OLman

• Legal secretaries


  Also called administrative assistants, legal assistants or executive assistants, perform the daily clerical functions required for the efficient operation of a legal office
• Legal secretaries


  • Vital part of the legal team
  • Job is highly specialized and requires knowledge of the legal system, terminology and procedures in addition to clerical and administrative skills
  • Assist attorneys with a variety of duties related to legal documents, research and organizing libraries
  • Must be computer literate and have a good standard of English
  • Deal with a wide range of challenging legal and business issues, combining their skills with modern technology
• Law offices


  Structured based on whether they are public or private
• Titles for attorneys in government law offices

  • Public attorney
  • Prosecutor
  • Public defender
  • Advocate
• Levels of attorneys in large law firms

  • Senior partners
  • Partners
  • Junior partners
  • Senior associates
  • Associates
  • Junior associates
• Law offices vary in size from those with only one attorney to those with hundreds
• People in a law office

  • Attorneys who may be partners in the law firm
  • Associate attorneys
  • Law clerks
  • Receptionist
  • Calendar clerks
  • File clerks
  • Account clerks
  • Stenographers
  • Libraries
  • Research assistants
  • Legal secretaries
• Head legal secretary


  In medium size offices, there is usually one secretary who is recognized to be the head legal secretary, even though she may not have no official title. Her status is accepted by all and she is expected to assume responsibility for the office management and supervision of the office staff.
• Law clerk


  • Responsibilities include legal research, document preparation, case investigation and drafting of pleadings. Some law clerks file documents with the courts and do errands for the attorneys. Their duties vary with the size and type of law firm.
• Law librarian


  • Responsibilities include computerized legal research, keeping track of volumes ordering books and generally maintaining the library.
• Lawyer/Attorney


  The terms lawyer and attorney are used interchangeably and have the same meaning. A lawyer is a professional person authorized to practice law, conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice. The law is keep changing and they must keep abreast of changes. Also, the needs of clients vary so they must be knowledgeable and special skills, he depends on the books that line his office walls to aid him daily because of the increased demands made upon them, lawyers need and must have more and better assistance from their nonprofessional staff.
• General categories of legal matters

  • Civil - those that involve protecting the rights of individuals
  • Criminal - those that concern the protection of society from harmful acts
• Specializations in civil law

  • Wills
  • Estate management
  • Corporate law
  • Personal injury law
  • Domestic relations law
  • Tax law
  • Patent law
  • Maritime law
  • Probate or special proceedings
  • International law
• Types of legal practice

  • Law firms as business enterprises operated to make a profit for their owners
  • Lawyers working alone either in private or public office (employee)
  • Law firms (partnership)
  • Law firms as business enterprises operated to make profit
  • Associates - lawyers employed to assist with the work load in the law firm
  • Attorney's on retainer - companies pay them a specified amount each month in return for which they handle any legal problems that business may have
  • Government - defense lawyer/prosecutor lawyer
  • Law clerks - law students/beginning lawyers, who assist with research and in the preparation of documents
  • Notary Public - prepares legal documents and notarizes the documents
• Advantages of working in a large law firm

  • High salaries and generous compensation packages
  • Sophisticated and challenging work
  • Large support staff
  • Luxurious offices in prime locations
• Attorney-client relationship


  The welfare of the client is the primary concern of the attorney, his secretary, and every member of his staff. The relationship between the lawyer and his client is privileged.
• Rule 130, Section 24- b) An attorney or personally believed by the client to be licensed to engage in the practice of law cannot, without consent of the client, be examined as to any communication made by the client to him or her, or his or her advice given thereon in the course of, or with view to, professional employment, nor can attorney's secretary, stenographer, clerk, or other persons assisting the attorney be examined without consent of the client and his or her employer, concerning any fact the knowledge of which has been acquired in such except in the following cases:
• Rule 130, Sec. 24- c) a physician, psychotherapist or person reasonably believed by the patient to be authorized to practice medicine or psychotherapy can not in civil case without the consent of a patient be examined as to any confidential communication made for the purpose of diagnosis or treatment of the patient's physical, mental or emotional condition, including alcohol or drug addiction, between the patient and his or her physician or psychotherapist.
• Secretaries' responsibilities


  • Owe their boss two very special things: LOYALTY and CONFIDENTIALITY
  • Legal secretary has a special responsibility to keep to herself any information she may obtain as a result of her position. She must not reveal such information to family or friends and she should not even discuss it with other members of the office staff.
• Personal qualifications of a legal secretary

  • Discretion
  • Loyalty
  • Adaptability
  • Initiative
  • Judgment
  • Accuracy
  • Flexibility
  • Appearance
  • Good manners
• Whether someone calls in person or through telephone, adequate care must be taken for the attorney. A complete printed telephone message indicating who called, subject of the call, telephone numbers, message and name of the company must be typed on a memorandum form and put on the attorney's desk and later placed in a client's file.
• Handling Incoming Calls


  1. Answer the calls promptly

  2. Identify yourself properly

  3. Screen the caller tactfully

  4. Offer to help the caller

  5. Terminate the calls courteously
• Making Calls - Basic Steps

  1. Prepare

  2. Identify yourself

  3. Identify purpose

  4. Review call
• Prepare


  Write down the key points you need to cover during the conversation, as well as any questions you need to ask. If possible be close to the computer with internet connection so that you can access your company's website or locate information quickly.
• Identify yourself


  Provide your name, company name and contact telephone number.
• Always be aware of confidential information when leaving messages. Also, be aware of the people around while talking on the phone. Be discreet! Some next to you might overhear confidential information that could negatively affect your business.
• Making travel arrangements


  1. Know when the attorney will leave

  2. Know where the attorney will be going

  3. Know how long the attorney will stay in different places

  4. Know the date of the attorney's return
• Identify purpose


  State the purpose politely and directly.
• Travel methods


  • Plane
  • Railroad
  • Ship
  • Bus
  • Car
• Review call


  Before hanging up review what was accomplished during the call with other party and be sure you both agree on what should happen.
• Advance reservations are advisable for travel by any means other than plane, and the earlier they are made the better
• Information needed in your personal telephone company

  • Telephone number of the courts which the firm deals with
  • Offices
  • The SSS number of the attorney and other information needed to complete forms for him
  • The local directory information and long distance directory
• Air travel


  Most popular method of transportation for business trips to destination more than 200 miles away
• Most business people prefer to fly because flying takes less time than any other method of travel
• Official Airline Guide


  Contains flight schedules for all airlines, revised periodically during the year
• Ways to arrange travel

  • Travel department of the company
  • Travel agency
  • Arranged it yourself
• Traveling by car


  1. Complete a travel authorization form or Trip Ticket

  2. Include name of driver, destination, purpose of trip, dates and time of departure and return, estimated round trip mileage
• Foreign travel


  • Requires careful planning because of differences in time zone, currency and customs
  • Services of a reliable travel agent are very helpful
• Appointments


  Activities that you schedule in your calendar that do not involve inviting other people or reserving resources. You can schedule recurring appointments, view your appointments by day, week, or month and set reminders for your appointments.
• Designating appointment time


  You can specify how the appointments in your calendar look to others by designating the time of the appointment as busy, free, tentative or out of office.