Your work. Your records.
Legal Secretary Workplace Records Guide
Legal secretaries handle documents whose content belongs to clients and whose timing may depend on attorney review. For a workplace concern, describe assignments, approvals and administrative workload without creating a separate collection of case files.
Call now(800) 800-5555Free initial case evaluation. Representation depends on work state and case eligibility. This guide explains record preparation; it does not determine whether a legal claim exists.
A record map for your role
What to organize first
Instruction timing
Record when you received the complete assignment and when missing details were supplied.
Revision authority
Identify who requested a change and whether it replaced an earlier approved instruction.
Delivery handoff
Separate your administrative preparation from approval and distribution responsibilities.
Start with the work you actually do
Perform secretarial duties using legal terminology, procedures, and documents. Prepare legal papers and correspondence, such as summonses, complaints, motions, and subpoenas. May also assist with legal research.
O*NET classifies this occupation as Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants (43-6012.00). Its description covers a typical occupation, not every workplace or individual job. It does not establish employee status, overtime eligibility or employer misconduct.
- Organize and maintain law libraries, documents, and case files.Source task 768 · updated 08/2024
- Mail, fax, or arrange for delivery of legal correspondence to clients, witnesses, and court officials.Source task 764 · updated 08/2024
- Prepare and distribute invoices to bill clients or pay account expenses.Source task 18780 · updated 08/2024
- Prepare, proofread, or process legal documents, such as summonses, subpoenas, complaints, appeals, motions, or pretrial agreements.Source task 21078 · updated 08/2024
A reference point for your pay records
May 2025 wage estimates by state
Compare your pay records with published BLS estimates for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants (SOC 43-6012). These describe an occupation across employers. They are not a required pay rate, an overtime calculation, or evidence of discrimination or unpaid wages.
Select your work state to see its published pay range. No personal pay information is requested or sent.
The 25th and 75th percentiles mark the middle half of the estimated wage distribution; the median is its midpoint. Actual pay can differ with experience, employer, location and duties. Hourly and annual figures are shown as published, without converting one into the other.
All published state estimates for this occupation
| State | Hourly 25th | Hourly median | Hourly 75th | Annual median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $17.63 | $22.09 | $27.73 | $45,950 |
| Alaska | $24.29 | $29.46 | $29.90 | $61,280 |
| Arizona | $23.02 | $26.50 | $36.03 | $55,120 |
| Arkansas | $16.60 | $19.91 | $23.38 | $41,410 |
| Connecticut | $26.99 | $31.84 | $38.97 | $66,220 |
| Delaware | $28.73 | $31.79 | $38.52 | $66,130 |
| Florida | $19.69 | $23.32 | $31.15 | $48,510 |
| Georgia | $19.71 | $23.30 | $29.25 | $48,460 |
| Hawaii | $23.23 | $23.78 | $31.16 | $49,460 |
| Idaho | $18.75 | $20.14 | $22.12 | $41,880 |
| Indiana | $20.62 | $22.95 | $29.59 | $47,740 |
| Iowa | $18.54 | $22.40 | $27.24 | $46,590 |
| Kansas | $14.67 | $17.61 | $21.70 | $36,620 |
| Kentucky | $17.02 | $18.89 | $22.84 | $39,300 |
| Louisiana | $18.14 | $23.10 | $29.34 | $48,050 |
| Maine | $21.27 | $23.10 | $28.35 | $48,040 |
| Michigan | $21.17 | $27.34 | $34.60 | $56,870 |
| Minnesota | $26.19 | $30.38 | $38.18 | $63,180 |
| Mississippi | $15.27 | $21.70 | $26.08 | $45,140 |
| Missouri | $17.44 | $18.54 | $25.83 | $38,560 |
| Montana | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Nebraska | $16.75 | $22.02 | $27.28 | $45,800 |
| New Hampshire | $21.63 | $24.92 | $33.30 | $51,830 |
| New Mexico | $23.18 | $27.79 | $31.61 | $57,800 |
| New York | $25.38 | $34.73 | $46.74 | $72,230 |
| North Carolina | $17.74 | $21.02 | $24.35 | $43,720 |
| North Dakota | $22.34 | $25.74 | $29.62 | $53,540 |
| Ohio | $19.82 | $24.56 | $29.87 | $51,080 |
| Oklahoma | $17.97 | $22.09 | $25.40 | $45,950 |
| Pennsylvania | $21.99 | $24.73 | $29.00 | $51,430 |
| Rhode Island | $21.00 | $30.30 | $38.89 | $63,020 |
| South Dakota | $20.57 | $22.98 | $24.52 | $47,790 |
| Tennessee | $17.94 | $21.80 | $28.67 | $45,340 |
| Texas | $20.00 | $22.09 | $30.10 | $45,940 |
| Utah | $20.69 | $25.42 | $31.97 | $52,860 |
| Vermont | $22.40 | $23.60 | $26.54 | $49,090 |
| Virginia | $21.18 | $26.60 | $33.18 | $55,320 |
| West Virginia | $16.30 | $22.58 | $26.24 | $46,960 |
| Wisconsin | $23.21 | $26.64 | $29.77 | $55,410 |
| Wyoming | $22.49 | $22.58 | $24.50 | $46,960 |
“Not published” preserves unavailable or suppressed source cells. “Above reporting limit” preserves a top-coded source value without inventing a number. A missing state estimate does not establish service eligibility. The data describe wage and salary employment; they do not measure self-employment income.
Source: BLS May 2025 state workbook · OEWS tables · BLS technical notes. Use your own schedule, pay statement and compensation terms to identify the question you want reviewed.
Trace the preparation request
Record the type of document, when instructions arrived and what information remained missing. Note who reviewed the draft and whether revisions changed the work required. Keep your preparation time separate from time awaiting an attorney's approval.
Clarify delivery responsibility
Describe who authorized distribution and the method you were instructed to use. If feedback concerns a missed delivery, distinguish the ready-for-review time, approval time and dispatch time. Do not infer that a receipt alone proves which person controlled the delay.
Leave client files protected
Do not take pleadings, witness details, legal advice or billing narratives for an employment review. Use your own schedule and permitted personnel communications. Identify the document system and relevant date range so an authorized reviewer can seek the appropriate records.
Choose your next step
Review the workplace retaliation guide, unpaid wages guide, or discrimination guide if those concerns fit your experience. A job title alone does not establish a claim.
Call now(800) 800-5555Current service-state coverage
AK, AL, AR, AZ, CT, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IN, KS, KY, LA, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WI, WV, WY. Eligibility is evaluated individually; this list does not promise representation.
Explore state resources