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• Legal files


  Vital part of any law office and the business of representing clients
• Legal files


  • Paperwork piles up very quickly in any law office
  • Attorney should be able to simply pick up a file and find everything needed
  • Must be kept organized properly for the attorney
• Keeping legal files current

  1. Filing daily for hot files

  2. Filing at least once or twice per week for other files
• Take the time to learn the method of filing in any law office and follow that format to the letter
• Confidentiality


  • Documents contained within a client's file should always be considered private
  • Never disclose, share, discuss, or gossip about a case or matter being handled
• Legal secretaries


  • Skilled administrative professional workers who assist attorneys
  • Familiar with legal terminology, documents, procedures, and research
  • An important part of the legal team
• Managing reprographics and other duplicating processes


  1. Make enough copies of each document

  2. One for each party to the agreement

  3. One for the office files

  4. One for personal forms file if first time encoding
• Outsourcing reprographics services


  • Provide attorneys and law firms with quality, organized images of legal documents and copies
  • Free up valuable time and firm resources to focus on litigation strategy
• Dictation/Recording Methods


  • Speaking is the fastest way to get information out of your head
  • Human brain can think up to 800 words per minute
  • Dictating/recording methods are still the best choice
• Transcription Methods


  1. Audio to text software

  2. Reading through transcription for clarity
• Most people don't speak as clearly as they should, especially when they first begin dictating
• ready that you need to edit your material; at least it is now in written form. The next way to transcribe yourself is to incorporate an audio to text. If you dictate directly into your computer, you can bypass this problem, but you are limited by having to carry your computer with you every time you might want to dictate material. Hand-held digital recorders are about the size of a pack of gum, and are infinitely portable. Be prepared to spend a few hours "training" your software to understand your voice, and even then, it won't be exactly perfect. When using this type of software, your brain will be split between saying what you have to say and watching for errors on the screen in front of you. You will also need to read through the transcription for clarity, because most people don't speak as clearly as they should, especially when they first begin dictating. Some words will be incorrect, the spellings of certain things will be wrong, and because the transcriptionist is merely typing your words as fast as humanly possible, they are not looking for clarity and meaning. You will take the transcription, read through it, and begin to make the necessary changes so that it makes sense to you. If it doesn't make sense to you, it won't make any sense to your readers.
• The practice of law is largely concerned with research, research, and more research. Nearly every legal document that is drafted, nearly every deposition that is taken, and certainly every case that is defended requires research into previous cases and legal precedents to support said documentation or defenses and to make legal decisions. In some instances, research is done by an attorney, a paralegal, or an assistant; however, many attorneys expect their secretary to provide him or her with research, particularly in smaller offices. Even if the office you work in 26 employs one or more paralegals, chances are you will still have to do occasional research. Finally, if you plan on advancing in your career, you should have excellent research skills and be aware of tools that will expedite the process, whether it is currently required of you or not.
• Steps of legal research


  1. Frame the issue

  2. Brainstorm

  3. Determine jurisdiction and time limitations

  4. Decide which format to use

  5. Locate, read, and update your secondary sources

  6. Locate, read and update primary authority

  7. Look up other pertinent guidelines

  8. Repeat the above steps
• Law firm libraries or legal libraries are a common occurrence as part of knowledge management in law offices. However, they do not exist for the primary purpose of keeping a firm's legal knowledge in a neat orderly system. Law firm libraries are valuable resources for law offices to have, and they can be customized to the needs and specialties of a particular firm. The design, operation, and usage of a law firm library requires that it be actively managed as part of a law office's greater managerial responsibilities.
• Law firm library


  An in-house library that contains books and other texts on different legal topics
• Most law libraries act as a research source for members of the legal team to use in order to prepare for cases and keep their legal knowledge up to date. They often act as a separate business within the law office, as they tend to have their own staff, structure, resources, and business needs independent from the main system.
• Some law firms may choose to forgo the time, space, and expense of an in-house law library, as most public libraries have some of the same materials and resources, available at a much lower cost to patrons.
• Typical contents of a law firm library


  • Books
  • Documents
  • Law publications
  • Software or data disks
• Law offices that have specialties or niches will need to have access to information provided by a law library that is applicable. Public law libraries might not see any reasons to justify including certain materials, which can make it difficult to access necessary materials.
• Legal documents


  Any document that contains information on legal issues
• Types of court documents


  • Dockets
  • Pleadings
  • Motions
  • Memoranda
  • Briefs
  • Orders
  • Expert testimony
• Docket


  An official summary of the proceedings in a court of justice
• Brief


  A written statement summarizing the arguments of a case, containing factual and legal arguments as well as references to any legislation or cases that are being relied on to support those arguments
• Types of briefs


  • Amicus brief
  • Appellate brief
  • Reply brief
  • Trial brief
• Summons


  A document that is an order by a court requiring someone to appear in court, signaling the issue that needs to be adjudicated
• Subpoena


  An order to compel someone to come to a court at a certain date and time to give testimony
• Summons


  An official court document that includes the name of the court, the name of the party receiving the summons, the case number, and the names of the plaintiff and defendant
• Subpoena


  • It comes after the court case has begun
  • You may or may not be directly involved in the case as a plaintiff or defendant
  • It can be for documents needed as evidence or for appearance to give evidence in a deposition or in court
• Agreement


  An informal arrangement between two or more parties that is not enforceable by law
• Quitclaim deed


  A deed that conveys the grantor's interest in real property, as is, including any defects in title and with no warranty that title is valid
• Will


  A document spelling out what is to be done with the belongings of a person, referred to as the testator, after he or she has died
• Types of Wills


  • Joint and mutual will
  • Joint will
  • Last will and testament
• Types of Contracts and Agreements


  • Agreements to buy or sell property or services
  • Agreements to rent or lease property
  • Agreements to employ individuals
  • Agreements to grant authority to one person to act on behalf of another
  • Agreements to grant the right to purchase stock in a company
• Mortgage


  A debt instrument, secured by the collateral of specified real estate property, that the borrower is obliged to pay back with a predetermined set of payments
• Business Documents


  Articles of incorporation, bylaws, partnership agreements, trusts
• Power of Attorney


  A legal document that allows a principal to appoint an agent to act for them should they become incapacitated
• Transferring Title to Real Property


  The process of transferring ownership of real estate, accomplished using a legal instrument known as a property deed