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Legal Secretary Resume Examples: 5 Best Samples & Why They Work

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Are you finding it challenging to create a legal secretary resume that stands out in the crowd?

You’re not alone. Many resumes don’t even make it to a human reader. A sizeable administrative workforce competes for every job opening at the entry-level and higher experienced positions.

If you’re struggling to land a legal secretary interview, we’ve rigorously tested five different templates in a variety of scenarios.

The templates include government legal secretary, executive legal secretary, and personal injury legal secretary positions, so you can use them for inspiration to write the perfect resume and get your dream job.

Legal Secretary Job Description

As the name implies, professionals referred to as legal secretaries typically perform as assistants to lawyers and attorneys.

The new generation legal secretaries are assigned with across-the-board administrative jobs involving file maintenance by indexing them in systems and drafting and preparing briefs on legal proceedings like motions or appeals; whereas basic communication with clients, scheduling appointments, or arranging in house or client meetings are the major tasks of a legal secretary.

To prepare legal documentations or trial papers effectively, they commonly require undergoing an internet search, studying earlier legal case events, and need researching law books.

Activities like gathering evidence for hearings, drafting settlement papers, preparation of minutes of meetings, or interfacing with witnesses may be included in a legal secretary’s job description.

The fast growing kinds of legal complications now require legal secretaries to specialize in areas of personal injury, family law and divorce, bankruptcy, criminal law, corporate law, immigration, and so on.

Following are some tips to prepare your resume for a legal secretary.

Some Tips on Writing the Legal Secretary Resume

  • The resume should contain your objective at the forefront. This must be unambiguous, precise, and appealing to your employer.
  • Whether you are expert in general litigation matters or have undergone a specialization course in the areas like family law and divorce or criminal law, focus on the same, without fail.
  • Computer knowledge and expertise in the English language have become essential to enter in this profession. Therefore, briefly explain your skill in computers, including MS office and file maintenance while highlighting on expertise in documentation and preparing of briefs.
  • Experience in the industry is a major parameter that attracts your employers and makes them choose your resume. Hence, define the exposure array concisely covering all major points in an organized way.
  • Mention your educational background, the year of passing, and name of the institute or university.

Legal Secretary Resume Examples

Taking your resume from dull to stand out may be as simple as changing a few words or boasting about your past experiences.

These resume samples and templates span various legal secretary jobs and show how you can use previous experience to fill gaps in your resume and impress future employers.

Read on for tips on crafting a better resume and plenty of templates, whether entering the legal workforce for the first time or changing specialties.

General Example of Legal Assistant Resume

Phyllis J. Blackburn
XX Woodland Drive, Storm Lake, IA 50588
(000) 014-0000, [email protected]


Objective
To make the best use of my skills and expertise by assisting the top notch lawyers and attorneys or joining a reputed law firm to expand my expertise level and add-on to my career prospect with this growing industry. Being an associate of a legal firm, I will attain a vast scope to accompany social victims and support them in obtaining justice.

Skills

  • Specialized knowledge about family law and personal injury.
  • Excellent knowledge in speaking and writing English; expert in drafting legal briefs.
  • Gathered high class knowledge in investigation of case matters through ample research of the mode of case and studying internet resources.
  • Knowledge in computer operations, including MS Office.
  • High communication skills, administrative knowledge, and capable to guide clients as per suggestion of my seniors.

Experience

Legal Secretary (Personal Injury, Family Law and Criminal Lawyer)
Michel & Warren, Abbeville, Alabama
2012 – Present

  • Involved in comprehensive research and investigation of the fact file concerning the case.
  • Corresponding with Individual and Corporate clients through e-mail, as per instruction of my senior, depending upon the depth of the case. Especially linked to divorce with child custody, criminal defense, or disputed personal injury matters.
  • Arranging client-lawyer meetings, noting of minutes, and recording them with official coding.
  • Preparing reports in detail to assist lawyers in presenting appeals and trials; as per guidance, prepared motions and briefs, handled exhibits, reviewed trial records.
  • Administrative jobs.

Legal Assistant
Morrison & Associates, Adamsville, Alabama
2010 – 2012

  • Communication with clients over phone and email, scheduled appoints, informed on proceeding status.
  • Maintenance of files, records, and documents in systems; updating records of ongoing court cases with full information about next date of hearing, name of concerned advocate, etc.
  • Took dictation for preparing legal drafts and hearings; arranged meetings between evidence clients with lawyer.

Education

Certificate in Legal Assistant
AND Law Institute (2010)

Bachelor’s Degree in Law
University of California (2008)

Legal Secretary Resume Sample

Download Legal Secretary Resume Template

Entry-Level Legal Secretary Resume Example

Entry-level positions are jobs that any job seeker can obtain without specific experience with that job title. The resume instead showcases relevant but broad expertise in hopes of securing a position that will give particular experience in return.

Entry-Level Legal Secretary Resume Example

Why We Suggest this Resume

This resume highlights transferable skills from the applicant's past jobs to match the entry-level legal secretary job description. It also showcases a lot of secretary experience in a different industry.

  • Type of Resume: Entry-Level Legal Secretary Resume Example
  • Best For: Secretaries who want to work in the legal industry
graphic showing entry level legal secretary resume example

Objective

To obtain a position as a junior legal secretary, using commercial business knowledge, passion for customer service, and administrative assistant skills. Committed to a high degree of accuracy in both data entry and document processing with an eye for detail.

Work Experience 1: Secretary, Long Time Drivin’ Long Haul Trucking, Los Angeles, CA | December 2022 – Present

  • Maintained the CEO’s and CFO’s electronic and paper calendars by booking, scheduling, and following up on monthly meetings, arranging travel, and ensuring conference attendance.
  • Reviewed staff meeting minutes and documents each week in preparation for the upcoming meeting, making changes and updating documentation where necessary.
  • Drafted, composed, and revised all company letters, emails, and transcripts to maintain and uphold the company brand.
  • Devised and organized all driver information in bespoke database software for maximum efficiency.
  • Greeted and welcomed drivers and other contractors when they came to the head office or over the phone, answering questions and directing the rest to the appropriate department.

Work Experience 2: Driver Assistant, Long Time Drivin’ Long Haul Trucking, Los Angeles, CA | August 2019 – November 2022

  • Answered 8-line switchboard and directed calls to relevant drivers while maintaining low call and wait times.
  • Assisted drivers with loading, organizing, and unloading their trucks at the dock, covering for drivers needing a break.
  • Created spreadsheets, forms, and documents to assist drivers in their daily signing in and out, as well as devising filing and retrieval systems for completed documents.
  • Ordered office supplies, maintained stock levels, and evaluated the useability of new products.
  • Collected and tallied time cards that were then presented to the company accountant at the end of each pay period for input and payment.

Project Experience

  • Entered and maintained data for 50+ long-haul drivers as part of the contractor database.
  • Planned and organized an annual meeting for a 20-person conference.
  • Developed three new supplier relationships from cold calls.

Skills

  • Meeting planning
  • Documentation
  • Organization and time management
  • Client and customer relations
  • Multi-line telephone system

Education

  • Abraham Lincoln University, Los Angeles, CA – Associate of Science Paralegal Studies | 2022
  • California High School, San Ramon, CA – High School Graduate | 2018

Licenses & Accreditations

  • Member of Los Angeles County Secretarial Council (LACSC)
  • Certified typist for 70 words per minute
  • Certified for American Red Cross CPR/AED course

Why This Resume Works

Entry-level legal secretary positions are often looking for skills transferable from past jobs to the current opening rather than experience. These hard and soft skills will make the person a good fit in the new job and allow them to learn new skills quickly.

Although this person doesn’t have any formal legal secretary experience, they can showcase a lot of secretary experience in a different industry.

This office work experience at a long haul truck driving company is combined with the formal education in paralegal studies, showing they will be able to understand and work with more complex legal jargon while learning the tasks the job requires of them.

Experienced Legal Secretary Resume Example

Rather than broad experience, the experienced legal secretary’s resume shows that the job seeker has specific experience using that job title or one that is very closely related. It proves the person can do the job, gives detailed examples, and lists the outcome of their efforts.

Experienced Legal Secretary Resume Example

Why We Suggest this Resume

This resume focuses on the job seeker’s work experience, showing they can handle many situations working with the public and liaisoning with lawyers. It also showcases that the applicant is well-rounded in administrative and support skills.

  • Type of Resume: Experienced Legal Secretary Resume Example
  • Best For: Secretaries with experience in the legal industry
graphic showing experienced legal secretary resume example

Objective

To secure a position with an energetic law firm that can use over 18 years of experience in a legal administrative and supervisory role. Capable of working in a bilingual office with Spanish fluency.

Work Experience 1: Senior Legal Secretary, Smith & Smith Law Firm, Los Angeles, CA | February 2010 – Present

  • Served as a lead administrative assistant in the firm, acting as the point of contact for an administrative department of 19 people and specialist in worker’s compensation law.
  • Supported six full-time attorneys, including three senior partners, in day-to-day operations.
  • Screened and answered regular postal and electronic mail and sorted all incoming legal documents related to active cases and litigation.
  • Supervised five file clerks and four floating secretaries, distributing daily briefings and adjusting workloads as necessary.
  • Maintained travel and appointment calendars of attornies and built work schedules for the administrative team, taking vacation time and personal leave into consideration.

Work Experience 2: Legal Secretary, Uptown Law Firm, Rochester, NY | June 2005 – February 2010

  • Hired as a floating secretary in a law firm of ten full-time attornies and fifteen support staff to support all staff.
  • Drafted and edited legal documents, including business correspondence, memoranda, and pleadings from court and attorney notes.
  • Assisted in the training of new legal secretaries and developed the onboarding process
  • Collected necessary client information, including employment records, and assigned appropriate billing time.
  • Managed daily office operations, such as petty cash account, office events, and upkeep of client-facing areas.

Project Experience

  • Developed onboarding process for newly hired administrative staff and created all documentation guidelines for future use.
  • Drafted client information packages for attorney approval.
  • Led holiday party planning for over 100 employees, advised bonus distribution, and award nominations.

Skills

  • Legal research and terminology
  • Word processing, including long-form contracts
  • Bilingual in English and Spanish
  • Records management
  • Proficient in MS Office and Clio, case management software

Education

  • University of Rochester, Rochester, NY – Bachelor’s of Business – Honors | 2003
  • Monroe Community College, Rochester, NY – Paralegal Studies Certificate | 2005

Licenses & Accreditations

  • Notary Public
  • SafeServ Certification
  • Microsoft Office Specialist certification

Why This Resume Works

This resume focuses on the job seeker’s work experience, showing they can handle many situations working with the public and liaisoning with lawyers.

It showcases an employee who is well-rounded in administrative and support skills, speaks Spanish and English, and can support partners and junior lawyers in their daily work.

While an experienced legal secretary may not require supervisory qualifications, it draws attention to past supervisory duties, detailing how many people were supervised and the workload they could uphold in addition to managing others.

The resume also identifies a field of expertise and interest (worker’s compensation) as an added touch.

Government Legal Secretary Resume Example

This resume is for a specific specialization where the legal secretary works for lawyers that address litigation from or against the government.

The role may support a US attorney or other federal law employee and require a tailored list of skills, such as government contracts.

Government Legal Secretary Resume Example

Why We Suggest this Resume

This resume is great because it showcases a small amount of directly related experience in a government organization but features more experience in a legal environment working with computers.

  • Type of Resume: Government Legal Secretary Resume Example
  • Best For: Secretaries applying for government legal secretarial jobs
graphic showing government legal secretary resume example

Objective

Seeking a government legal secretary position within the federal legal department that prioritizes administrative and technical support. Experienced in word processing, clerical duties, and a high degree of discretion and confidentiality.   

Work Experience 1: Legal Secretary (Litigation Support), Department of Justice, Washington, DC | June 2019 – April 2021

  • Prepared trial-related documents such as discovery letters, jury instructions, lists of exhibits, and subpoenas while ensuring compliance with the Federal Rules of Evidence and Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.
  • Instructed new hires on the use of customized software
  • Supported new attorneys and those with a heavy workload
  • Analyzed trial data for omissions upon request
  • Completed routine litigation support assignments such as trial organization

Work Experience 2: Information Technology Specialist, River Law Firm, Washington, DC | September 2015 – January 2019

  • Prepared monthly reports on computer repairs, outages, and security concerns for management
  • Repaired computer software and hardware issues on time, replacing items where necessary.
  • Maintained inventory of obsolete and replacement computer parts and supplies.
  • Performed essential clerical duties to assist administrative staff, like document outlining.
  • Developed and implemented cybersecurity programs on all staff computers company-wide.

Project Experience

  • Led quarterly cybersecurity seminars for 75 employees to enhance the security of the firm
  • Updated the software of 200 internet-connected devices every month to ensure the latest firmware had been installed
  • Developed software to detect keylogging 

Skills

  • Microsoft Office suite of programs (Word, Access, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook)
  • Proficient in Trial Director, Case Map, Eclipse, Concordance
  • Organization and decision-making
  • High level of attention to detail
  • Stress-tolerant and self-managing

Education

  • American University, Washington DC – Masters of Computer Science | 2014
  • American University, Washington DC – Bachelor’s of Computer Science, minor in Cybersecurity | 2013

Licenses & Accreditations

  • Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE) certification
  • Microsoft Office Specialist Associate certification

Why This Resume Works

This resume showcases a small amount of directly related experience in a government organization but features more experience in a legal environment working with computers.

While the job seeker doesn’t have formal legal secretary education or experience, they have all the necessary skills to make up that job description.

The field of cybersecurity bridges the gap between computer science and law. It indicates why a computer science major may want to change careers and pursue a government legal secretary position.

Although the government legal secretary position can be an entry-level position, some higher security-level jobs require a Master’s level of education.

Personal Injury Legal Secretary Resume Example

This resume focuses on a specific type of law firm and supports a particular kind of lawyer. The resume is directed at an entry-level position, although a job seeker could use additional experience for a more senior-level secretary position.  

Personal Injury Legal Secretary Resume Example

Why We Suggest this Resume

This resume is excellent because it shows that the applicant has the required skills that qualify them for this job position. Personal injury law combines medicine and law, this resume showcases an understanding of both.

  • Type of Resume: Personal Injury Legal Secretary Resume Example
  • Best For: Those applying for personal injury legal secretary jobs
graphic showing personal injury legal secretary resume example

Objective

Experienced secretary seeking a personal injury legal secretary position to leverage law and medical expertise. Capable of thriving in both customer service and professional support positions.

Work Experience 1: Medical Secretary, East Family Practice, Danvers, MA | October 2017 – May 2022

  • Maintained patient records on paper and electronic, regularly updating and verifying information.
  • Gathered and entered patient insurance information before appointments
  • Answered patient inquiries regarding health services and insurance procedures
  • Organized practice appointments and kept calendars for physicians on staff.
  • Reviewed client operations monthly and reduced supply costs by 8% through automated supply purchasing.

Work Experience 2: Legal Secretary, Mary White Real Estate, Boston, MA | September 2015 – August 2017

  • Arranged viewings, scheduled open houses, and maintained professional calendars for seven real estate agents.
  • Reduced costs by 12% by streamlining first bid application paperwork reducing forms from five to three pages.
  • Supplied real estate agents with customer background information to allow them to provide better customer service.
  • Answered phones and responded to emails regarding home availability
  • Acted as the representative and key contact for the law department in company meetings reporting back to law associates with pertinent information.

Project Experience

  • Created medical brochures with answers to frequently asked questions to reduce waiting time due to common patient questions.
  • Developed contract procedures to reduce the time a lawyer must be present while still following state rules and regulations.

Skills

  • Customer service
  • Legal and medical terminology
  • Transcription
  • Drafting, proofing, and document creation
  • Research and investigation

Education

  • North Shore Community College, Danvers MA – Medical Administrative Assistant | 2016
  • University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston MA – Bachelor of Arts in Communication | 2013

Licenses & Accreditations

  • Certified Administrative Professional (CAP)
  • Organizational Management (OM) certificate
  • Advanced First Aid certificate

Why This Resume Works

Without experience as a legal secretary for a personal injury law firm, the job seeker has to show that they have the required skills that would position would detail picked up from other job positions.

You can discover these skills through simple research into the field, and the work firms do for the public.

Personal injury law combines medicine and law, so a legal secretary’s resume that showcases an understanding of both. It includes medical terminology, how medical facilities operate, and legal processes that can be beneficial to demonstrate that understanding.

To further emphasize their ability to assist personal injury clients, the education and certification sections show that the person has been tested on the necessary knowledge of how to organize and run an office professionally.

Executive Legal Secretary Resume Example

Executive legal secretaries focus on supporting attorneys, often the senior partners of a law firm, as personal assistants taking on administrative tasks and the daily running of the business.

Executive Legal Secretary Resume Example

Why We Suggest this Resume

This resume is great because it focuses on all the legal secretary experience the job seeker has gained throughout their career, including the accumulated support experience for corporate partners.

  • Type of Resume: Executive Legal Secretary Resume Example
  • Best For: Secretaries with extensive experience in the legal industry
graphic showing executive legal secretary resume example

Objective:

To take advantage of my extensive legal experience to find a position that allows me to display my knowledge and leadership skills.

Work Experience 1: Executive Legal Secretary, 12 Alpha LLP, Madison, WI | April 2021 – Present

  • Coordinated and arranged travel arrangements with managing partners to ensure adequate coverage.
  • Calculated and reported billable hours of all eligible attorneys to the accounting department.
  • Reviewed and revised client files, ongoing case files, pleas, and motions.
  • Maintained a medium-sized law firm and provided full administrative support for two corporate partners.
  • Supervised 11 administrative staff members and instructed the onboarding of new hires.

Work Experience 2: Legal Secretary, Rainbow Beta Corp, Madison, WI | November 2016 – December 2020

  • Reserved conference rooms for internal and incoming meetings, resetting and replenishing them as necessary.
  • Responsible for all physical mail, including sorting, distribution, and answering business-related inquiries.
  • Transcribed correspondence, telephone calls, and recorded meetings for inclusion in client files or as part of ongoing proceedings.
  • Reduced non-billable hours and increased attorney’s available hours by collecting client’s background information and completing applicable paperwork.
  • Maintained inventory control by recording stock levels and being the point of contact for ordering.

Project Experience

  • Rebuilt company database and reorganized clients into optimal structures for easier management.

Skills

  • Transcription
  • Word processing and data entry
  • Calendar optimization
  • High level of discretion
  • Attention to detail

Education

  • University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI – Accounting Certificate | 2020
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI – Bachelor of Arts, Legal Studies | 2016

Licenses & Accreditations

  • Certified Professional Secretary (CPS)
  • Certified Travel Associate (CTA)

Why This Resume Works

Executive legal secretaries are usually not entry-level positions; they’re positions of trust that require years of experience working with partners to understand their needs.

Showcasing previous experience as a legal secretary in other disciplines can be beneficial to demonstrate that trust if there is a lack of formal executive experience.

This resume focuses on all the legal secretary experience the job seeker has gained throughout their career, including the accumulated support experience for corporate partners that the job seeker has achieved throughout their experience as a legal secretary.

Some executive experience, such as travel arranging, calendar support, and personal assistant skills, are detailed as they are critical aspects of being an executive legal secretary.

Common Skills & Action Verbs to Include On a Legal Secretary Resume

Many employers use applicant tracking software (ATS) as part of their hiring systems to track candidates and potential hires throughout the job application process and to reduce the number of applicants they need to call for interviews.

This includes the ability to scan and screen resumes before they reach a hiring manager and weed out the unqualified. Resumes lacking the necessary keywords are not ‘optimized,’ and ATS may not choose them.

Optimizing a resume means ensuring common and industry-specific words appear on the resume. This can prevent it from being eliminated in the first round of electronic checks. Don’t stuff the resume full of common words so it reads naturally in later rounds.

Read on for common verbs to list on a resume and skills that can be beneficial in describing past job experience.

Common Skills for Legal Secretary Resumes

  • Communication
  • Proofing and Editing
  • Microsoft Office
  • Transcription of phone calls
  • Records management
  • Stress tolerance
  • Organization
  • Teamwork
  • Prioritization
  • Data entry
  • Filing
  • Independence
  • Research
  • Attention to detail
  • Customer service
  • Adaptability in a variety of situations
  • Trial and court preparation
  • Document creation
  • Digital file organization systems
  • Google products

Common Action Verbs for Legal Secretary Resumes

  • Trained
  • Prepared
  • Organized
  • Reduced
  • Created
  • Developed
  • Edited
  • Supported
  • Managed
  • Researched
  • Reviewed
  • Coordinated
  • Drafted
  • Maintained

Tips for Writing a Better Legal Secretary Resume

Writing a resume is a skill that comes with practice, but some tips can help to make it easier to create a document that showcases your experience.

Stay concise and include only the information relevant to that job posting. This will help increase the page’s white space and make it easier to scan.

Give Specific Work Experience Examples

Each section of your work experience should highlight what skills you possess and how you made a difference at a previous place of employment.

Specific examples will also show potential employers what you can do for them. When possible, quantify your experience using statistics to highlight cost or time reductions and if your actions had a positive impact.  

Giving specific details can also help your resume stand out among many other resumes with similar experience.

If you regularly drafted contracts for a lawyer, what makes that stand out?

Did you draft contracts for three different partners with different document requirements?

If you developed a niche for a subset of law and are applying for a job that suits it, mention your experience using industry terms to reinforce your education and interest.  

Use a Variety of Action Verbs

Each bullet point of your work experience should begin with an action word or verb in the past tense slightly different from the others listed.

These words should describe the action as having been done and be specific to that experience taking it from generic to dynamic.

Instead of “made all the documents for in-house attorneys,” try to express what you did to the documents and use specific words like “drafted,” “revised,” or “prepared” to show your method.

This also demonstrates to the business that you’re capable of different stages of document creation.

Tailor the Resume to the Job Posting

When it comes to job hunting, one size doesn’t fit all.

You should tailor every resume to the job posting and the company you’re sending it to. While it may seem like each law firm or government agency is the same, there are many differences that can stand out.

Researching the company and constructing a resume highlighting why you are a good fit for them can make a big difference.

For example, older law firms may still use fax machines or prioritize physical mail and value an employee who can operate an older multi-line phone system.

Highlighting your ability to complete tasks using this hardware could make you stand out and mean the difference between getting an interview and being at the bottom of the pile.

Emphasize Accomplishments

Whether these are previous work or recent educational accomplishments, showing them off and explaining their importance is essential.

While a resume shouldn’t brag without the information to back it up, it’s important not to be humble and show what makes this resume stand out among the others.

New graduates or entry-level job seekers may find this the best time to showcase their GPA, leadership experience, or administrative skills related to the job posting to cover up for a lack of formal on-the-job experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the answers to a couple of frequently asked questions related to legal secretary resumes and the legal secretary position.

Is a legal secretary a lawyer?

No, a legal secretary is not a lawyer, although they often work with lawyers. They are a member of the administrative team who focuses their skills on supporting and assisting lawyers with administrative tasks. They don’t provide legal advice or practice law.

What is a good example of a legal secretary’s resume objective?

Here’s an example. “Qualified professional seeking a legal secretary position to leverage five years of experience in a law firm with robust customer service and word processing skills. Previously supported two senior partners in corporate law and acted as a floating legal secretary.”

Similar Resume Types To Reference

The legal secretary profession includes various skills that overlap and are relevant to other disciplines. If the templates are missing a necessary element or you need additional inspiration, try these resume types.

  • Secretary Resume: This resume focuses on administrative tasks, which are the foundation of the legal secretary profession.
  • Legal Assistant Resume: A legal assistant, sometimes a paralegal, assists lawyers and legal professionals with preparation, documentation, and legal tasks.
  • Research Assistant Resume: Another supporting role, the research assistant supports a project researcher through data entry, searches, and project management.

Wrapping Up

Creating a scannable, easy-to-read resume with your experience and achievements shouldn’t be difficult.

With the help of these resume samples, you should have no problem customizing your resume to showcase your achievements and land an interview as a qualified legal secretary.

If you know someone who could use this information, sharing is caring, so please share the link with them. Drop us a note in the comments if this article has helped you and your job search.

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