Working as a Legal Assistant in Pittsburgh
A legal assistant is one of the unsung heroes of the law — literally "assistant", as in "behind the scenes" — that works during the day, evenings or even weekends to get things done. There are many opportunities today working as a legal assistant or legal secretary in the market.
Wait! Before you toss out your resume because you’re not an angel expert, I’ve got news for you. You don’t have to be an "expert" in anything to start in this line of work. An experienced law firm recruiter can usually help you on the technical skills that are needed. You know far more than you think about the law already because you’ve experienced it. And, while you do need good office skills, they can be taught as you go along.
Most legal assistants work in offices that have both support and law group heads or managers, and is usually described as having seniority over paralegals and junior legal assistants.
Duties and responsibilities include preparing legal documents; gathering relevant information from clients; examining and organizing files and other documents; drafting pleadings; preparing correspondence; and helping prepare for legal proceedings .
Working alongside lawyers, legal assistants have a multi-layered role in the daily operations of the law office. Your workload will vary according to the size of the office and the specific needs of the group. You might find yourself working with a single lawyer or with a whole team of partners and associates and those who support them. In smaller firms, you might work more independently, whereas a larger firm might have you working as part of a team. In-house legal departments of corporations will have you supporting the company’s lawyers in much the same way by conducting research, preparing legal documents, and assisting with big projects or litigation. You’ll typically spend most of your time in your office or at your desk.
Legal assistants will tell you that one of the best things about the job is that there is a lot of variety. They seem to move from one activity to another. Working for a corporation is a little different because they usually spend more time on the paperwork and research tasks, whereas in a law firm environment they get to blend researching, writing, filing, and client contact into a stimulating job.
In larger law offices, legal assistants may also be responsible for supervising, training, and evaluating other staff members.
Top Qualifications for Legal Assistants
Depending on the size, scope and specialization of the firm, qualifications for legal assistant jobs in Pittsburgh can vary, but there are several common components. First and foremost, legal assistants must possess strong administrative skills. As much of their work involves management of case materials and internal processes, a legal assistant with exceptional organizational abilities can add major value to the firm. For this reason, candidates with similar experience—such as those who have served as administrative assistants or legal secretaries—are often considered valuable assets to the staff for their skills in managing key documents and practices. In most cases, legal assistant jobs in Pittsburgh require advanced computer skills, whether the profile calls for experience (often outlined in the postings) or aptitude (with specific programs to be taught). All successful legal assistants must be comfortable with word processing, email, and spreadsheet applications, while knowledge of case management software is often required in the posting. In addition, many firms in the Pittsburgh area (such as personal injury firms, litigation firms, and family law offices) require legal assistants to have experience with specific legal document preparation and filing, often in niche segments like plaintiff’s torts or real estate. For many job seekers in the legal environment, certification can be the missing piece needed in order to expand their potential opportunities for legal assistant jobs in Pittsburgh. Usually, this process requires candidates to pursuit voluntary certification within five years of starting their practice via examination through the National Association of Legal Assistants and Paralegals. Required professional development involves 50 credit hours in key categories of legal study, including core subjects like communications, ethics, and professional responsibility, as well as basic business and industry-related practices (accounting for many electives). Successfully passing this certification exam often opens up new legal assistant jobs in Pittsburgh, while also creating new career advancement opportunities for those already indentured into the profession.
Job Outlook for Legal Assistants in Pittsburgh
The current state of the job market for legal assistants in Pittsburgh is stable, with opportunities available across various sectors of the legal field. While there has been some reshuffling of jobs throughout the legal industry, a consistent demand for skilled legal assistants endures and is expected to continue into the future. Currently, there is as much as demand among smaller law firms as there is for positions in the corporate legal departments of large organizations.
Trends in Pittsburgh for legal assistant jobs show that jobs are open in not only law firms, but also corporate legal departments, nonprofit group legal departments, and government legal departments, for those who are qualified. The candidates that meet today’s employer requirements have a lot of growth opportunities open to them. Traditional law firms still may be more liberally hiring due to a desperate need for talent, but growth opportunities continue to appear in other sectors of the legal field, and the demand for talent will likely continue to grow.
Job availability in the Pittsburgh legal district has increased in 2016, but not as much as it did in 2015. This trend of hiring slowing is also affecting the volume of calls for temp work to support law firm operations, but does not seem to be affecting the corporate in-house counsel environment (probable indicators of this could be attributed to uncertainty in the upcoming election). The increase in legal assistant job availability is a far departure from only a few short years ago when law firm layoffs were common.
The rules for legal assistants are changing in Pittsburgh and are being strongly driven by the growth of e-discovery. Many legal assistants that are employed with bigger companies are now moving to other forms of legal practice, including litigation, corporate, accounting, and finance. Though law firms will continue to lay off large numbers of paralegals, many companies are offering new opportunities to legal assistants, which means the market for legal assistants in Pittsburgh remains strong.
Networking and Finding Legal Assistant Positions
Additional strategies for obtaining a legal assistant job in Pittsburgh can be found on the American Association for Paralegal Education and Pennsylvania Association of Legal Administrative Assistants websites. Legal assistants are allowed to join some local and state legal bars, networking with their peers and industry leaders throughout their career. In Pittsburgh, the Allegheny County and Westmoreland Bar associations welcomes membership from legal assistants; giving such members an opportunity to develop new skills. Both the Allegheny County and Westmoreland Bar Associations may also have legal assistant career support staff available to assist in job searches and local firms that have open positions. Since the legal industry is so small (especially in a relatively close-knit community such as Pittsburgh) , new legal assistants are encouraged to attend all eleven of the association’s scheduled Continuing Legal Education seminars, social gatherings and paralegal section meetings to increase your visibility to potential employers. The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry lists all available jobs within the state, which includes approximately 150 open legal assistant positions throughout Pennsylvania. Several bar association and recruitment agencies in Pittsburgh such as the Hills Professional Resources are listed in this database.
Interview Preparation for Legal Assistant Roles
Preparing for Legal Assistant Interview Questions
When it comes to sitting down for an interview, a candidate may think that their qualifications are the only thing that will be looked at. The reality is that they will also be looking at how you respond to certain questions. Legal assistants will likely be asked some variant of the following:
"Tell me about how you manage large workloads at once."
"Which legal software programs do you have experience using?"
"Describe a typical day in your last position as a legal assistant."
"Do you have any questions for me?"
Essentially, the interviewer is looking for someone who will be able to stay organized, who recognizes the importance of software in a legal setting, who can handle multiple responsibilities and who can follow instructions. Preparing for these Pittsburgh legal assistant interview questions should include developing a strategy to show off personal strengths that make you a better candidate than a similar one without those traits.
Opportunities for Growth
With steadfast growth in the Pittsburgh area, career advancement and opportunities for legal assistant job seekers are becoming more promising. Many professionals from outside the field (nurses, paralegals, etc.) make the jump to legal assistant positions, but there is a clear career ladder for legal assistants through legal secretary positions and into paralegal or lawyer careers. The direct path to paralegal, though, is through a bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies and on-the-job experience as a paralegal, whether that’s as a legal assistant or a paralegal assistant .
After getting at least 2 years of experience in a legal assistant role, it’s certainly common to move into a legal secretary or paralegal position. Some will jump to non-attorney legal professionals like mediators, arbitrators and conciliators, who facilitate negotiations and settle legal disputes. In a broader sense, advanced training in specialized legal fields (immigration, intellectual property, etc.) can create pathways to becoming independent contract providers or consultants. Some legal assistants will also decide to go the general law office management route and become legal administrators or office managers, which can be good options for those who are less interested in the technical aspects of the job.