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Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in Illinois

Thinking about a career as a Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in Illinois? Below are the key facts. Perform secretarial duties using legal terminology, procedures, and documents. Prepare legal papers and correspondence, such as summonses, complaints, motions, and subpoenas. May also assist with legal research.

What do Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Make in Illinois?

For a legal secretaries and administrative assistants working in Illinois, wages run about $58,070 per year (or roughly $27.92/hour).Pay can range from $39,140 at the 10th percentile to $100,370 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$39,140	$18.82
25th percentile	$46,610	$22.41
Median (50th)	$58,070	$27.92
75th percentile	$66,990	$32.21
90th percentile	$100,370	$48.25

The location quotient — a measure of how concentrated this occupation is in Illinois relative to the national average — is 1.46, meaning that legal secretaries and administrative assistants are more concentrated here than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, legal secretaries and administrative assistants earn a median of $55,524 per year ($26.69/hour), higher than the Illinois median.

Employment Outlook

There are roughly 730,280 legal secretaries and administrative assistants nationwide. In Illinois alone, about 8,860 people work in this role. That puts the state above the typical state, which employs around 1,450 legal secretaries and administrative assistants.

Top Illinois Metros for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

These are the Illinois metros with the most legal secretaries and administrative assistants in Illinois.

Metro Area	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	7,020	$60,100
Peoria, IL	170	$46,840
Rockford, IL	160	$45,550
Springfield, IL	150	$46,660
Bloomington, IL	120	$45,930
Champaign-Urbana, IL	100	$44,120
Decatur, IL	30	$43,610

Top States for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Employment

View the states that employ the most legal secretaries and administrative assistants work.

State	Number Employed
California	23,960
New York	15,430
Florida	10,970
Texas	9,900
Illinois	8,860
Pennsylvania	6,440
Ohio	5,170
North Carolina	4,460
Washington	4,090
New Jersey	3,910
Massachusetts	3,880
Tennessee	3,440
Arizona	3,320
Michigan	3,070
Virginia	2,800
Louisiana	2,790
Minnesota	2,500
Indiana	2,400
Puerto Rico	2,350
Missouri	2,320

Highest-Paying States for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

These states pay the most for legal secretaries and administrative assistants.

State	Annual Median Salary
District of Columbia	$101,170
New York	$74,400
Delaware	$63,740
Maryland	$63,110
Rhode Island	$61,970
Connecticut	$61,440
Massachusetts	$61,440
California	$61,320
Minnesota	$61,300
New Jersey	$60,400

Skills

Top legal secretaries and administrative assistants skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Important knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Abilities

Top abilities for legal secretaries and administrative assistants, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Daily Tasks

Day-to-day, legal secretaries and administrative assistants typically:

• Organize and maintain law libraries, documents, and case files.
• Mail, fax, or arrange for delivery of legal correspondence to clients, witnesses, and court officials.
• Prepare and distribute invoices to bill clients or pay account expenses.
• Prepare, proofread, or process legal documents, such as summonses, subpoenas, complaints, appeals, motions, or pretrial agreements.
• Make photocopies of correspondence, documents, and other printed matter.
• Assist attorneys in collecting information such as employment, medical, and other records.
• Complete various forms, such as accident reports, trial and courtroom requests, and applications for clients.
• Receive and place telephone calls.
• Schedule and make appointments.
• Draft and type office memos.
• Submit articles and information from searches to attorneys for review and approval for use.
• Make travel arrangements for attorneys.

Work Activities

• Performing Administrative Activities
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Working with Computers
• Processing Information
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
• Documenting/Recording Information
• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
• Analyzing Data or Information
• Getting Information
• Scheduling Work and Activities
• Communicating with People Outside the Organization

Tools & Technology

Technologies frequently used: Hot technologies: Adobe Acrobat, Intuit QuickBooks In-demand technologies: Microsoft Excel

Related Careers

Careers similar to legal secretaries and administrative assistants include:

• Compliance Officers
• Lawyers
• Judicial Law Clerks
• Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers
• Paralegals and Legal Assistants
• Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners

Also Known As

Accredited Legal Secretary, Certified Legal Secretary Specialist, Confidential Secretary, Law Firm Administrator, Law Office Assistant, Law Secretary, Legal Administrative Assistant (Legal Admin Assistant), Legal Administrator (Legal Admin), Legal Coordinator, Legal Executive Assistant (Legal Exec Assistant), Legal Management Assistant, Legal Office Support Assistant, Legal Practice Assistant, Legal Receptionist, Legal Secretary.

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
• O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
• BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
• O*NET-SOC code: 43-6012.00