Working as a Legal Secretary involves various duties like practicing good phone etiquette and managing the schedules of senior leadership. It can be helpful for legal secretaries to create unique resumes that complement the job descriptions of the positions they're seeking. Knowing what information to include in your legal secretary resume and understanding how to format it can help obtain your desired job.In this article, we discuss important skills to include on a legal secretary resume and provide two example resumes for you to review. You may upload a resume file or build an Indeed Resume so that you can prepare your own document and apply for a position as a legal secretary.To upload the template into Google Docs, go to File > Open > and select the correct downloaded file.
5 skills to include on a legal secretary resume
Here are five skills that can be useful to include on a legal secretary resume:
1. Transcription
A Legal Secretary may be responsible for transcribing meetings and interviews of their supervisors. To succeed in this role, they can have strong transcription skills. They're often familiar with transcription software and word processing programs and have a fast typing speed. Legal secretaries also have strong proofreading skills and familiarity with legal terminology. These skills let them produce documents with accurate information that's easy to read and interpret.Related:12 Fast Typing Jobs To Consider
2. Phone etiquette
A Legal Secretary engages in communication with clients and supervisors via multiple mediums throughout their workday. Conducting phone calls is one of the most common forms of communication for legal secretaries. They make outgoing calls and answer incoming ones to schedule meetings and address client concerns. It's essential for a Legal Secretary to answer the phone in a professional manner so that they can positively represent their law firm. They can strive to answer the phone within three rings, speak clearly, implement active listening and ask the client before transferring any call.Related:How To Answer the Phone Professionally in 10 Steps
3. Organization
Legal secretaries can also benefit from having strong organizational skills. Their responsibilities may include creating schedules for supervisors and clients, and they need to ensure that the time slots don't conflict with one another. They can also optimize their clients' and supervisors' schedules to minimize downtime and promote productivity. Legal secretaries can also apply their organizational skills so that they can make copies of and send legal documents like wills, patents and affidavits to the appropriate parties.Related:Top Organizational Skills for Resumes, Interviews and Development
4. Research
A legal secretary, especially one who works in a smaller law firm, may be responsible for conducting research for attorneys. They can apply inductive and deductive reasoning, perform data analysis and study trends. Some research tasks they may perform include verifying sources, researching competing firms, gathering client information and finding expert witnesses.Related:Research Skills: Definition and Examples
5. Adaptability
As a Legal Secretary, you may experience a fast-paced work environment that's constantly changing. It's essential that this kind of professional is adaptable and flexible in their work. They need to be able to collaborate with others and work independently when necessary. They also need to be willing to accept tasks from their supervisors that may not necessarily be a part of their everyday routine, like attending trials or writing case briefs.Related:10 Key Secretarial Skills To Use in the WorkplacePlease note that none of the companies mentioned in this article are affiliated with Indeed.
