Job Description
Legal assistants perform important work in 4 different areas: communication, organization and coordination, legal work and general administrative work.
Wherever there are lawyers and notaries, there are legal assistants.
They work at law firms and notarial offices and in courts, government departments and legal departments of companies.
Communication
Legal assistants look after the internal and external communications of a law firm. They play a key role since they are often the first person people meet when they call or visit a law office.
As part of their tasks, legal assistants are responsible for:
As part of their tasks, legal assistants are responsible for:
- welcoming visitors
- answering phone calls and emails, and forwarding messages
- sending, receiving, and distributing the mail
- producing reports and creating presentation documents
Organization and Coordination
Legal assistants are often responsible for:
- setting up systems for filing information and documents
- creating databases, such as mailing lists
- updating documents such as client files, and preparing bills for clients
- managing general office expenses
In addition, many lawyers and notaries rely on their legal assistants to manage their schedules. Assistants organize meetings and confirm the attendance of those invited.
Legal Work
A legal assistant’s work requires an understanding of the law. The kinds of tasks legal assistants do depends on the area of the law the employer specializes in.
Legal assistants may have to:
Legal assistants may have to:
- format legal documents properly. (Many legal documents have to be on a certain size of paper and use a certain font size.)
- do legal research and proofread legal documents
- ensure that legal documents are sent on time
General Administration
Where do legal assistants work?
Legal assistants also perform a variety of general administrative tasks such as:
- making photocopies
- assembling documents
- writing letters and memos based on instructions from lawyers or notaries
- ordering office supplies and managing any services needed
- attending meetings to take notes
Wherever there are lawyers and notaries, there are legal assistants.
They work at law firms and notarial offices and in courts, government departments and legal departments of companies.
