and administrative assistants
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Legal secretaries and administrative assistants: 2% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- 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.
Also called: Confidential Secretary · Legal Administrative Assistant (Legal Admin Assistant) · Legal Administrator (Legal Admin) · Legal Coordinator · Legal Management Assistant · Legal Office Support Assistant · Legal Practice Assistant · Legal Secretary
Outlook and AI
Legal secretaries and administrative assistants held 157,600 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 149,300 by 2035 (−5%, declining; all jobs: +3.5%).
Productivity change - share decreases as firms increase the use of computer software, enhanced with artificial intelligence (AI) technology, to automate routine back-office functions, such as document preparation.
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