Essential Tasks of a Legal Administrative Assistant

What is a Legal Administrative Assistant?

A legal administrative assistant, also known as a legal secretary or legal administrative professional, plays a vital role in supporting the work of lawyers and other legal professionals. A legal assistant helps a law firm or lawyer effectively and efficiently handle administrative tasks in addition to assisting in all aspects of preparation for trial. Essentially a legal administrative assistant is the first point of contact for any person looking for assistance or legal representation at a law firm. This is a very important position and one that carries a considerable amount of responsibility. In addition to performing a multitude of essential office tasks including taking calls , preparing documents, maintaining files, sending correspondence and communicating with clients, they are tasked with managing the administrative aspects of a case, sometimes from the time of its inception to its conclusion.

Administrative Tasks and Responsibilities

There are several tasks that are essential to the operations of any office that a legal administrative assistant will be responsible for. Among these tasks are coordinating meetings, handling correspondence and processing invoices. All of these duties, of course, assume a law office that is financially solvent. If a law firm is unable to pay its bills, it’s unlikely there will be any need for administrative assistants.
The vast majority of legal administrative assistants will be required to coordinate meetings and appointments. This could involve organizing a meeting between lawyers and clients within the firm as well as with other firms, government agencies or expert witnesses. Many times, these meetings will be conducted outside of the office and travel arrangements will need to be made for everyone involved.
It is the responsibility of the legal administrative assistant to handle venue reservations for meetings at which clients and other parties will be present, and ensure there is a full understanding of the participants’ schedules. The assistant will use this knowledge to set the most logical meeting times possible. In addition, they should be prepared for breaks, keeping an eye on the amount of time spent in a meeting and ensuring participants have what they need when necessary.
Attorneys are responsible for a huge amount of paperwork on a daily basis, and much of this paperwork will involve correspondence with clients, opposing counsel, witnesses and other interested parties. Legal assistants can be placed in charge of organizing incoming correspondence, as well as managing the outgoing flow of documents. Managers should ensure the assistant is capable of recognizing the time-sensitive nature of many documents. They should be able to prioritize correspondence and forward time-sensitive communication to the appropriate parties for immediate review.
In addition to communications with clients, legal administrative assistants might also need to coordinate between lawyers and witnesses, organizing depositions and birth and marriage certificates as needed.
Receiving information from clients is another key duty, and could mean anything from asking clients to schedule appointments to actually taking statements. In some cases, the legal administrative assistant will review client files to determine what information is needed from the client. All information gathered during meetings should then be carefully and thoroughly recorded in the case file.

Document Assembly and Creation

One of the main tasks of a Legal Administrative Assistant is to carry out the processing and preparation of legal documents. You’ll be typing pleadings, orders, and other legal documents based on the attorney’s dictation or written instructions. Your firm’s procedures may call for you to prepare an original and as many copies as needed.
You’ll then distribute the documents to the appropriate court or agency, or to your firm’s clients. A typical task in editing documents is to review a document for grammar, spelling, and typographical errors. Some documents must be filed with the court and require a cover sheet and a filing fee. The documents must be filed to meet strict court deadlines. Many legal assistants are responsible for managing the filing systems that store legal documents, correspondence, and other important papers. Law firms often use a record management system to file records and manage them by using a computer database. Keeping accurate records of all filings, communications with clients, and appointments is essential. Law firms frequently use an electronic calendaring system to keep track of appointments, deadlines, and court appearances. For example, you may be responsible for processing all incoming mail or email that should be reviewed by the attorney. However, personal mail should be returned to the attorney unopened. All information contained in the firm’s files is confidential and should be safeguarded diligently.

Interacting and Communicating with Clients

A large part of this assistant’s job involves interfacing with clients. Sometimes all that might be required is a quick phone call or email to clear up an issue. More often than not, however, information must be obtained from the client. This could be for something as simple as the spelling of a name or as complicated as completing a lengthy intake interview regarding a matter for which the client is seeking legal assistance. Even a simple request for information requires the legal administrative assistant to be aware of the level of knowledge the client has about their own matter. For example, if the client is unfamiliar with the particulars, the administrative assistant should closely attune themselves to the client’s needs, guiding them through the information sought while giving them a complete understanding of their request. Conversely, if the client is intimately involved in an issue, the legal administrative assistant should be equally as aware, limiting the amount of "coaching" they do and allowing the client to lead the way.
It is important for the legal administrative assistant to have a good grasp of the information that is needed, what is already known about a case and who, if anyone, has dealt or is dealing with the client. Once the information is obtained, it needs to be transcribed accurately, and then communicated to the firm’s attorney in a clear, concise and thorough manner.
Many times, clients will want status updates on their matters. When providing these updates, the legal administrative assistant should take into consideration the sensitivity of the information which makes the communication required to be given at the client’s level of sophistication. Again, if the client does not understand the precise legal terminology, the legal administrative assistant should be prepared to explain the concepts. If no explanation is provided, what is known to the legal administrative assistant can get lost in translation, as the information may be understood by the attorney after which the client interprets the attorney’s explanation in a way which it was never intended, causing unnecessary problems and frustration for all parties involved.
The bottom line is that the legal administrative assistant needs to be ever mindful of where the client is coming from. This will greatly increase the chances for success in client communications and interactions. Both client and attorney will be able to proceed forward in whatever matter is before them and time and money will not be wasted attempting to "red-flag" an unanticipated problem.

Research and Information Collection

Essential Duties of a Legal Administrative Assistant (Continued)
Research and Information Gathering
There may be no job that leverages and calls upon all your legal skills and abilities more than that of legal research. Performing research duties is the hallmark of the "Law" in your title, and may take precedence over other duties or delegated projects. The activity can be as straightforward as dialing a clerk’s office to ascertain procedural steps, or as nuanced as interpreting legal precedent. It may even involve combing through internet sources or records of other legal matters to formulate a new and solid argument for your current matter. Research covers every area of the law; it’s not just for seasoned litigators. Your particular practice may require you to hone in on specific cases and regulations, and stay abreast of pertinent laws or rules to enhance your clients’ interests. In any case , be sure to scour the internet for the best and most current resources. This might include court records, laws, and legislation. Lawyers will likely request you to gather both public and confidential information. Fulfilling this function requires careful monitoring of deadlines, and obtaining and reviewing all required documents with accuracy. Research demand strong organizational skills so that pertinent information may be retrieved quickly whenever needed. Consultation with the general public will be a key task; some of the sensitive information you secure may be damaging to a particular named individual in the course of gathering all points of view. Maintaining confidentiality of information will be of utmost importance, and professional judgment will be required daily. Your legal acumen will afford valuable insights and opinions needed for collaboration with lawyers and the judiciary. Your research skills will be regularly used to provide factual data as well as opinions or interpretations of the law.

Utilizing Technology and Software

Depending on the size of the law firm, a legal administrative assistant may use numerous programs, including document management software to track changes in documents and emails or convert documents from various formats. Legal administrative assistants also utilize software for case management, which may include contact records, billable hours, discovery deadlines and other important litigation information that needs to be shared among team members.
Most lawyers rely on this type of case management software, since it keeps them more organized than paper files ever could, provides the ability to go paperless, and tracks deadlines much more reliably. Not only does this help ensure that important actions are not missed, but also that every hour billed is tracked. And, with both electronic billing and timekeeping programs, an attorney can review his or her own time as well as those of others in order to bill clients most accurately and track timekeeping performance, so they get paid what they deserve and are not ‘leaving money on the table.’ Speaking of money, billing and timekeeping programs also allow lawyers to get more insight into their bank accounts.

Skills and Requirements

An individual seeking to be a successful legal administrative assistant must possess both fundamental skills and qualifications. These assets include:
A legal administrative assistant has various tasks and responsibilities to help their employer complete projects and adhere to deadlines. A legal administrative assistant must have the ability to organize paperwork, files, and documents at all times. Most employers will provide a prospective employee with an example of the filing system they utilize and what is expected of an employee.
A legal administrative assistant should be able to properly answer incoming phone calls, while also being able to manage their time and duties effectively. This means that an employee needs to have both effective time management skills, as well as having the ability to identify outgoing calls that need to be returned during business hours.
A legal administrative must be aware of all policies that a firm has in place. They need to be familiar with the policies of the firm they work for, such as the full-time policy, lunch policy, break policy, and sick and vacation day policies. They also need to be actively aware of the locations of photocopiers and printing materials , such as paper and ink, in order to complete the tasks that they are assigned.
A legal administrative assistant must also develop superior communication skills. It is vital for the administrative assistant to be able to effectively communicate to others who work in the office, as well as know how to effectively communicate with clients both over the phone and in person. When communicating with a client, the administrative assistant must be able to relay messages to their attorneys, as well as provide information as requested.
An administrative assistant should have computer proficiency. They will be expected to have knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Employees should also have the ability to create and edit templates, as well as create, edit, and convert PDFs, and create graphics and charts.
Legal administrative assistants are typically required to have at least a high school diploma, although most firms and employers seek those who have completed some form of post-secondary education. The industry is trending towards a preference for those with an Associate’s Degree, although applicants with only their high school diploma will still be considered.