A place for legal office professionals to share their experiences with legal administrative assistant students at South Central College. Feel free to comment on posts. We'd love to hear from professionals from all over the country.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Personal Characteristics
What personal characteristics do you think are required to be a successful legal administrative assistant?
Be flexible; sense of humor; common sense; good work ethic (work harder than the attorneys you assist, be on time); do your best every day (if you screw up today, acknowledge it, apologize, learn from it, let it go, and start fresh tomorrow); willingness to help others; stay focused; don't let other people's bad moods affect you personally (it really has nothing to do with you); be appropriate and respectful toward co-workers, clients, and opposing attorneys both inside and outside the office; think before you speak; be compassionate; be willing to do independent study to gain more knowledge about your profession. Take some initiative, don't be afraid to ask questions or make suggestions if you think there might be a better way to do something. Don't come to work with a hangover, and don't bring your personal problems to work. Be at your desk, with your computer on, ready to start wort at 8:00 or whatever time your office starts work. Be mindful of your behavior outside of the office. You never know when you will run into a client out in public. Remember that confidentiality is imperative. Dress appropriately and professionally - (my personal opinion is no short skirts, no low-cut or tight tops, no visible body piercings other than ear lobes, no visible tatoos.
If a co-worker asked you to get coffee, can you say no. That is one of my pet peeves. If he or she has a problem with that, I would say you are fully capable of doing it yourself. But I've heard secretaries do that for others. Is that one of their duties or do people higher up don't bother with little things like get their own coffee.
Joy, I have never had a "peer" or non-attorney aske me to bring them coffee, but I would do that if they had a broken foot or some problem that they could not get for themselves. If an attorney makes that request, we honor it. The attorneys usually get their own drinks here unless they are very busy or with a client. We always offer our clients and guests a refreshment. If the receptionist is able to leave her desk then she takes care of it. If not, then she will ask one of the staff to do it. The attorneys always make another offer to the client and will usually get the drink themselves or ask their assistant to do that.
Susan H. has answered this question perfectly. I just want to emphasize the "take some initiate." The secretaries who stand out are the ones who anticipate what their attorney needs and finding better ways to help the attorney serve his/her clients.
I think patience with both clients and co-workers will go a long way. You spend a great deal of time with both and being patient can really make your job a lot more enjoyable.
Also, compation - you are dealing with people in very tough life situations (divorce, injury), and it is always better to try to put yourself in their shoes and try to understand what they are going through.
As for the request to get coffee, etc., I have never been asked by a co-worker to do so, but I would do it if asked - treat others like you would like to be treated. We often get coffee for clients and at times, attorneys.
Be on time, know how to use a computer, figure tasks out on your own, presentable, sense of humor, willing to handle tasks you not sure how to do and learn from them. Be respectful and courteous, come to work ready and prepared, stay focused, don’t let something that bothered you yesterday effect you today. Have a good attitude and a good mind set. Ask questions or suggest your opinion, don’t be afraid to make mistakes, just make sure you learn from them. Always do what you are told; be at your computer when you are suppose to. Don’t let you personal problems interfere with work, when you walk through those doors leave everything else behind you. Dress appropriately and professional, no low cut v-neck tank tops, short skirts or shirts.
I ask a lot of questions if I am not sure how I am supposed to do something. Mostly when I first start a new job and am not familiar with things. I just like to make sure that I do it right the first time. Do you think this is a bad trait to have in this field, since it appears to be so fast paced?
Kate, It is good to ask questions of more experienced staff members in your office if they are available to you. Take good notes so you can refer to those the next time you have that task. It is also okay to try to do it yourself and then ask someone else to review it with you to make sure it is correct and thank them for their time. People don't mind answering questions as long as you are learning as you go, and don't depend on them to tell you how to do everything without trying to figure some things out for yourself.
8 comments:
Be flexible; sense of humor; common sense; good work ethic (work harder than the attorneys you assist, be on time); do your best every day (if you screw up today, acknowledge it, apologize, learn from it, let it go, and start fresh tomorrow); willingness to help others; stay focused; don't let other people's bad moods affect you personally (it really has nothing to do with you); be appropriate and respectful toward co-workers, clients, and opposing attorneys both inside and outside the office; think before you speak; be compassionate; be willing to do independent study to gain more knowledge about your profession. Take some initiative, don't be afraid to ask questions or make suggestions if you think there might be a better way to do something. Don't come to work with a hangover, and don't bring your personal problems to work. Be at your desk, with your computer on, ready to start wort at 8:00 or whatever time your office starts work. Be mindful of your behavior outside of the office. You never know when you will run into a client out in public. Remember that confidentiality is imperative. Dress appropriately and professionally - (my personal opinion is no short skirts, no low-cut or tight tops, no visible body piercings other than ear lobes, no visible tatoos.
If a co-worker asked you to get coffee, can you say no. That is one of my pet peeves. If he or she has a problem with that, I would say you are fully capable of doing it yourself. But I've heard secretaries do that for others. Is that one of their duties or do people higher up don't bother with little things like get their own coffee.
Joy, I have never had a "peer" or non-attorney aske me to bring them coffee, but I would do that if they had a broken foot or some problem that they could not get for themselves. If an attorney makes that request, we honor it. The attorneys usually get their own drinks here unless they are very busy or with a client. We always offer our clients and guests a refreshment. If the receptionist is able to leave her desk then she takes care of it. If not, then she will ask one of the staff to do it. The attorneys always make another offer to the client and will usually get the drink themselves or ask their assistant to do that.
Susan H. has answered this question perfectly. I just want to emphasize the "take some initiate." The secretaries who stand out are the ones who anticipate what their attorney needs and finding better ways to help the attorney serve his/her clients.
I think patience with both clients and co-workers will go a long way. You spend a great deal of time with both and being patient can really make your job a lot more enjoyable.
Also, compation - you are dealing with people in very tough life situations (divorce, injury), and it is always better to try to put yourself in their shoes and try to understand what they are going through.
As for the request to get coffee, etc., I have never been asked by a co-worker to do so, but I would do it if asked - treat others like you would like to be treated. We often get coffee for clients and at times, attorneys.
Be on time, know how to use a computer, figure tasks out on your own, presentable, sense of humor, willing to handle tasks you not sure how to do and learn from them. Be respectful and courteous, come to work ready and prepared, stay focused, don’t let something that bothered you yesterday effect you today. Have a good attitude and a good mind set. Ask questions or suggest your opinion, don’t be afraid to make mistakes, just make sure you learn from them. Always do what you are told; be at your computer when you are suppose to. Don’t let you personal problems interfere with work, when you walk through those doors leave everything else behind you. Dress appropriately and professional, no low cut v-neck tank tops, short skirts or shirts.
I ask a lot of questions if I am not sure how I am supposed to do something. Mostly when I first start a new job and am not familiar with things. I just like to make sure that I do it right the first time. Do you think this is a bad trait to have in this field, since it appears to be so fast paced?
Kate, It is good to ask questions of more experienced staff members in your office if they are available to you. Take good notes so you can refer to those the next time you have that task. It is also okay to try to do it yourself and then ask someone else to review it with you to make sure it is correct and thank them for their time. People don't mind answering questions as long as you are learning as you go, and don't depend on them to tell you how to do everything without trying to figure some things out for yourself.
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