That joke is old and dated. So too is many people’s perception of the job of a legal secretary itself. So what has changed?
The best legal secretaries in the current and ever developing legal landscape are now techies as well as secretaries. The mobility of communication means they are adapting to a more remote relationship with the associates and partners they support. That means creating ways to support them by way of safe sharing, using a variety of platforms and a different mindset. Because of technology the old-fashioned audio typist is now someone who is less clerical and more digitally supportive. The job title itself is changing to reflect the true nature of the role. Many roles are now being advertised as “Legal Assistant.”
Legal secretaries & assistants now typically support teams of five or six associates in mid-sized firms, so when hiring for personality as well as skillset, the criteria for that is clearly changing too. The flexible team player starts to come to the fore.
If it has been some time since your firm reviewed the job description for your secretarial posts, then we would be delighted to review them with you. Today’s secretary very often has to be a multilingual, multi-tasking, multi-skilled *futurist.
*I bet that one isn’t in your job descriptions!
By the way, the answer to the question is:
45. One to change the bulb, and 44 to type up the paperwork.
(I told you it was outdated).
By Runo Ahmed
Senior Legal Recruitment Specialist at Ambipro
