However, many of the documents they prepare must follow strict guidelines. Thus legal secretaries must know the specialized format for legal documents. For example, some pleadings must be on legal size paper while other must be on regular size. Some of the documents that legal secretaries prepare are subpoenas, complaints, and motions. Secretaries also must know how long to wait between filing certain legal documents.
Some legal secretaries read legal journals and assist with legal research.
Legal secretaries are supervised by attorneys. Legal Secretaries is in the Business, Management, and Finance Career Cluster. Worker Characteristics Good ability to check written material, such as letters, for errors in grammar or typing Good ability to coordinate the movement of eyes and hands, such as when typing Good ability to move the fingers quickly, as when paging through a file Good ability to see details and slight differences in objects Good ability to use words well when speaking or writing Ability to solve problems and make decisions Ability to move hands easily, such as when folding letters Ability to work with numbers, such as when creating billing statements Desire to help people by making the office run smoothly and efficiently Willingness to move between tasks that require different skills Legal secretaries need excellent people skills. These skills are important when dealing with angry or upset clients. Secretaries must be trustworthy because they often deal with confidential material.