Legal Secretary

Arnold & Porter; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 96,000; Full time

Job summary

Arnold & Porter in Boston, MA, seeks an experienced Legal Secretary to provide high-level administrative and legal support to attorneys and practice teams in our Boston office. The role is fast-paced, detail-oriented, and focused on delivering outstanding client service.

The ideal candidate will prepare and format legal documents, manage attorney workflows, assist with prebills and billing, coordinate travel, time entries, and maintain filing systems while upholding confidentiality and

Qualifications

• High school diploma required; associate's or bachelor's degree preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of legal secretarial experience in a law firm or professional services.
• Typing proficiency of 60+ words per minute.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and document management systems.
• Experience with legal technology platforms and applications, including iManage, Emburse, DTE Time Entry, or similar systems.
• Experience using ChatGPT, Copilot, and/or Claude.
• Thorough understanding of legal terminology, legal documentation, and court filing procedures, including electronic filings.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational and project management abilities with a keen attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and adapt to changing demands.
• Demonstrated commitment to confidentiality, professionalism, and sound judgment.
• Proven ability to deliver superior client service to both internal and external clients.
• Flexibility to work additional hours when business needs require.

Responsibilities

• Preparing, editing, proofreading, and formatting legal documents, correspondence, agreements, pleadings, motions, subpoenas, contracts, and other legal materials.
• Managing attorney workflow, priorities, and deadlines while serving as a trusted resource and partner.
• Collaborating closely with attorneys, colleagues, and the ARC to provide seamless support.
• Assisting with client billing activities, including reviewing and editing prebills and coordinating with the Billing Department.
• Opening new client matters and coordinating requests for client files and records through Information Governance.
• Coordinating domestic and international travel arrangements through the firm's approved travel provider.
• Entering, reviewing, and finalizing attorney time entries in accordance with firm procedures.
• Maintaining both electronic and physical filing systems, ensuring documents are accurately organized and stored.
• Coordinating meetings, conferences, client visits, and special events, including conference room reservations, catering, technology support, and Outlook invitations.
• Managing calendars, appointments, phone communications, contact lists, and routine correspondence.
• Providing transcription and dictation support as needed.
• Organizing incoming mail and ensuring timely routing of documents and communications.
• Processing expense reports, invoices, and accounts payable submissions.
• Managing original legal documents, deposition transcripts, and records with accuracy and confidentiality.
• Converting and formatting documents across multiple platforms, including Word, PDF, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Supporting attorneys and practice teams with a variety of administrative and project-based requests.

Skills

Typing 60+ wpm

Strong communication

Organization

Multitasking

Client service

Education

High school diploma required

Associate's or bachelor's degree preferred

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

PowerPoint

Outlook

iManage

Emburse

DTE Time Entry

ChatGPT

Copilot

Claude

Job description

Join one of the world's leading law firms and become an integral part of a collaborative team that supports exceptional legal work for sophisticated clients. Arnold & Porter is seeking an experienced Legal Secretary to provide high-level administrative and legal support to attorneys and practice teams in our Boston office.

This is an exciting opportunity for a proactive, detail-oriented professional who thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys building strong relationships, and takes pride in delivering outstanding client service.

As a Legal Secretary, you will play a critical role in ensuring attorneys can focus on delivering exceptional legal work while you manage the administrative and operational details that keep matters moving forward.

Key Responsibilities

• Preparing, editing, proofreading, and formatting legal documents, correspondence, agreements, pleadings, motions, subpoenas, contracts, and other legal materials.
• Managing attorney workflow, priorities, and deadlines while serving as a trusted resource and partner.
• Collaborating closely with attorneys, colleagues, and the Attorney Resource Center (ARC) to provide seamless support.
• Assisting with client billing activities, including reviewing and editing prebills and coordinating with the Billing Department.
• Opening new client matters and coordinating requests for client files and records through the firm's Information Governance team.
• Coordinating domestic and international travel arrangements through the firm's approved travel provider.
• Entering, reviewing, and finalizing attorney time entries in accordance with firm procedures.
• Maintaining both electronic and physical filing systems, ensuring documents are accurately organized and stored.
• Coordinating meetings, conferences, client visits, and special events, including conference room reservations, catering, technology support, and Outlook invitations.
• Managing calendars, appointments, phone communications, contact lists, and routine correspondence.
• Providing transcription and dictation support as needed.
• Organizing incoming mail and ensuring timely routing of documents and communications.
• Processing expense reports, invoices, and accounts payable submissions.
• Managing original legal documents, deposition transcripts, and records with accuracy and confidentiality.
• Converting and formatting documents across multiple platforms, including Word, PDF, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Supporting attorneys and practice teams with a variety of administrative and project-based requests.

The ideal candidate is a highly organized professional who combines strong technical skills with exceptional judgment, professionalism, and client service.

Qualifications

• High school diploma required; associate's or bachelor's degree preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of legal secretarial experience in a law firm or professional services environment.
• Typing proficiency of 60+ words per minute.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and document management systems.
• Experience with legal technology platforms and applications, including iManage, Emburse, DTE Time Entry, or similar systems.
• Experience using ChatGBT, Copilot, and/or Claude.
• Thorough understanding of legal terminology, legal documentation, and court filing procedures, including electronic filings.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational and project management abilities with a keen attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and adapt to changing demands.
• Demonstrated commitment to confidentiality, professionalism, and sound judgment.
• Proven ability to deliver superior client service to both internal and external clients.
• Flexibility to work additional hours when business needs require.

At Arnold & Porter, you'll work alongside talented professionals in a collaborative, inclusive, and intellectually stimulating environment. We value teamwork, excellence, and innovation while providing opportunities for professional growth and development. Your contributions will have a direct impact on the success of our attorneys, our clients, and our firm.

The anticipated base salary for this position is $70,000 to $96,000. The actual base salary offered will depend on a variety of factors, including without limitation, the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and if applicable, the location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will be performing the job.

As a nonexempt position, this position is eligible for overtime.

The firm may provide a discretionary bonus annually.