11 Legal Secretary Resume Examples for 2025

A good resume is key for a legal secretary. This article offers strong resume examples and expert tips to help you succeed. We'll cover key sections, important skills, and actionable advice to highlight your experience.

  Compiled and approved by Marie-Caroline Pereira
  Last updated on See history of changes

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At a Glance

Here's what the best resumes for legal secretaries have in common.

  • Show Your Impact With Numbers: The best resumes show impact with numbers like cases handled per month, typing speed in words per minute, time reduction in document preparation, and error rate decrease in filing. Numbers help you show how good you are.

  • Match Skills With The Job Description: Include skills you have that are also in the job description. Some good ones are transcription, legal software proficiency, document management, case file organization, and legal research. Choose the skills that fit you and the job.

  • Trends In Technology: Use technology trends to your advantage. For example, show experience with legal management software. This shows you are up to date with tools that make work easier.

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Education placement on your resume

Where you place your education on your resume can impact how a hiring manager views your qualifications. If you’re a new legal assistant or have recent relevant legal secretarial training, put your education section before your experience. This helps show your dedication to the legal field and highlights your specialized knowledge.

For those with more experience in legal support roles, your work history should take precedence. In this case, position your educational background after your professional experience. This allows you to showcase your practical skills and how you've applied your training in real-world settings, which are of great importance in the legal industry.

Highlight legal software skills

For a legal secretary role, show your knowledge of specific legal software. Mention your experience with programs like Clio, LexisNexis, or Westlaw. This makes your resume stand out.

Include any certifications or training you have completed in legal technology. This tells employers you are prepared and competent in using tools critical to their operations.

Ideal resume length

When you prepare your resume for a legal secretary position, aim to create a succinct document that highlights your skills and experience. A good length is one page, especially if your experience in the field is under 10 years. This helps you to focus on your most relevant skills and work history. You want to show you can communicate in a clear and concise manner, a key skill for a legal secretary.

If you have more than 10 years of experience or hold a senior-level role, consider a two-page resume to cover your detailed work history and contributions. Remember, clarity is essential, so ensure your best qualifications are easy to find on the first page. Instead of shrinking the font or margins, prioritize your content, and keep formatting clean and readable. Less is often more if it means your most important achievements stand out.

Emphasize confidentiality experience

As a legal secretary, handling sensitive information securely is very important. Highlight any past roles where you managed confidential information. This can set you apart from other candidates.

Describe the steps you took to protect this information and any training you received on confidentiality. Employers need to trust that you are responsible and detail-oriented.

Understanding resume screeners

When you apply for a job as a legal secretary, your resume may first be read by a computer program called an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). This system scans your resume for keywords and phrases that match the job description.

Here are some tips to help your resume get noticed:

  • Use clear job titles and skills that match the job you want. For example, include words like 'legal document preparation' and 'court procedure knowledge'.
  • Make sure to list your certifications such as 'Certified Legal Secretary Specialist' if you have them. This can be a key term that an ATS looks for.

These steps can help ensure your resume shows you are a good fit for the legal secretary position.

Tailor your resume

When you apply for a job, your resume should show you're a perfect fit. This means mentioning skills and experience that match what the job needs. Legal secretaries need to be precise, organized, and good at supporting lawyers. Here's how to make your resume speak to that.

  • Show your knowledge of legal terminology and document management by mentioning specific systems or processes you’ve worked with, like e-filing or document drafting.

  • Highlight examples where you've supported legal staff. Use bullet points like 'Managed correspondence for a team of 4 attorneys', focusing on teamwork and multitasking.

  • If you're coming from a different job, find the common tasks. Maybe you've scheduled appointments or kept records confidential. Mention those skills and connect them to a legal secretary’s work.

Essential skills for legal support roles

When crafting your resume for a legal secretary position, you need to show that you have the right skills for the job. Here's a list of skills to consider including on your resume:

  • Legal terminology
  • Transcription
  • Document preparation
  • Court filing procedures
  • Calendar management
  • Case management software
  • Microsoft Office Suite
  • Typing speed
  • Client billing
  • Data entry

As you decide which skills to include, think about the tasks you've done in the past. Choose the skills that match the job you want. Include them in a dedicated skills section for easy reading. This helps with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) which look for specific keywords related to the job. Not all skills must be listed, but focus on the ones that match your experiences and the job description.

Remember, some skills like case management software might be listed under experience too. This shows how you've used the skill in a work setting. For roles in legal offices, knowing specific software like LexisNexis or Westlaw is good to mention if you have experience with them. Always tailor your resume to fit the job you are applying to, and don't forget to update it as you gain new skills.

Showcase leadership growth

As a legal secretary, it's important to show any growth in your role. If you've been given more responsibility or moved up in your job, make sure this is clear on your resume. Here are some ways to do this:

  • Include titles or roles that show you've moved up, like 'senior legal secretary' or 'team lead for document management'.
  • List any special tasks you took on that show leadership, such as 'trained new staff' or 'managed case file systems'.

Think about tasks you've done that required you to guide others. Even if you're not sure it's leadership, it often is. For example:

  • Did you ever lead a meeting or a project? Add 'coordinated team meetings for case strategy'.
  • If you helped improve how things are done, say 'implemented new filing system for increased efficiency'.

Highlight leadership and growth

As a legal secretary, showing growth in your career is key. If you have moved up or taken on more responsibility, make sure to show this on your resume. Here are ways to do this:

  • Include job titles that show promotion. For example, if you started as a 'junior legal secretary' and were promoted to 'senior legal secretary,' list both titles with dates to show your progress.
  • Mention any leadership roles, even informal ones. You might have led a project or trained new staff. These are good signs of leadership.

Think about tasks you have done that show leadership qualities. For example:

  • 'Managed a team of junior staff to ensure all legal documents were filed correctly and on time.'
  • 'Led the transition to a new case management system, training colleagues on its use.'

Remember, any sign of growth or leadership is worth mentioning. It shows you are ready for more responsibility.

Show impact with numbers

When you want to show your value as a legal secretary, numbers can be very powerful. They make your achievements clear and easy for hiring managers to understand.

Think about tasks you've done that had measurable outcomes. For example:

  • How many legal documents have you drafted or processed? This could be shown as 'Over 500 legal documents drafted'.
  • Have you improved filing systems or made data entry more efficient? Estimate the time saved like, 'Reduced file retrieval time by 30%'.

Try to remember specific projects where your work made a difference. Did you help with a large case? Mention something like 'Supported a team of 4 lawyers on a high-profile case'. Or if you implemented a new scheduling system, quantify the improvement, 'Improved meeting scheduling efficiency by 25%'.

Even if you are not sure of the exact number, a good estimate is valuable. Think about how often you completed a task weekly or monthly and use simple math. For example, if you scheduled 15 meetings per week, over a year that adds up to approximately 780 meetings. This gives a hiring manager a clear picture of your experience and impact.

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