by Kathleen Call
Today, with low unemployment prevalent throughout the country, filling legal secretarial positions has become a greater challenge for law firms and legal departments. Legal management is undertaking more aggressive efforts to locate and hire qualified professionals and has placed a premium on top candidates.
Yet amid this competitive hiring market, firms remain uncompromising with regard to candidate qualifications. Even those offices with an urgent need for assistance have established specific requirements for skill and experience levels and are reticent to hire those who do not meet them.
The following technical and administrative abilities are most in demand:
- Computer skills - Advanced proficiency with software commonly used in the legal field, such as Corel WordPerfect® and Microsoft® Word, is critical. Expertise with database and spreadsheet applications is also in demand, especially for legal secretaries who serve on litigation support teams. Additionally, more law firms and legal departments are seeking candidates who are familiar with specialized programs such as Summation® Blaze® integrated litigation support software and document management systems (PC DOCS®, Soft Solutions®, etc.)
- Flexibility is another key - with more and more offices undergoing conversions to new technologies, secretaries who can work efficiently with both older and updated computer systems are in demand.
- Administrative skills - Due to the high-volume nature of legal work, hiring managers usually require individuals who can type a minimum of 70-80 words per minute. Candidates must also be capable of producing legal materials via recorded dictation. Litigation secretaries should be familiar with the formatting of documents such as pleadings, motions and interrogatories, as well as filing processes for local, state and federal courts.
- Law office experience - Most firms and departments prefer to hire legal secretaries who have some background in the field, ideally with a law firm. Often these individuals may acquire such experience through temporary work or through formal legal secretary training programs.
- Specific practice area experience - Hiring managers are seeking legal secretaries with backgrounds in growing practice areas such as intellectual property (trademarks and patents), civil litigation, corporate transactional (initial public offerings, mergers and acquisitions), insurance and real estate.
- Industry background - Law firms and, in particular, corporate legal departments, often need legal secretaries with experience in a specific business sector. Industry knowledge in demand around the country includes high-technology, telecommunications, financial services, real estate and manufacturing.
- Education - More law offices are making a four-year college degree a prerequisite for new job candidates. This can also be required of current staff members under consideration for promotions to office manager, secretarial department supervisor or other management-level positions. However, legal support professionals who lack bachelor's degrees but possess substantial legal experience - ideally five years or more - along with advanced computer skills remain in strong demand.
New Staffing Strategies
While firms are establishing specific skills and experience prerequisites for candidates, they are also implementing non-traditional methods to attract and retain legal secretaries. Strategies that continue to generate successful results include:
- In-house training and mentoring - More offices are recruiting administrative professionals from other industries - or candidates with limited practical experience - and training them in legal practices and procedures. This provides legal management with its own internal recruiting source.
- Cross-departmental utilization - Legal secretaries are gaining opportunities to work in different practice areas, serving as "floaters" and acquiring a diverse range of experience while managers address immediate staffing needs.
Note: This article was adapted from information in
The Affiliates 1999 Salary Guide.
Kathleen Call is executive director of The Affiliates, a leading staffing service specializing in the placement of legal professionals with law firms and corporate legal departments. Based in Menlo Park, Calif., The Affiliates has offices in major cities throughout the United States and Canada.
