I'm a 18year old college freshmen at a 4year school and want to be a legal secratary?

SaJo

You do not need any formal training to be a legal secretary. A political science major will work out well, other majors that would be beneficial would be english, legal studies, etc. Sometimes you are not even required to have a college degree in order to be a legal secretary although you will have an easier time finding a job if you have a degree and your pay will also be higher.

Most firms that are looking for legal secretarys are looking for people with experience, sometimes many years of experience. The best way to get your foot in the door at a law firm is by starting out working at one part time while you are in college. You can start by working as a courier or a office assistant and then eventually when that firm (or another) is looking for a new legal secretary they may look to you. Another very important aspect of the legal world is NETWORKING! Anyone you know in the field (especially attorneys of course) should be a good contact for you to look for jobs and many are often pleased to recommend you.

Skills that will be important to you as a legal secretary will by typing, proofreading, organization, and the ability to work under lots of pressure.

The bigger the firm the more you will get paid. Some small firms might pay as little as $10/hour and some large firms in big cities can pay even up to $100,000/year for the most experienced candidates. I would say the average is $40,000-$60,000/year.

Good Luck! It is definitley an interesting job and that is lots of opportunity for advancement if you are interested...office manager, paralegal, etc....

keiko

You need to know legal terminology so you can prepare forms and know what the attorney is asking you to do, know how to type, use work processing software. There are training programs, some on line. Your university should be able to help you with this.

http://education-portal.com/legal_secretary_duties.html goes into the duties and training needed. I am not recommending their training program, just the information. I had a friend who worked as a legal secretary for years, always through employment agencies because she preferred short term assignments.

[BUMP] Coming July '09

Look at postings for Legal Secretary in your area. That's where you will find out if you need experience and how much L.S. get paid in your area.

F&K

Do research and use the advisors at your school, that is what they are paid for.

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