What is the difference between a legal assistant and a legal secretary?

Nov 03, 2022

Written By Lawrence Topley

Legal secretaries and legal assistants are often muddled into the same job, however this is not the case. This article should help make the distinction between the two in the legal industry clearer.

What is a legal secretary?

A legal secretary manages the administrative side of the firm to ensure the office runs efficiently. They are the ‘face’ of the firm to clients and work to organise both client and solicitor matters. Many of their tasks are similar to secretaries in different fields, such as greeting clients.

What is a legal assistant?

A legal assistant supports a solicitor with their day to day work. This allows the solicitor to keep their time dedicated to technical, complex or more important tasks such as attending court. The role combines administrative tasks with legal knowledge.

Skills and Qualifications

Despite the differences in the job titles, both roles have overlapping skills. This includes communicating with clients, organising meetings and some basic legal knowledge.

Qualifications more specific to a legal assistant could be a law degree or a paralegal apprenticeship, since they are expected to support a solicitor in their work.

Meanwhile, a legal secretary might have a background in administration with a sound knowledge of computing and organisation. Due to their mainly administrative function, legal knowledge is not entirely necessary but would be treasured in the industry.

Tasks and Duties

A legal assistant may be expected to perform tasks such as:

- Drafting legal documents

- Conducting legal research

- Provide assistance to lawyers on their work, this may be highlighting legal issues or finding cases to form an argument.

- Preparing court bundles: a series of documents needed for a hearing

- Managing costs with clients and other lawyers.

- Updating clients on the work they are doing with the solicitor.

A legal secretary may be expected to perform tasks such as:

- Receiving and making phone calls

- Greeting clients

- Organising legal documents and paperwork

- Delivering or mailing paperwork to clients or other law firms

- Maintaining the online filing system

- Organising schedules and meetings between clients and lawyers

What similarities do the roles have?

Both legal assistants and legal secretaries provide support for lawyers and due to the crossover in the skills each possess, some of their duties overlap. This mainly comes in the form of drafting legal documents and communicating this to clients. In addition to this, both are expected to have organisational duties for the firm. Both are expected to prepare court bundles or legal documents.

A look into the future

The role of a legal secretary has been declining over the years as a result of two main factors. Firstly, the increased use of technology within the industry (online filing systems) has reduced the number of administrative tasks that require secretaries.

Secondly, smaller firms may hire legal assistants to perform a mixture of assistance and secretarial tasks in order to reduce costs. So if you’re thinking of either of these careers, any legal knowledge will increase your versatility and be even more valuable to employers.

Overview

Legal assistants and legal secretaries are both roles which are understandably confused due to their supportive nature in the office. However there are key differences in their tasks, qualifications and skills which separate the two. Legal secretaries work in the administration and organisation of the firm and its relationship with clients.Their skills include excellent people skills, organisation and communication.

Meanwhile legal assistants work to support lawyers carry out their work, in order to free up their time for more technical or complex matters. They require legal knowledge in order to provide legal assistance.

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