Legal Administrative Assistants

(NOC 1242)

in All Business, Finance, and Administration

Legal administrative assistants do a variety of secretarial and administrative duties in law offices, legal departments of large firms, real estate companies, land title offices, and municipal, provincial, and federal courts and government.

Job Outlook

Average

Estimate Stable employment change, 2021-2023
Estimate 90 openings due to growth and retirements, 2021-2023
Estimate Moderate rate of unemployment in 2022

Compared to: All Business, Finance, and Administration

Estimate 3555 employment change, 2021-2023
Estimate 9370 openings due to growth and retirements, 2021-2023
Estimate rate of unemployment not available for these occupation.

Hourly Pay

$14.50

Minimum

$21.58

Median

$25.38

Maximum

Annual Pay

$16,132

Minimum

$41,019

Median

$55,082

Maximum

Compared to: All Business, Finance, and Administration

Hourly Pay

$15.00

Minimum

$23.00

Median

$38.50

Maximum

Annual Pay

$6,754

Minimum

$36,515

Median

$70,271

Maximum

About the job

Nature of work

Job duties

Legal administrative assistants:

Prepare and key in correspondence and legal documents like deeds, wills, affidavits and briefs, from handwritten copy, shorthand and machine dictation using computers.
Review and proofread documents and correspondence to make sure they comply with legal procedures and grammatical usage.
Schedule appointments, meetings and conferences for employer.
Set up and maintain filing systems, using knowledge of legal records and procedures and frequently controlling confidential materials and documents.
Open and distribute regular and electronic incoming mail and other material and coordinate the flow of information internally and with other departments or organizations.
Determine and create office procedures and routines.
May supervise and train other staff in procedures and in the use of current software.
May attend court, meetings or conferences to take notes, minutes and dictation.
May perform other general office work as required including preparing financial statements.

Sample job titles

corporate finance legal assistant
estate administrative assistant
labour law legal assistant
legal administrative assistant
legal assistant
legal secretary
litigation secretary
real estate administrative assistant
tax legal assistant

Skills

You need excellent grammar and communication skills. Accurate and fast typing speed is essential. You should have a working knowledge of computers, word processing software, and general office equipment. Interpersonal skills and the ability to work with others are important.

Job requirements

High school is usually required.
A one- or two-year college or other program for secretaries or legal secretaries is usually required.

Other considerations

None

By the numbers

Quick look

935

employed in 2016

87.1%

employed full-time

2.2%

self employed

98.4%

1.6%

47.6

median age

Compared to: All Business, Finance, and Administration

63,775

employed in 2016

78.4%

employed full-time

6.6%

self employed

73.4%

26.6%

47.9

median age

Where will I likely work?

55.4%

Halifax

$41,085 median annual income

16.7%

North Shore

$43,091 median annual income

11.3%

Annapolis Valley

$37,011 median annual income

9.1%

Cape Breton

$35,269 median annual income

7.5%

Southern

$38,982 median annual income

Compared to: All NS Occupations

47.0%

Halifax

15.6%

North Shore

12.9%

Annapolis Valley

12.7%

Cape Breton

11.8%

Southern

Top Industries of Employment

76.3%

Professional, scientific and technical services

18.3%

Public administration

3.0%

Real estate and rental and leasing

1.2%

Management of companies and enterprises

1.2%

Finance and insurance

What is the age of Employment?

26.0%

45-54

26.0%

55-64

20.0%

35-44

19.0%

25-34

6.0%

65+

4.0%

15-24

Compared to: All Business, Finance, and Administration

26.3%

45-54

22.6%

55-64

19.4%

35-44

16.7%

25-34

7.5%

65+

Top levels of education

56.5%

College Diploma

$41,426 median annual income

18.3%

Bachelor

$36,386 median annual income

15.1%

High school

$37,073 median annual income

4.3%

Diploma Below Bachelor

$48,372 median annual income

3.2%

Trade Certification

N/A

Compared to: All Business, Finance, and Administration

33.8%

College Diploma

$36,304 median annual income

23.8%

High school

$32,903 median annual income

22.8%

Bachelor

$41,755 median annual income

5.8%

Trade Certification

$34,807 median annual income

4.9%

Less than high school

$23,174 median annual income

Education & training

Legal Administrative Assistant

College, Trades, or University Program

These programs prepare students to serve as legal office managers, special assistants, and legal secretaries. They include courses in office management, secretarial science, principles of U. S. or Canadian law, legal terminology and documentation, legal research, legal software applications, law office procedures, record-keeping, billing, applicable policies and regulations, and professional standards and ethics.

Institutions providing this program

Eastern College - Halifax

Halifax, NS

Website

Centre for Distance Education

Sydney, NS

Website