Related Posts
Bowl Leader
Rising Star
Additional Posts in Ask A Recruiter - Law
What distinguishes a good recruiter?
New to Fishbowl?
Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
That was just a preview…
Sign Up to see all discussions
Sign Up to see all discussions
- Discover what it’s like to work at companies from real professionals
- Get candid advice from people in your field in a safe space
- Chat and network with other professionals in your field
Sign up in seconds to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
"" is an unusual email domain. If correct, please proceed to the next step
Messaging rates may apply
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
New to Fishbowl?
Download the Fishbowl app to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
Share
Embed this post
Copy and paste embed code on your site
Preview
Download the
Fishbowl app
Scan your QR code to download
Fishbowl app on your mobile
Sign up for free to view this conversation on Fishbowl
Sign up for free to continue using Fishbowl
Messaging rates may apply
Yes- most administrative positions don’t require a formal paralegal certificate (though it may help).
Yes, I started out as a legal secretary before finishing my undergraduate degree.
Absolutely. I started out with zero experience. Sadly, the places I worked for had awful people who wanted to help me as little as possible. But I learned on my own with each new place, and now 15 years later, I feel pretty knowledgeable about procedures and what I need to do. Win ‘em with your personality, motivation, and willingness to learn and work hard. Someone will take a chance on you like they did with me. Good luck!!
You bet. Only attorneys need law school, though a paralegal certificate would be helpful. A good legal secretary primarily needs good wordprocessing, organizational, telephone and people skills.
A good legal secretary also needs an iron constitution, kevlar skin and titanium nerves to deal with the wide variety of demanding attorney personalities s/he will likely encounter.
In small firms I’ve worked for, most of the admins had no formal legal education.
Without any legal knowledge, a firm must be willing to take the time to train you. My first legal job was with the Federal prosecutor's office and I didn't have previous legal experience. Sometimes it is whether you fit the culture and the vibe of the office too.
Absolutely! Its the best way to get your foot through the door.
Yes you can apply for any legal secretary position
100% yes
I came in from a leasing administrator position (completely unrelated field) to my law firm, as a legal assistant. No law knowledge upon starting. Within two years I was promoted to paralegal. No certificate. Yes it is highly possible especially if you are a go getter and a super quick study. Fitting the firms culture as someone else here stated is also a extremely appealing trait to small firms. Don’t give up and good luck!
Sure! I started as a paralegal before law school with zero formal training. It’s just a matter of being willing to learn and work hard and having an employer who sees your potential.
Absolutely.
yes they can
of course. it’s an administrative job at the end of the day, not a legal one.
I’ll be honest this does not ring true in any capacity for the “legal secretary” I’m used to. Apart from giving legal advice directly to the client, I use mine as a legal practice specialist to do everything that I could do for the client but obviously at a rate that is free to the client. This is just me being honest. I have noticed the older Legal assistance or legal secretaries tend to be just administrative secretaries for the most part, but nobody now uses these positions for strictly admin work unless they don’t trust this employee. And if they don’t trust this employee, that employee shouldn’t expect to be around for long. It’s absolutely imperative for those who work at the firms that I’ve been with to know how to draft a reply brief and create a table of authorities and find cases in Westlaw applicable to whatever they’re we are working on. mandatory court procedural knowledge is also required. They are expected to know how to e-file not just state court, but federally and all the way up to the Supreme Court level. if they’re looking for an administrative job, they should apply to be a receptionist and try to work their way up, but not at a big law firm. I also suggested they start at a very small firm where they can get a couple years of hands-on training with the attorney they support or whatever and then maybe a paralegal certificate as well. In big law these days? You’re not going make it if you have no legal experience and frankly, I find it insulting to the people who basically run my firm for me being called purely “administrative” and “not legal.”
I would say aim for smaller firms or boutique law firms. You’ll get a lot of one on one direct training with the attorney/attorneys and then after 3 years or so of that or 3 years or so + a paralegal certification, you would probably do quite well in big law!