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Honing Work Skills Can Help Legal Secretaries Succeed in a Tough Job Market

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published January 27, 2014

By CEO and Founder - BCG Attorney Search left

Honing Work Skills Can Help Legal Secretaries Succeed in a Tough Job Market
The job of legal secretaries that involved only typing and answering phones has evolved with time to include several crucial activities that were once reserved for licensed lawyers and managerial staff. They can now select vendors, manage client relationships and draft legal documents like discovery requests and subpoenas.

Basically, the job involves much serious responsibilities than before which require legal secretaries to master skills that can help them to survive and succeed in today's law office or corporate law department. Here are some skills that can facilitate legal secretaries to give the needed boost to their careers:

 
  • Note-taking: Getting into the habit of taking down notes assists in two ways. First, it helps to record important information. Second, it serves as a reminder to key points and allows for a better understanding of information provided during a discussion on reading over.

    At times legal secretaries do not have the time to think or get to the essence of facts when a good discussion in progress. Making a note of all that's heard and observed enables them to think over it later, with a composed mind.
     
  • Observation: Good observation skills can help to analyze and solve cases faster. While legal secretaries are not lawyers, sharp observation skills can help them climb the ladder. They can bring significant details to the notice of lawyers they are assisting.
     
  • Defusing: Nowadays, legal secretaries come in contact with clients frequently. They often meet up clients even before the lawyers they are assisting do so. In line with this, it is essential that they possess the ability to cleverly de-escalate the hostile behavior of a client. Legal secretaries must learn to stay calm, be good listeners and set boundaries politely yet firmly.
    United States
     
  • Communication: Legal Secretaries must hone their communication skills. These days communication is no longer limited to the way one person communicates to another. It incorporates the manner in which a response in given, body gestures including facial expressions, voice modulation and more.
     
  • Research and Investigation: A legal secretary should have the ability to provide up-to-the-minute information that is relevant to the case. In addition to the conventional methods of legal research, they should be adept at downloading information off the net and know their way round legal databases like Lexis. Legal Secretaries must also spend enough time investigating information relevant to cases that they are assisting with. This could help unearth important facts.
     
  • Technical Skills: Some of the most common technologies that legal secretaries must master include - word processing, preparing spreadsheet and presentations, document management, time and billing, transcription, videoconferencing, desktop publishing, and calendar and docketing.

While many of these skills can be acquired working on field, training programs offered through technical schools and local colleges help out considerably. Recently, there has been a rise in legal secretarial programs and certifications on offer. Coaching and training gives participants a leg up over competition and get preferred legal secretary jobs and compensation.

Without these must-have skills, legal secretaries can definitely be seeing downhill because the legal industry is ushering a new generation of lawyers who can multi task and conduct business by Email.

About Harrison Barnes

No legal recruiter in the United States has placed more attorneys at top law firms across every practice area than Harrison Barnes. His unmatched expertise, industry connections, and proven placement strategies have made him the most influential legal career advisor for attorneys seeking success in Big Law, elite boutiques, mid-sized firms, small firms, firms in the largest and smallest markets, and in over 350 separate practice areas.

A Reach Unlike Any Other Legal Recruiter

Most legal recruiters focus only on placing attorneys in large markets or specific practice areas, but Harrison places attorneys at all levels, in all practice areas, and in all locations—from the most prestigious firms in New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., to small and mid-sized firms in rural markets. Every week, he successfully places attorneys not only in high-demand practice areas like corporate and litigation but also in niche and less commonly recruited areas such as:

  • Immigration law
  • Workers’ compensation
  • Insurance defense
  • Family law
  • Trusts & estates
  • Municipal law
  • And many more...

This breadth of placements is unheard of in the legal recruiting industry and is a testament to his extraordinary ability to connect attorneys with the right firms, regardless of market size or practice area.

Proven Success at All Levels

With over 25 years of experience, Harrison has successfully placed attorneys at over 1,000 law firms, including:

  • Top Am Law 100 firms such including Sullivan and Cromwell, and almost every AmLaw 100 and AmLaw 200 law firm.
  • Elite boutique firms with specialized practices
  • Mid-sized firms looking to expand their practice areas
  • Growing firms in small and rural markets

He has also placed hundreds of law firm partners and has worked on firm and practice area mergers, helping law firms strategically grow their teams.

Unmatched Commitment to Attorney Success – The Story of BCG Attorney Search

Harrison Barnes is not just the most effective legal recruiter in the country, he is also the founder of BCG Attorney Search, a recruiting powerhouse that has helped thousands of attorneys transform their careers. His vision for BCG goes beyond just job placement; it is built on a mission to provide attorneys with opportunities they would never have access to otherwise. Unlike traditional recruiting firms, BCG Attorney Search operates as a career partner, not just a placement service. The firm’s unparalleled resources, including a team of over 150 employees, enable it to offer customized job searches, direct outreach to firms, and market intelligence that no other legal recruiting service provides. Attorneys working with Harrison and BCG gain access to hidden opportunities, real-time insights on firm hiring trends, and guidance from a team that truly understands the legal market. You can read more about how BCG Attorney Search revolutionizes legal recruiting here: The Story of BCG Attorney Search and What We Do for You.

The Most Trusted Career Advisor for Attorneys

Harrison’s legal career insights are the most widely followed in the profession.

Submit Your Resume to Work with Harrison Barnes

If you are serious about advancing your legal career and want access to the most sought-after law firm opportunities, Harrison Barnes is the most powerful recruiter to have on your side.

Submit your resume today to start working with him: Submit Resume Here.

With an unmatched track record of success, a vast team of over 150 dedicated employees, and a reach into every market and practice area, Harrison Barnes is the recruiter who makes career transformations happen and has the talent and resources behind him to make this happen.

A Relentless Commitment to Attorney Success

Unlike most recruiters who work with only a narrow subset of attorneys, Harrison Barnes works with lawyers at all stages of their careers, from junior associates to senior partners, in every practice area imaginable. His placements are not limited to only those with "elite" credentials—he has helped thousands of attorneys, including those who thought it was impossible to move firms, find their next great opportunity.

Harrison’s work is backed by a team of over 150 professionals who work around the clock to uncover hidden job opportunities at law firms across the country. His team:

  • Finds and creates job openings that aren’t publicly listed, giving attorneys access to exclusive opportunities.
  • Works closely with candidates to ensure their resumes and applications stand out.
  • Provides ongoing guidance and career coaching to help attorneys navigate interviews, negotiations, and transitions successfully.

This level of dedicated support is unmatched in the legal recruiting industry.

A Legal Recruiter Who Changes Lives

Harrison believes that every attorney—no matter their background, law school, or previous experience—has the potential to find success in the right law firm environment. Many attorneys come to him feeling stuck in their careers, underpaid, or unsure of their next steps. Through his unique ability to identify the right opportunities, he helps attorneys transform their careers in ways they never thought possible.

He has worked with:

  • Attorneys making below-market salaries who went on to double or triple their earnings at new firms.
  • Senior attorneys who believed they were “too experienced” to make a move and found better roles with firms eager for their expertise.
  • Attorneys in small or remote markets who assumed they had no options—only to be placed at strong firms they never knew existed.
  • Partners looking for a better platform or more autonomy who successfully transitioned to firms where they could grow their practice.

For attorneys who think their options are limited, Harrison Barnes has proven time and time again that opportunities exist—often in places they never expected.

Submit Your Resume Today – Start Your Career Transformation

If you want to explore new career opportunities, Harrison Barnes and BCG Attorney Search are your best resources. Whether you are looking for a BigLaw position, a boutique firm, or a move to a better work environment, Harrison’s expertise will help you take control of your future.

? Submit Your Resume Here to get started with Harrison Barnes today.

Alternative Summary

Harrison is the founder of BCG Attorney Search and several companies in the legal employment space that collectively gets thousands of attorneys jobs each year. Harrison’s writings about attorney careers and placement attract millions of reads each year. Harrison is widely considered the most successful recruiter in the United States and personally places multiple attorneys most weeks. His articles on legal search and placement are read by attorneys, law students and others millions of times per year.

More about Harrison

About LawCrossing

LawCrossing has received tens of thousands of attorneys jobs and has been the leading legal job board in the United States for almost two decades. LawCrossing helps attorneys dramatically improve their careers by locating every legal job opening in the market. Unlike other job sites, LawCrossing consolidates every job in the legal market and posts jobs regardless of whether or not an employer is paying. LawCrossing takes your legal career seriously and understands the legal profession. For more information, please visit www.LawCrossing.com.
Gain an advantage in your legal job search. LawCrossing uncovers hidden positions that firms post on their own websites and industry-specific job boards—jobs that never appear on Indeed or LinkedIn. Don't miss out. Sign up now!

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