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.

2.  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.

3.  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.

4.  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.