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The legal field offers a wealth of opportunities to those passionate about the law and everything that the legal system entails. Students who do not wish to delve deeper into the complexity of the legal world may choose to build a career in the same fast-paced and competitive field by becoming a legal secretary.
Legal professionals in this role often work with lawyers, judges, clients, and industry experts by performing administrative and secretarial support duties.
Fortunately, there are many legal secretary training courses that can help interested students prepare for the legal profession by acquiring practical and substantive legal knowledge. Through legal secretary training, they will be able to widen their opportunities for job enhancement and grow as professionals.
The Lowdown
Most of the online programs in legal secretary training require students to complete practical exercises, written assignments, and final exams. They will be covering a lot of relevant topics in the legal profession field, including legal terminologies, legal processes, pleadings, filing procedures, and more.
While an overwhelming number of legal secretary learning courses are offered on-campus, many paralegal programs that train future legal professionals are also available online.
Methodology
There are many institutions that offer Legal Secretary training courses, particularly those that offer these courses online. In choosing which one to enroll in, it is important to take a few things into consideration in order to find one that offers the most advantages, whether in terms of cost, length of the training period, and other particularities.
The courses featured in this list were selected based on the following criteria:
- Provides an adequate amount of Continuing Education Units (CEUs), which is the standard method of determining time spent on the course and the relative amount of training it provides,
- Features coursework that is accessible online and as much as possible, delivered in a self-paced manner that maximizes flexibility,
- Features a curriculum that covers the basics of performing the tasks of legal secretaries, as well as any advanced skillsets that go into supporting other members of legal teams,
- Offered at a reasonable cost, i.e., provides the right knowledge without sinking any student’s finances,
- Taught by reputable and experienced faculty members,
- Most of the courses are offered by regionally accredited institutions.
Know more about our ranking process. Visit our Methodology page.
10 Best Legal Secretarial Training Programs Online
The University of Arizona
Legal Secretary Training Course
The University of Arizona offers a Legal Secretary Training Course for those who are interested in acquiring specialized knowledge and skills that will help them work efficiently in a legal support role. The course is available fully online, allowing students to work at their own pace.
- Students enrolled in this program are expected to devote at least 8 hours every week to complete course activities, including assignments, exams, and discussions.
- The university’s Continuing & Professional Education will confer a certificate of completion for those who successfully finish the program.
- Students will also get a digital badge after the successful program completion.
What Makes This Program Unique:
This legal course offers multiple start dates, allowing students to finish the course at the most ideal time for them. Students usually finish the course in seven weeks.
Did You Know?
Students interested in this program will find financial aid options that will help them pay for their courses. One of the financial support provided is made possible by CLS by BARBRI, the leading continuing legal education company that brings legal learning to everyone.
Cal Poly Humboldt
Legal Secretary Certificate Online Course
Partnering with the Center for Legal Studies, the College of Extended Education & Global Engagement at Cal Poly Humboldt offers the Legal Secretary Certificate Online Course. This program is designed for both beginners and experts who want to improve their skills and work more efficiently in law office settings.
- The program introduces students to the theory of law, the legal process, and the nature of law practice.
- Students will also get the opportunity to discuss the law process along with specific legal terminologies.
- It is also part of the curriculum to learn the basics of legal research and proper citation format.
What Makes This Program Unique:
This course allows students to not only gain knowledge inside the classroom. They will also get to dip their toes into the actual work that legal secretaries fulfill, including exposure to actual court documents and preparing some of these documents themselves as part of their homework.
Did You Know?
Students will get to delve deep into the legal system and everything it entails in the course’s extensive curriculum. They will cover topics ranging from jurisdiction and venue to records management and memoranda preparation.
Purdue University Global
Online Legal Secretary Certificate
Students pursuing the legal field may want to consider earning an Online Legal Secretary Certificate at Purdue University Global. This online legal program is designed to teach students how to communicate effectively in a legal environment.
- Other areas of learning include analyzing law concepts, conducting legal research, producing written legal correspondence, and evaluating legal sources.
- Students are encouraged to explore the role of the paralegal when it comes to the civil litigation process and develop relevant skills for their role as legal secretaries, including the use of software applications.
What Makes This Program Unique:
The program is taught by experienced instructors who offer real-world expertise in legal services, law, and policy. The curriculum focuses on communication, ethical decision-making, critical thinking, theory and practice, and legal communication, among others.
Did You Know?
This online legal course will allow students who successfully completed the program to apply their qualified credits towards an associate’s or bachelor’s degree at Purdue University.
Liberty University
Online Legal Secretary Training
Liberty University offers an Online Legal Secretary Training course for those seeking to acquire competent training in preparation for a career as a legal secretary. The course is fully available online, making it easy for working professionals to complete it.
- The program focuses on equipping students with ample knowledge and skills that will help them manage the front end of a law office.
- It is also part of the curriculum for students to learn to use legal terminology effectively, manage projects in legal offices, and complete basic legal writing tasks.
What Makes This Program Unique:
This program requires no prerequisites, which means anyone with or without prior knowledge or training can complete this course.
Did You Know?
On top of the legal areas of study, students will also get to learn technical skills relevant to the modern world, including subjects in the curriculum such as Introduction to Excel, Introduction to Accounting, and Introduction to Quickbooks.
Penn Foster
Legal Secretary Training
The Legal Secretary Training offered at Penn Foster is ideal for those pursuing a rewarding, entry-level career in the legal field. This online Legal Secretary Diploma offers flexible online classes that work around one’s schedule.
- Students in this program will be prepared for jobs in various sectors, such as law firms, courthouses, and government agencies.
- This course encompasses topics relevant to the field, including records management, legal terminology, and legal writing.
What Makes This Program Unique:
This legal secretary course meets the National Association for Legal Support standards. This means students who are able to successfully complete the course will be eligible to sit for the Accredited Legal Professional certification exam.
Did You Know?
Students in this program have the opportunity to benefit from an optional work experience after completing the academic requirements, allowing them to gain hands-on experience in a real-world legal office setting.
UCLA Extension
Legal Secretary Training Program
The UCLA Extension Campus offers a Legal Secretary Training Program (LSTP), which is ideal for training students in performing key support roles as an administrative assistant or legal secretary.
- The course lasts as little as 11 weeks and is offered online.
- The course consists of a combination of practical exercises, written assignments, case studies, and a final exam.
- The course awards an equivalent of 5.0 CEUs.
What Makes This Program Unique:
The design of this program means it is suitable not only for those wanting to become legal secretaries but also for those interested in learning about general legal principles, as well as the typical law office structure and the litigation process.
Did You Know?
UCLA Extension also offers a Paralegal Studies Certificate program that is delivered 100% online.
Texas State University
Certified Legal Secretary
Texas State University offers a Certified Legal Secretary program that provides training on a broad base of knowledge that applies regardless of the type of law that may interest students.
- The course is 100% online and covers fundamentals on legal terminology, office procedures, and more.
- Students can start anytime and have 12 months to complete the course.
- The course includes training on the QuickBooks accounting software package.
What Makes This Program Unique:
This degree program is designed as a preparatory for students to take the Accredited Legal Professional (ALP) Exam that is offered by the National Association for Legal Support Professionals (NALS).
Did You Know?
Among its set of online Career Training Programs, Texas State University also offers a Court Reporter (Spanish/English) training course, as well as a Digital Court Reporting with Legal Transcription training course.
Stony Brook University
Legal Secretary Training Certificate
Stony Brook University offers a Legal Secretary Training course that is coordinated by their educational partner, The Center for Legal Studies.
- The course is accessible online, and features start dates at 8-week intervals.
- The course is designed as an intensive program that is suitable for both new and experienced secretaries who are interested in skills improvement.
What Makes This Program Unique:
With this course, students get to cover a lot of ground, including fundamental knowledge of key legal processes and terminology, legal communications and documents, administrative tasks like record-keeping and billing, and legal research.
Did You Know?
Stony Brook University also offers a LegalNurse™ Consultant Training Course, in addition to an Employment Law Certificate Course and a Paralegal Certificate Program.
University of Georgia
Legal Secretary Certificate
The University of Georgia, through its Center for Continuing Education, offers an online Legal Secretary Certificate program that suits both beginners and experienced legal secretaries.
- The program covers topics related to fundamental legal knowledge and key administrative tasks and skills.
- The program is 45 hours long and awards an equivalent of 4.5 CEUs. The program has a bi-monthly start date.
What Makes This Program Unique:
This degree program is designed to suit both beginning and experienced legal secretaries and includes advanced topics like database management, law office management, and more.
Did You Know?
The University of Georgia also offers training courses in the field of Legal Studies, which include eDiscovery for Paralegals, Alternative Legal Research and Writing, Victim Advocacy, and more.
St. Cloud State University
Legal Secretary Certificate
St. Cloud State University offers a Legal Secretary Certificate, an accelerated program that is ideal for both experienced and beginning legal secretaries, and covers a wide range of topics central to legal secretaries’ set of key roles.
- The legal secretary program is online and lasts around seven weeks.
- As an accelerated course, students are expected to spend an average of at least 8 hours per week working on reading and writing assignments.
What Makes This Program Unique:
This program is 100% online and self-paced so that students can access their coursework at the most convenient times. This and other legal-related courses are coordinated through the Center for Legal Studies, one of the most highly respected legal education institutions in the country.
Did You Know?
St. Cloud State University’s Center for Continuing Studies offers a whole range of personal and professional courses that can be taken entirely online, ranging from web development to accounting and management and other legal-related courses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Legal Secretaries the same as Paralegals?
While they are fundamentally part of the same legal teams and require some similar skill sets and fundamental legal knowledge, both play different roles.
In a nutshell, while Legal Secretaries perform office management and day-to-day administrative roles, Paralegals have more involved roles in case preparation, including conducting legal research as well as assisting lawyers during trials.
Legal Secretaries take on tasks that assist both lawyers and paralegals and free them up to enable them to better perform their most crucial tasks.
Is a Legal Secretarial training program worth it?
Students passionate about the law office structure and the ins and outs of the litigation process will find online programs in legal secretary training a valuable pursuit.
This program will help prepare them to become an important part of a legal team, enhancing their opportunities for career advancement and allowing them to grow as legal administrative assistants and pursue similar professions in the legal field.
Some of the job positions this legal secretary certificate program can lead to include that of legal administrative assistant, paralegal, and legal secretary, among others whose work involves legal documents.
Summary Points
Legal Secretary training courses are typically short courses that last several weeks. These courses are different from full-blown paralegal programs, which prepare students to become Paralegals, another key member of a typical legal team.
A typical Legal Secretary training program covers the core skillsets that are required in the day-to-day administration and support of law offices and legal teams. These tasks can range from document preparation and filing to data management and more.
Additional Information:
