The Changing Role of the Legal Secretary
Executive Summary
This white paper outlines the issues surrounding the changing roles of the traditional legal secretary and offers a definitive role-based solution that can be applied across the entire legal community, resulting in a more efficient and successful workforce that can be recruited across firms.
There is a need for law firms to come together to define the varying responsibilities of the legal secretary. Since 2004, advances in technology have affected these positions, resulting in a need for new definitions of specific functions. If the legal community can collectively define those roles, the result will be a more effective and successful workforce that firms can recruit with ease.
Because technology has impacted the way in which firms conduct business, there has been a breakdown across the industry in how legal secretaries perform work. In her article, “The Changing Role of Legal Support Staff,” Cynthia Thomas, Founder of PLMC & Associates, stated the following:
“Recent advancements in technology used by law firms have blurred the lines between legal assistants/paralegals and legal secretaries. What were once two separate and distinct positions now overlap, and both jobs have changed significantly.” (Thomas n.d.)
Quickly evolving technological advancements have created a shift in work culture, including the type of work secretaries do. Attorneys are able conduct much of their work without assistance, which leaves the secretarial team supporting more attorneys than ever. Further, the specific skill sets needed vary across firms, causing confusion and hiring problems during cross-recruiting.
The solution requires an understanding of the Traditional Legal Secretary (TLS) and the Legal Secretary of the Future (LSF). Whereas the former tends to be highly reliable with much more experience, the latter may be more highly educated and adaptable, and tends to commit to positions for only two to five years before moving on. This leaves hiring managers facing tough decisions during recruiting.
The solution proposed here is one that delineates specific roles based on skill sets of the secretarial force. Titles and roles include:
· Legal Secretary
· Legal Assistant
· Legal Administrative Assistant
· Pod Legal Secretary
· Legal Word Processor
· Workflow Coordinator
An industrywide standard agreement regarding the definitions of these roles will result in a more effective workforce with better skills, leading to the overall success of firms and their employees.
Introduction
The ratio of legal secretaries to attorneys has dramatically changed since 2004. The work load, however, has not changed. At first glance, it appears as if fewer secretaries are required to conduct business. However, based on my research, the real challenge is that technological advancements have had a major impact on the way attorneys conduct business; new applications and resources have given them more efficacy. Today, attorneys are more self-sufficient than ever and require less traditional skills from their legal secretaries. This has led to changes in the type of work required from legal secretaries and resulting in the need to define new roles.
In 2004, the average legal secretary to attorney ratio was one-to-one, and occasionally two attorneys to one legal secretary. In 2018, that ration has increased to four – five attorneys to one legal secretary. Why did this happen, and what does this mean for law firms and their hiring practices?
I began studying this topic in 2013 when a major Los Angeles law firm asked me to help them create solutions to the issues that were impacting company culture. There had been a shift in the way their associates and partners were conducting business, which had resulted in the need for fewer secretaries. Although the work load had shifted, there was still a need for the support of the secretarial team. Their legal secretaries were now paired with more attorneys than ever, and they wanted to discover a solution that would help them adapt to these changes.
TRADITIONAL LEGAL SECRETARY (TLS)
• A legal secretary with over 10+ years of experience working in a law firm or corporate legal department
• Someone who is most often reliable
• A person who is typically less technically savvy
• Often less open to change
LEGAL SECRETARY OF THE FUTURE (LSF)
• A person with his or her bachelor’s degree, as well as possibly a paralegal certificate
• Someone who will likely only commit to a position for 2-5 years before moving on to something else
• A person with exceptional technology skills and adaptability, but may require some training on follow through and being proactive
• It will be important to the LSF to be constantly evolving as the technology continues to evolve
Challenge
In 2013, a major Los Angles law firm asked me to help them facilitate solutions to help their legal secretaries adapt to the increased pairings with attorneys. This was important because the secretaries’ work was still in high demand as they are a major component to the firm’s success. I spent several months researching the specific changes they expected, how those changes would impact the type of work secretaries were expected to do, and how they would execute that work.
Throughout the project, I focused on listening and allowing them to offer feedback and suggest possible solutions. By stepping out of the way and allowing them to create their own solutions, they became more empowered around the changes impacting their careers, which led to less stress and anxiety. During change management, communication and training is key to the success of the firm; Team cultures thrive when people are informed, and companies are transparent.
Based on this initial research, I discovered that the biggest changes facing law firms today are:
Technology has changed the way firms conduct business, and they are searching for solutions to help them and their employees adapt in a quickly moving economy.
Technological advancements have given attorneys the ability to execute most of their own work, therefore requiring fewer “traditional legal secretary” roles.
This includes associates as well as leadership. For example, one managing partner of a boutique real estate firm in Los Angeles stated, “I no longer need my own secretary. I can use my own boiler plate forms to do most of my work.”
Later that year, I led a class for Legal Secretaries Incorporated, where I discussed the previously stated issues as well as the following:
• When change happens, people feel left out.
• There can be fear that a person’s current job is no longer safe.
• An individual’s skills are becoming obsolete.
A member of the round table discussion referenced a story about a firm in Sacramento that had to “get rid of their support staff altogether.” This left the members of the roundtable discussion very disconcerted.
The class had a significant impact on many secretaries in attendance, as many could relate to the issues we discussed. After the class, one individual approached me in tears and shared with me, “After your program, I can see why I’ve been terminated in several of my recent positions. I now have an action plan to be an indispensable resource where I work next.” She landed a new position soon after that meeting and was with that firm for over five years. The key to her success was determining what was missing and her willingness to adapt to change. She learned that we cannot alter our behaviour until we identify what is missing.
This is a sample. If you’d like to read more, please contact Jen.