How To Become a Legal Secretary

What degree do you need

One of the most common questions that we always get is what major or degree do I need to become Legal Secretaries or what courses do I need to take.

We also asked Legal Secretaries what did they major in college or university and here are the top 5 most popular majors that came up.

High school graduates can obtain basic office, computer, and English grammar skills at technical schools or community colleges. Some legal secretaries learn industry-specific terminology and practices by attending courses offered at community colleges or technical schools. For executive secretary positions, employers increasingly prefer to hire those who have taken some college courses or have a bachelor’s degree.

How hard is it

You may need some previous work-related skill, knowledge or experience to be a Legal Secretary. For example, an electrician must complete three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Careers in this difficulty category will usually need 1 or 2 years of on-the-job training and informal training with experienced workers. These careers usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Similar careers include hydroelectric production managers, travel agents, electricians, court reporters, and medical assistants.

License and certifications

Although not required, certification can demonstrate competency to employers. Legal secretaries have several certification options. For example, those with 1 year of general office experience, or who have completed an approved training course, can acquire the Accredited Legal Professional (ALP) designation through a testing process administered by NALS (previously known as National Association of Legal Secretaries).

Skills required

We asked other Legal Secretaries if they could only have 5 skills, what would they be. Here is what they said.

Knowledge required

Just like any other job, you will need certain know-hows to excel at your job. Legal Secretaries are generally very knowledgeable in these 5 key areas.

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