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Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in Washington

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Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in Washington

Considering working as a Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in Washington? Below are the key facts. 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.

For legal secretaries and administrative assistants working in Washington, the median annual wage is $59,680 per year (or about $28.69/hour).Annual wages span from $42,470 at the 10th percentile to $81,990 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic Annual Hourly
10th percentile $42,470 $20.42
25th percentile $47,200 $22.69
Median (50th) $59,680 $28.69
75th percentile $74,680 $35.91
90th percentile $81,990 $39.42
Salary ranges for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in Washington

The job concentration index in Washington compared to the national average — is 1.15, suggesting that legal secretaries and administrative assistants are more concentrated here than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, legal secretaries and administrative assistants earn a median of $55,524 per year ($26.69/hour), exceeding the Washington median.

Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants earnings in Washington vs. the national average

Employment Outlook

Nationally, total employment in this occupation is 730,280 legal secretaries and administrative assistants across the United States. In Washington alone, approximately 4,090 people work in this role. That’s higher than the typical state, which employs around 1,450 legal secretaries and administrative assistants.

Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in Washington vs. the average state Forecasted number of jobs for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

These are the Washington metros with the most legal secretaries and administrative assistants in Washington.

Metro Area Number Employed Annual Median Salary
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 2,520 $64,010
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA 360 $47,840
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA 210 $49,590
Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA 170 $51,920
Kennewick-Richland, WA 100 $58,260
Bellingham, WA 80 $48,900
Yakima, WA 70 $48,320
Longview-Kelso, WA 40 $49,690
Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA 30 $48,690

The table below shows the states where the most legal secretaries and administrative assistants work.

State Number Employed
California 23,960
New York 15,430
Florida 10,970
Texas 9,900
Illinois 8,860
Pennsylvania 6,440
Ohio 5,170
North Carolina 4,460
Washington 4,090
New Jersey 3,910
Massachusetts 3,880
Tennessee 3,440
Arizona 3,320
Michigan 3,070
Virginia 2,800
Louisiana 2,790
Minnesota 2,500
Indiana 2,400
Puerto Rico 2,350
Missouri 2,320

These states pay the most for legal secretaries and administrative assistants.

State Annual Median Salary
District of Columbia $101,170
New York $74,400
Delaware $63,740
Maryland $63,110
Rhode Island $61,970
Connecticut $61,440
Massachusetts $61,440
California $61,320
Minnesota $61,300
New Jersey $60,400

Skills

Key legal secretaries and administrative assistants skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Reading Comprehension  4.0 / 5
0
5
Active Listening  4.0 / 5
0
5
Writing  3.9 / 5
0
5
Speaking  3.8 / 5
0
5
Time Management  3.2 / 5
0
5
Critical Thinking  3.0 / 5
0
5

Knowledge Areas

Important knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Administrative  4.5 / 5
0
5
English Language  4.4 / 5
0
5
Law and Government  4.2 / 5
0
5
Customer and Personal Service  3.9 / 5
0
5
Computers and Electronics  3.9 / 5
0
5
Administration and Management  3.2 / 5
0
5

Abilities

The abilities that matter most for legal secretaries and administrative assistants, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Written Comprehension  4.0 / 5
0
5
Near Vision  4.0 / 5
0
5
Oral Comprehension  4.0 / 5
0
5
Written Expression  3.9 / 5
0
5
Oral Expression  3.9 / 5
0
5
Speech Recognition  3.8 / 5
0
5

Daily Tasks

Day-to-day, legal secretaries and administrative assistants typically:

  • Organize and maintain law libraries, documents, and case files.
  • Mail, fax, or arrange for delivery of legal correspondence to clients, witnesses, and court officials.
  • Prepare and distribute invoices to bill clients or pay account expenses.
  • Prepare, proofread, or process legal documents, such as summonses, subpoenas, complaints, appeals, motions, or pretrial agreements.
  • Make photocopies of correspondence, documents, and other printed matter.
  • Assist attorneys in collecting information such as employment, medical, and other records.
  • Complete various forms, such as accident reports, trial and courtroom requests, and applications for clients.
  • Receive and place telephone calls.
  • Schedule and make appointments.
  • Draft and type office memos.
  • Submit articles and information from searches to attorneys for review and approval for use.
  • Make travel arrangements for attorneys.

Work Activities

  • Performing Administrative Activities
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
  • Working with Computers
  • Processing Information
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
  • Documenting/Recording Information
  • Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
  • Analyzing Data or Information
  • Getting Information
  • Scheduling Work and Activities
  • Communicating with People Outside the Organization

Tools & Technology

Common tools and software used in this occupation include: Hot technologies: Adobe Acrobat, Intuit QuickBooks In-demand technologies: Microsoft Excel

What Major Will Prepare You For This Career?

Several college majors map to this occupation:

Careers similar to legal secretaries and administrative assistants include:

Also Known As

Accredited Legal Secretary, Certified Legal Secretary Specialist, Confidential Secretary, Law Firm Administrator, Law Office Assistant, Law Secretary, Legal Administrative Assistant (Legal Admin Assistant), Legal Administrator (Legal Admin), Legal Coordinator, Legal Executive Assistant (Legal Exec Assistant), Legal Management Assistant, Legal Office Support Assistant, Legal Practice Assistant, Legal Receptionist, Legal Secretary.

References

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