What makes a legal secretary successful? The best way to answer this frequently asked interview question is to highlight your most desirable skills and work experience. In a legal context, emotions can run high and it is not uncommon for legal secretaries to meet demanding or unreasonable clients. For example, a client may call repeatedly to contact a busy lawyer and become impatient when told they are not available. As a company representative, it`s a legal secretary`s job to stay calm in the heat of the moment. Legal secretaries perform a number of administrative tasks, including writing correspondence, transcribing lawyers` dictations from audio equipment, answering and transferring telephone calls, compiling documents, entering data, scheduling, organizing files, and processing words. A strong candidate will demonstrate meticulous attention to detail, understand basic legal procedures, be able to communicate well with legal staff and clients, and maintain the highest level of discretion when exposed to confidential or sensitive information. Before you go to your interview, whether in person, by phone, or by video conference, it`s a good idea to review the qualifications listed in the job posting and make a conscious effort to highlight them in your interview responses. Save time when interviewing legal secretaries. Get disposable video apps for just $9. Sign up for HelloCecil for a free trial What you want to hear: A strong candidate will be confident and able to honestly discuss areas for improvement. They should explain why they consider the quality chosen to be low and describe the techniques they use to overcome their limitations.
For example, the candidate might say that they have difficulty saying “no” to people, even though they know that compliance affects timelines for other day-to-day business – so they can find isolated employment until priority tasks are completed; Or they may not be assertive enough to ask questions if a policy isn`t clear, making it difficult and potentially imperfect to get things done — so they can keep a post-it note on their notepad reminding them to “ask questions!” Legal secretaries must communicate with clients, lawyers and other legal professionals on a daily basis, so strong oral and written communication skills are essential. While it is acceptable for candidates to have a preference, they must be prepared to adapt their communication style to specific circumstances. When interviewing for legal secretary jobs, interviewers often ask situational and behavioral questions designed to test your knowledge and experience, as well as your ability to think on your feet. Some of these questions might include: Tell interviewers that you will remain relaxed and that angry behavior will not distract you from your work. If you already have a similar experience from the past, you can tell it and explain how you dealt with a disgruntled client/client/guest before. I am interested in legal and judicial processes in general in the United States, but I am particularly interested in criminal law and civil rights. Discussing your experience in creating legal documents and correspondence, managing complex schedules, assisting executive-level lawyers, processing expense reports, reviewing phone calls, keeping client records, and filing legal documents are great ways to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about interviews with legal secretaries. How advanced are your time management and multitasking skills? Legal secretaries are often employed in busy law firms and assist several lawyers and lawyers. In my experience, the most successful legal secretaries have strong writing, interpersonal, and organizational skills. In addition, I believe it is also imperative that legal secretaries perform several tasks both efficiently and work well under pressure, that they are familiar with legal systems and judicial procedures, and that they are motivated to provide administrative support to lawyers and clients in their quest for justice. This role involves a lot of typing work and your typing speed is important to ensure that the job is done quickly.
Let the interviewer know how good you are at this. Another idea is to talk about your career plan, perhaps a higher position you`d like to have one day in the legal field. Getting results and being rewarded for them is a great indication of someone who is committed to excellence. The interviewer is interested in whether you are competent and committed to delivering great results. Share what has made you proud of your career path in the past. Tell me about your previous work experience when your support changed the outcome of a court case. What personal or professional skills have helped you the most? Technology has changed the legal field. But when it breaks down, legal secretaries often have to go back to old-school methods.