Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

Office and Administrative Support Occupations

O*NET-SOC code: 43-6012.00

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.

Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Very high· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery high
Group-level value
Scale, basis and source
Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)
831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band
Source dataset (XLSX download)
Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03
0.000
0.000Range of values carried here0.745
Scale, basis and source
Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published
Mapped onto O*NET tasks
Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value
Source dataset (CSV download)
Data source: ILOPublished: 2025
0.55
0.09Range of values carried here0.70
Group-level value
Scale, basis and source
Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published
Published per ISCO-08 unit group. Linked to this occupation, wholly or in part, by applying U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC) as published
Source dataset (PDF download)

What kind of figure this source publishes

The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.

Task-level exposure

Show 8 hidden tasks

14 rated tasks · 14 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (100.0%)

β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.

Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
All rated tasks are in the O*NET 31.0 task list.

Source: OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
Release: gh-main-0471612
License: MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI

Tasks of O*NET-SOC 2010 occupation 43-6012.00 Legal Secretaries, linked to this occupation by the O*NET-SOC 2010 to 2019 crosswalk

Task (O*NET 20.1)	Claude.aiRaw / share %	APIRaw / share %
Prepare and process legal documents and papers, such as summonses, subpoenas, complaints, appeals, motions, and pretrial agreements. 43-6012.00	0.010746.7	—0
Schedule and make appointments. 43-6012.00	0.007030.6	0.009438.7
Review legal publications and perform database searches to identify laws and court decisions relevant to pending cases. 43-6012.00	0.002711.8	0.003313.6
Organize and maintain law libraries, documents, and case files. 43-6012.00	0.002510.9	0.002811.5
Prepare and distribute invoices to bill clients or pay account expenses.	—0	0.008736.2

Values in this tab are predicted labels, not observations. Eloundou et al. (2023) published two rating regimes — human raters and GPT-4 — and the β shown here is derived from the GPT-4 rater basis alone; the same task can take a different value under the other regime. The unit and the meaning differ from the observed shares (%) in the other tabs, so do not place them on the same axis.

Task (O*NET 27.2)	βE1 + 0.5 × E2
Mail, fax, or arrange for delivery of legal correspondence to clients, witnesses, and court officials. O*NET Task ID 764	1.0
Draft and type office memos. O*NET Task ID 771	1.0
Complete various forms, such as accident reports, trial and courtroom requests, and applications for clients. O*NET Task ID 774	1.0
Prepare and distribute invoices to bill clients or pay account expenses. O*NET Task ID 18780	1.0
Prepare, proofread, or process legal documents, such as summonses, subpoenas, complaints, appeals, motions, or pretrial agreements. O*NET Task ID 21078	1.0
Receive and place telephone calls. O*NET Task ID 765	0.5
Schedule and make appointments. O*NET Task ID 766	0.5
Make photocopies of correspondence, documents, and other printed matter. O*NET Task ID 767	0.5
Organize and maintain law libraries, documents, and case files. O*NET Task ID 768	0.5
Assist attorneys in collecting information such as employment, medical, and other records. O*NET Task ID 769	0.5
Attend legal meetings, such as client interviews, hearings, or depositions, and take notes. O*NET Task ID 770	0.5
Review legal publications and perform database searches to identify laws and court decisions relevant to pending cases. O*NET Task ID 772	0.5
Submit articles and information from searches to attorneys for review and approval for use. O*NET Task ID 773	0.5
Make travel arrangements for attorneys. O*NET Task ID 21079	0.5
Show 4 more tasks ▾Show less ▴

β = E1 + 0.5 × E2 · E1 = tasks where direct LLM access alone cuts time by at least 50%, E2 = tasks where software built on top of an LLM cuts time by at least 50%. Values take only 0 / 0.5 / 1.0.

Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Anthropic Economic Index, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page

All O*NET 31.0 task statements (14)

All O*NET 31.0 task statements for this occupation (English, as published; task type core or supplemental). Exposure values are not listed here; they are in the table above, next to each task statement as worded in the O*NET version each source used.

Task (O*NET 31.0)	Type
Mail, fax, or arrange for delivery of legal correspondence to clients, witnesses, and court officials.	Core
Receive and place telephone calls.	Core
Schedule and make appointments.	Core
Make photocopies of correspondence, documents, and other printed matter.	Core
Organize and maintain law libraries, documents, and case files.	Core
Assist attorneys in collecting information such as employment, medical, and other records.	Core
Draft and type office memos.	Core
Complete various forms, such as accident reports, trial and courtroom requests, and applications for clients.	Core
Prepare and distribute invoices to bill clients or pay account expenses.	Core
Prepare, proofread, or process legal documents, such as summonses, subpoenas, complaints, appeals, motions, or pretrial agreements.	Core
Attend legal meetings, such as client interviews, hearings, or depositions, and take notes.	Supplemental
Review legal publications and perform database searches to identify laws and court decisions relevant to pending cases.	Supplemental
Submit articles and information from searches to attorneys for review and approval for use.	Supplemental
Make travel arrangements for attorneys.	Supplemental

Anthropic, "What work can robots do?"2026-09

0.25/ 3· Robot exposure index

0 none3 unstructured settings

Scale, basis and source

Each physical task is graded 0–3 by the setting in which robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated could do it (0 none · 1 purpose-built robot settings such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line · 2 structured facilities such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port · 3 unstructured settings such as a private home or a construction site), and the grades are averaged by share of working time

Physical tasks among this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks

Anthropic estimated the grades and time shares with Claude Opus 5 using web search, as of 2026.

Source dataset

The robot exposure index is a different measure from the AI exposure figures on this site and cannot be added to or compared with them. It does not measure actual adoption or cost, and 0 also covers occupations with no physical tasks.

Tier of each physical task

Robot environment tiers (E0–E3)

E0 noneDetails
Rated not doable by robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated, even in a purpose-built setting
E1 purpose-built robot settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting built around the machine, such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line
E2 structured facilitiesDetails
Rated doable in a human work facility that an institution keeps to a working standard, such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port
E3 unstructured settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting that no institution keeps to a working standard, such as a private home or a construction site

Only tasks classified as physical are listed; other tasks have no tier in the source.

Task (O*NET 29.3)	Robot environment tier
Mail, fax, or arrange for delivery of legal correspondence to clients, witnesses, and court officials.	E1 purpose-built robot settings
Make photocopies of correspondence, documents, and other printed matter.	E1 purpose-built robot settings
Organize and maintain law libraries, documents, and case files.	E1 purpose-built robot settings

Employment outlook (BLS)

Employment, 2025: 158K
Projected employment, 2035: 149K
Change (2025–35): -5.2%
Median annual wage, 2025: $55,570
Typical education needed for entry: High school diploma or equivalent

lowest $30,890median wage across 825 detailed occupations, BLS EP 2025–35highest $559,030

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 — Employment by detailed occupation, 2025 and projected 2035

Korea classification links (KSCO)

Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.

KSCO code	KSCO title	Relation	Status
35111	법무 사무원	This occupation is narrower	confirmed
35112	특허 사무원	Related, not a match	confirmed

Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)

ILO occupational description

AI Changing Work links the ISCO-08 unit groups below to this occupation by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (2018 SOC to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to ISCO-08) as published, without case-by-case selection; each link may be whole or partial.

ISCO-08 3342Legal Secretaries

The definition, tasks and examples below are the ILO's description of that unit group, not of this occupation.

Legal secretaries apply specialized knowledge of legal terminology and procedures in providing support to legal professionals with communication, documentation and internal managerial co-ordination activities, in law offices, legal departments of large firms and governments.

Tasks

(a) preparing and processing legal documents and papers, such as deeds, wills, affidavits and briefs;
(b) reviewing and proofreading documents and correspondence to ensure compliance with legal procedures;
(c) mailing, faxing or arranging for delivery of legal correspondence to clients, witnesses and court officials;
(d) organizing and maintaining documents, case files and law libraries;
(e) screening requests for meetings, and scheduling and organizing meetings;
(f) assisting in the preparation of budgets, monitoring of expenditures, drafting of contracts and purchasing or acquisition orders;
(g) supervising the work of office support workers.

Example occupations

Legal practice manager · Legal secretary

Sources: ILO ISCO-08 — details: Credits

ESCO occupational vocabulary

Each entry below is matched to this occupation in the published ESCO-O*NET Crosswalk (version 1, 2022). The match types are that crosswalk's; the wording is AI Changing Work's.

legal administrative assistantESCO 3342.2Same scope
Legal administrative assistants carry out the daily administrative activities of firms, offices of notaries public, and companies. They perform activities such as writing mails, phone-answering and typing/keyboarding. They combine these activities with specific knowledge and understanding of the procedures and codes managed in legal business affairs.
legal assistantESCO 3411.7Overlapping, not the same
Legal assistants work closely together with lawyers and legal representatives in the research and preparation of cases brought to courts. They assist in the paper work of cases and management of the administrative side of court affairs.
secretaryESCO 4120.1Overlapping, not the same
Secretaries perform a variety of administrative tasks to help keep an organisation run smoothly. They answer telephone calls, draft and send e-mails, maintain diaries, arrange appointments, take messages, file documents, organise and service meetings, and manage databases.

Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)

License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)

View original

ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.

France classification links (ROME)

AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and ROME 4.0 job profiles, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side. Links marked “provisional” were adopted on the judgments of two judges from the same model family (Claude) alone, or by an operator rule applied to their judgments, so they rest on weaker evidence than confirmed links.

ROME code	ROME title (French)	Relation
M1612	Assistant / Assistante de service juridique	Same scopeprovisional
K1902	Clerc de notaire	Related, not a matchprovisional

Source: France Travail — Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME 4.0), version 61, last updated 15 June 2026 (https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/repertoire-operationnel-des-metiers-et-des-emplois-rome). Licence Ouverte 2.0.

ROME codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET-SOC occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a France Travail correspondence.

(AI Changing Work link release: fr-direct v1)

Spain classification links (CNO-11)

AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and CNO-11 occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.

CNO-11 code	CNO-11 title (Spanish)	Relation
3612	Asistentes jurídico-legales	Same scopeprovisional

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), National Classification of Occupations 2011 (CNO-11, Royal Decree 1591/2010) — www.ine.es · Licensed CC BY 4.0. CNO-11 codes and Spanish titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not an INE correspondence.

(AI Changing Work link release: es-direct v1)

Germany classification links (KldB)

AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and KldB occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.

KldB code	KldB title (German)	Relation
73112	Assistenzkräfte in Rechtsanwaltskanzlei und Notariat - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten	This occupation is narrower

Source: © Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 – überarbeitete Fassung 2020, https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de. KldB codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own mapping (eigene Zuordnung) and are not a Bundesagentur für Arbeit correspondence.

(AI Changing Work link release: de-direct v1)

Japan classification links (JSCO)

AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and JSCO occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.

JSCO code	JSCO title (Japanese)	Relation
259	その他の一般事務従事者	This occupation is narrower
255	秘書	Related, not a match

Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan Standard Occupational Classification (Dec. 2009, MIC Notification No. 555). JSCO codes and Japanese titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a MIC correspondence.

(AI Changing Work link release: jp-direct v1)

Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources