LESSON 3: PROFESSIONALISM

PERSONAL TRAITS OF A LEGAL SECRETARY

So you’ve mastered the core skills of a legal secretary. How do you set yourself apart
as an in-demand secretarial professional in the legal field? The answer is learning
how to be a good legal secretary by going above and beyond to master these seven
important work traits.

Be Reliable
A legal secretary is the attorney’s right-hand person, so reliability is a crucial work
trait that will ensure success. This goes beyond showing up promptly. You might
occasionally find yourself called upon to stay at your desk long after other offices have
closed for the day.

Your attorney may have to appear in court first thing in the morning—with an orderly
file so he can put his hands on whatever he needs at trial without rummaging.

Make adjustments to your personal life, if necessary, to ensure that this doesn't
become a stressful problem and your office knows they can rely on you. Line up
emergency child care for these situations if you have kids. Put the phone number of
your favorite take-out restaurant on your phone so you can call on the fly when you
finally head home.

Be a Self-Starter
The most successful secretaries possess drive and initiative. They don't sit waiting for
an attorney's instructions or assignments; they stay on top of what needs to be
accomplished in any given time period. They anticipate their employer’s and clients'
needs. They're willing to step beyond their comfort zones to learn new skills that will
help keep the practice running smoothly.

Be Efficient
Efficiency translates to dollars in a law firm, a valuable work trait of any successful
legal secretary. It can yield cost-savings that your employer is sure to notice.
Secretaries who perform their jobs quickly and efficiently contribute to the bottom
line, making themselves indispensable.

Be Discrete
Legal secretaries handle confidential client files and data, so discretion is essential.
Disclosing confidential information, inadvertently or on purpose, is one of the
quickest ways to end your legal career. Just as you should leave your personal life at
the door when you arrive at work, leave work at work when you close the office door
behind you. Avoid rehashing your day with family members or friends. It's easy to slip
and say something you shouldn't.

Be Pleasant
This goes hand-in-hand with compassion. No one likes to work with a grumpy,
demanding, or negative employee. Secretaries who are friendly with co-workers and
courteous with clients go far in the workplace.

That client who's grappling with a serious problem will appreciate a calm smile, but
be prepared for anything and remember that you're probably meeting him at the
worst point in his life.

Keep smiling even if he's surly and rude. If he needs to be alone for a moment, offer
him coffee or a glass of water, then go get it for him. Patience is key. The secretary
who handles these issues with diplomacy and tact, smoothing over differences or
forging solutions, can become an invaluable member of the legal team.

Be Patient
Attorneys have high-pressure jobs that keep them extremely busy and dependent on
their assistants and secretaries. Like all workers, they bring with them certain work
habits and attitudes that may require patience. Some are chronic procrastinators.
Others are pretty sure they're always right, and some are woefully disorganized. An
ability to handle all personality types and work challenges with grace is a crucial work
trait of any successful secretary.
Be Compassionate
Though all of these work traits stand out as hallmarks of a successful legal secretary,
the most important might be compassion. Clients entrust your law firm with issues
that are fundamentally and critically important to their lives—something they feel so
strongly about they enlisted the help of a law firm.

Handle everything with this understanding and you might find yourself at the head of
the pack before you know it. Clients will appreciate it, and the attorneys you work for
will as well.

COMPETENCIES OF A LEGAL SECRETARY

Competency- in Filipino kakayahan
plural competencies
noun
com·pe·ten·cy | \ ˈkäm-pə-tən(t)-sē \
plural competencies
Definition of competency
1: COMPETENCE: such as
a: possession of sufficient knowledge or skill
b: legal authority, ability, or admissibility
2: a specific area of competence
Another meaning:
A competency is the capability to apply or use a set of related knowledge, skills, and abilities
required to successfully perform "critical work functions" or tasks in a defined work setting.
ARE SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES THE SAME?

The Difference Explained

A major difference between skills and competencies is one of scope. Competencies are
much broader than skills. Skills are specific to a task, while competencies incorporate
a set of skills with abilities and knowledge. Skills are just one of three facets that make
up a competency; the other two are knowledge and abilities.

Additionally, learning a new skill is typically quicker than learning a competency. You
can learn a skill in a relative short training class, however, a person develops
competencies over time through practice and experience.
Top 10 Key Competencies
1. Teamwork

Vital for the majority of careers, because teams that work well together are
more harmonious and more efficient.
Even if you work alone or remotely, it is still important that you are able to
communicate ideas and see the bigger picture of how your work will be used
by others in the organisation.
Being able to work well in a team shows that you value others, can show
empathy and have the maturity to realise that no work is standalone.
Employers will be assessing whether you are able to work with others
towards a common goal and graciously share credit.
Working in a team requires excellent communication skills and problem-
solving abilities, which you will need to demonstrate in any examples you
give. See below for further details on both those traits.

2. Responsibility

The ability to take on a certain level of responsibility is necessary for most

jobs. Candidates that are good at taking responsibility are comfortable
making decisions or taking ownership of their work.
At senior levels, the responsibility that an employee is expected to bear will
be greater, but even in entry-level roles, the recruiter will want to see
examples of how you have handled responsibilities in the past.
This will give them a good indication of how you work under stress, how you
resolve issues and your work ethic in general.

3. Commercial Awareness

An employer wants to know that you understand how their business works.
Only then can you really understand your role within it.
Most simply put, it is about staying up-to-date with your industry and
business in general. This includes marketing trends, customer
demographics, technical advances, and the successes and failures of
competitors.
To improve your commercial awareness, keep abreast of the latest industry
news and fully research your chosen company and its competitors.
Get as much work experience as you can, so you can demonstrate to an
employer that you understand the role.

4. Decision Making

An employer will want to see that you can make the best possible decisions
in the shortest amount of time, by gathering information, seeking opinions,
analysing all possibilities and coming up with an effective solution.
Decisions can often be very complex and the possible outcomes very serious,
so recruiters will examine whether you can explain the reasons behind your
decisions.

5. Communication

Excellent communication skills are essential in any role. What employers

really want to know is that you can convey information in a way that is
confident, professional and easy for others to understand, whatever their
level.
This might involve communicating information to colleagues, dealing with
customers or negotiating successful contracts.
Generally, employers are looking for good written
and verbal communication skills. Sometimes they will scrutinise your
presentation and listening skills too.
WikiJob also produces a psychometric tests app, available for both Apple
and Android, which includes 8 verbal tests, with a timer and worked
solutions.
6. Leadership

Leadership abilities are especially important if you are looking to progress

into a management position. Even if not, employers still want to see that you
are the type of person who can progress in their company and motivate
others.
Leadership will involve skills like delegating and setting deadlines, but it is
also about your leadership style. You will be assessed on how you
communicate with others, how you build relationships and how you handle
conflict.

7. Trustworthiness & Ethics

A person who is trustworthy and aligned with the ethics of the business will
build better relationships with existing staff members and enhance
teamworking efforts.
They will also be able to build real relationships with customers, who will
trust that they have their best interests at heart.
Demonstrate your trustworthiness by being honest and open in your
application, and show good moral judgement if asked about difficult
workplace scenarios.

8. Results Orientation

If a person is results-oriented they are focused on their goals and understand

the steps needed to achieve them. They will also have the motivation to see
projects through to fruition and motivate others to do the same.
Being results oriented is also about knowing how to set goals with steps that
are realistic and achievable whilst also being ambitious enough to increase
levels of motivation.
Demonstrate this competency by thinking of real-life examples of when you
stuck to a task despite overcoming problems, met a deadline or managed
budgets.
9. Problem Solving

It’s important to demonstrate that, when a problem arises, you are able to
stay calm under pressure, research possible causes, identify trends and
choose the most relevant solution.
You are going to encounter problems at work, and employers want to see
how you will deal with this. The more senior you are, the more problems you
will likely have to resolve.
For some roles, problem-solving is a key aspect, such as analysts, law
professionals and customer-service-based roles.

10. Organizational skills

In any business, being organized is highly prized. An employer will be

looking at how you achieve results by prioritizing workload, effective time
management, showing efficiency with resources available and monitoring
progress.