Student McKenzie Fergus currently attends McMurry University in Abilene, Texas. McKenzie Fergus has worked locally for the Census Bureau and has secretarial experience in the legal field.

In the past, the duties of a legal secretary were limited to answering phones and filing documents. The position has evolved over the years, however, and the job now requires a degree of legal knowledge as well as a number of additional valuable skills.

Familiarity with new and emerging technologies is perhaps the most important quality a modern legal secretary can have. The creation of spreadsheets and online presentations, for example, is a task outside the expertise of many attorneys and often falls to the secretary. Individuals who emphasize their skills in technology during the hiring process will increase their likelihood of securing such a job.

While legal secretaries do not need to

attend law school, understanding legal

terms is a considerable advantage. Legal

secretaries must also maintain traditional

secretarial skills in such areas as

organization and filing, writing and

transcription, reception and attention to

detail. The latter trait is particularly critical,

as the simplest undetected typing error can

result in serious legal complications.