Legal secretaries perform a variety of secretarial and administrative duties in law offices, the legal departments of large organizations, courts, real estate companies, insurance companies and land title offices.

Duties and responsibilities vary from one organization to another but, in general, legal secretaries:

• use word processing, spreadsheet, database or presentation software to prepare correspondence and legal documents such as deeds, wills, mortgages, contracts, statutory declarations, affidavits, motions and briefs
• answer the telephone, schedule appointments and meetings, greet visitors and handle administrative and business details
• set up and maintain records management systems (including classifying and coding electronic and hardcopy files)
• transcribe meeting agendas and minutes from voice recordings or handwritten notes
• open correspondence (including faxes and e-mail), co-ordinate the flow of information and respond to routine inquiries
• review and proofread outgoing documents to ensure they are correct and comply with legal proceedures
• access and use online legal resources
• operate sophisticated office equipment such as voice mail messaging systems, photocopying machines and computer scanning equipment
• handle routine accounting procedures
• perform general office duties as required
• may attend court or conferences to take notes, minutes and dictation.

Legal secretaries often are called legal assistants. With experience, their duties and responsibilities may overlap with those of paralegals (for more information, see the Paralegal occupational profile).

Legal secretaries work in fast-paced office environments. They usually work standard office hours but overtime may be required to meet deadlines.

Employers require legal secretaries to be computer literate and have fast, accurate keyboarding skills. Some require a typing speed of 60 words a minute. A post-secondary certificate or diploma in office administration, Internet literacy and familiarity with legal vocabulary are definite assets.

In Alberta, many colleges, technical institutes and private vocational schools offer secretarial and office administration programs. For a listing, see the Administrative Assistant occupational profile. The following institutions offer programs specifically for administrative assistants in legal offices.

• Academy of Learning in Edmonton offers a 46 week Legal Administrative Assistant program. The entrance requirement is a high school diploma with Grade 12 English and Grade 11 math, or equivalent.
• Bow Valley College in Calgary offers a two year Legal Assistant diploma program and a part-time Legal Administrative Assistant program that includes nine courses (21 hours each). The entrance requirement for the diploma program is a high school diploma with English 30-2 and Grade 10 math, or equivalent.
• The CDI College of Business, Technology and Healthcare, a private vocational school located in Calgary and Edmonton, offers a 54 week Professional Legal Assistant program. The entrance requirement is a high school diploma or equivalent.
• Choice College in Spruce Grove offers a 25 week Legal Office Assistant program. The entrance requirement is a high school diploma with Grade 12 English and Math 10 (or any Grade 11 math), or equivalent.  
• Grande Prairie Regional College offers a two year Legal Secretary Specialist diploma program. The entrance requirement is a high school diploma or equivalent with Grade 12 English and Grade 11 math. The College also offers a one year Intensive Legal Secreatry program for applicants who have relevant, comprehensive work experience or post-secondary training.
• Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton offers a two year Legal Assistant diploma program. The entrance requirement is a high school diploma or equivalent. Entrance requirements include a high school diploma or equivalent with English Language Arts 30-1 or 30-2, and a keyboard entrance test (30 words per minute or better).  Grant MacEwan College also offers a one year Office Assistant certificate program with a legal specialty.
• Red Deer College offers a two year Legal Assistant diploma program. The entrance requirement is a high school diploma or equivalent. 
• Reeves College in Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge and Lloydminster offers a 43 week Legal Administrative Assistant program. The entrance requirement is a high school diploma with a Grade 12 English and a Grade 10 math, or equivalent.
• Robertson College, a private vocational school in Calgary, offers a 32 week Legal Administrative Assistant program. The entrance requirement is a high school diploma with a Grade 12 English, or equivalent. 
• The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) in Calgary offers a two year Legal Assistant diploma program. The entrance requirement is a high school diploma or equivalent with English Language Arts 30-1 or 30-2. SAIT also offers this program through Continuing Education. 

Continuing education programs may be offered on an as needed basis.

For current information about programs and mature student admission policies, please check post-secondary calendars or websites.

Prospective students should investigate the suitability and reputation of training programs with employers before enrolling in a program. For information about related two year diploma programs, see the Paralegal occupational profile.

The Legal Education Society of Alberta (LESA) offers professional development courses for legal support staff.

Legal secretaries are employed by:

• legal firms
• the legal departments of large corporations
• real estate companies
• insurance companies 
• municipal, provincial and federal courts
• related government departments and agencies (for example, land title offices).

In large organizations, experienced legal secretaries may advance to supervisory positions.

In Alberta, 79 per cent of people employed as legal secretaries work in the Professional, Scientific and Technical Services industry.

The employment outlook in this occupation will be influenced by a wide variety of factors including:

• trends and events affecting overall employment (especially in the Professional, Scientific and Technical Services industry)
• location in Alberta
• employment turnover (work opportunities generated by people leaving existing positions)
• occupational growth (work opportunities resulting from the creation of new positions that never existed before)
• size of the occupation.

Employment turnover is expected to increase as members of the baby boom generation retire over the next ten years.

According to the 2009 Alberta Wage and Salary Survey, Albertans in the Legal Secretaries occupational group earned from $14.00 to $55.65 an hour. The average wage was $22.64 an hour.

For more detailed information, see WAGEinfo.

Post-secondary institution calendars and websites (see Educational Requirements above)

EDinfo website: www.alis.alberta.ca/edinfo

Legal Education Society of Alberta (LESA) website: www.lesa.org