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Legal administrative assistants

OaSIS code 13111.00

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

Overview

Also known as

  • Administrative assistant - legal
  • Corporate law legal assistant
  • Legal assistant
  • Legal assistant - criminal law
  • Legal secretary
  • Litigation legal assistant
  • Litigation secretary
  • Real estate secretary

Main duties

This group performs some or all of the following duties:

  • Prepare and key in correspondence and legal documents, such as deeds, wills, affidavits and briefs, from handwritten copy, shorthand and machine dictation using computers
  • Review and proofread documents and correspondence to ensure compliance with legal procedures and grammatical usage
  • Schedule appointments, meetings and conferences for employer
  • Set up and maintain filing systems, utilizing 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 establish 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.

Additional information

No data has been provided for this section.

Similar occupations classified elsewhere

Exclusions:

  • Paralegals and related occupations (42200)

NOC hierarchy breakdown

NOC version

NOC 2021 Version 1.0

Broad occupational category

1 – Business, finance and administration occupations

TEER

3 – Occupations usually require a college diploma or apprenticeship training of less than two years; or more than six months of on-the-job training

Major group

13 – Administrative occupations and transportation logistics occupations

Sub-major group

131 – Administrative occupations

Minor group

1311 – Office administrative assistants - general, legal and medical

Unit group

13111 – Legal administrative assistants

Occupational profile

13111.00 – Legal administrative assistants

Work characteristics

Work characteristics gathers the various components describing the work environment of each occupation, such as employers, work activities, and the work context. Each category displays up to 10 descriptors in descending order based, firstly, on their attributed ratings by the level of complexity (for Work Activities) or other measurement dimensions (for Work Context), and secondly, in alphabetical order. The whole list of descriptors and their ratings can be expanded at the bottom of each page.

Work Activities

Proficiency or complexity level
Clerical Activities
3 - Moderate Level
Communicating with Coworkers
3 - Moderate Level
Communicating with Persons Outside Organization
3 - Moderate Level
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others
3 - Moderate Level
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
3 - Moderate Level

Work Context

Structural Job Characteristics

Structured versus Unstructured Work
Degree of freedom to determine tasks and priorities
2 - Low amount of freedom
Work Week Duration
Worked hours in a typical week
2 - Between 35 to 40 hours

Physical Work Environment

Physical Proximity
Physical distance from others
3 - Somewhat close (e.g. share office)

Physical Demands

Sitting
Duration
5 - All the time, or almost all the time
Standing
Duration
0 – Not applicable
Bending or Twisting the Body
Duration
1 - Very little time

Interpersonal Relations

Contact with Others
Frequency
4 - Every day, a few times per day
Duration
5 - All the time, or almost all the time
Work with Work Group or Team
Importance
4 - Highly important
Frequency
5 - Every day, almost continuously

Workplaces/employers

  • All levels of government
  • Federal courts
  • Land title offices
  • Law office
  • Legal departments of large firms
  • Municipal courts
  • Provincial or territorial courts
  • Real estate firms

Skills and abilities

This section displays the various competencies required for an occupation. Each category displays up to 10 descriptors in descending order based, firstly, on their attributed ratings by the level of proficiency (for Skills and Abilities) or importance (for Personal Attributes) and secondly, in alphabetical order. The whole list of descriptors and their ratings can be expanded at the bottom of each page.

Abilities

Proficiency or complexity level
Speech Recognition
4 - High Level
Near Vision
3 - Moderate Level
Verbal Ability
3 - Moderate Level
Written Comprehension
3 - Moderate Level
Written Expression
3 - Moderate Level

Skills

Proficiency or complexity level
Oral Communication: Active Listening
3 - Moderate Level
Oral Communication: Oral Comprehension
3 - Moderate Level
Reading Comprehension
3 - Moderate Level
Time Management
3 - Moderate Level
Writing
3 - Moderate Level

Personal Attributes

Importance
Attention to Detail
5 - Extremely important
Adaptability
4 - Highly important
Collaboration
4 - Highly important
Stress Tolerance
4 - Highly important
Active Learning
3 - Important

Interests

The OaSIS uses the Holland Codes to describe the work-related interests. According to the Holland model, people work best in work environments that match their preferences, which means that people and work environments can be matched for a best fit. Occupational environments in Holland’s theory are described according to a combination of main interests and the activities they represent. There are six interests in the Holland typology: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising and Conventional. All occupations in OaSIS have up to three interests assigned to them.

Interests

Preferences for work environments and outcomes.

Interests profile: CEI

Conventional (C)

Conventional occupations are characterized by the dominance of activities that entail following sets of procedures and routines. These activities may include systematic manipulation of data, such as keeping records, filing materials, reproducing materials, organizing written and numerical data according to a prescribed plan, and operating business and data processing. They often require following a clear line of authority and usually involve working with data and details more than with ideas.

Enterprising (E)

Enterprising occupations are characterized by the dominance of action-oriented activities to attain organizational or self-interest goals. They frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects, influencing, leading or mobilizing people, making decisions, and sometimes require risk taking and dealing with business.

Investigative (I)

Investigative occupations are characterized by the dominance of activities that entail the observation and systematic or creative investigation of physical, biological, or cultural phenomena. These occupations require an extensive amount of thinking and frequently involve working with ideas, searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Employment requirements

Employment requirements includes the education, training, certifications and the knowledge required to work in each occupation. The Knowledge category displays up to 10 descriptors in descending order based, firstly, on their attributed ratings by the level of proficiency, and secondly, in alphabetical order. The whole list of Knowledge descriptors and their ratings can be expanded at the bottom of each page.

Education, certification and licensing

  • Completion of secondary school is usually required.
  • Completion of a one- or two-year college or other program for secretaries or legal secretaries is usually required.

Knowledge

Knowledge level
Clerical
3 - Advanced Level
Law
2 - Intermediate Level
Business Management
1 - Basic Level
Client Service
1 - Basic Level
Human Resources and Labour relations
1 - Basic Level

Skills for success

 
Skills for Success Model
 
Skills for Success are skills that help you in a quickly changing world. Everyone benefits from having these skills. They can help you to get a job, progress at your current job or even change jobs. The skills also help you become an active member of your community and succeed in learning.
 
 
Linkages Between ESDC Skills Models and Frameworks
 
ESDC makes available a dictionary of over 300 terms (or descriptors) and definitions, known as the Skills and Competencies Taxonomy (SCT). Descriptor information from the Taxonomy is used in the Occupational and Skills Information System (OaSIS).
 
While there is general commonality of meaning between the descriptors in the SCT and the Skills for Success model, there are some differences in their definitions due to their distinct purposes. The Skills for Success Model [9 broadly defined skills] identifies the skills that are universally applicable. The SCT displays specific skills and competency requirements for 900 occupations. Users of the Skills for Success Model and Essential Skills content may find competency information from the Taxonomy and the OaSIS to be complementary.
 
Stay tuned to this section for more information and updates regarding linkages between the Skills for Success model and the OaSIS.

O*NET in-it

This page includes information from the O*NET 27.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Employment and Social Development Canada has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

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