13111 – Legal administrative assistants
Lead statement
Legal administrative assistants perform a variety of secretarial and administrative duties in law offices, legal departments of large firms, real estate companies, land title offices, municipal, provincial and federal courts and government.
Main duties
- Prepare and key in correspondence and legal documents, such as deeds, wills, affidavits and briefs, from handwritten copy, shorthand and machine dictation using computers
- Review and proofread documents and correspondence to ensure compliance with legal procedures and grammatical usage
- Schedule appointments, meetings and conferences for employer
- Set up and maintain filing systems, utilizing knowledge of legal records and procedures and frequently controlling confidential materials and documents
- Open and distribute regular and electronic incoming mail and other material and coordinate the flow of information internally and with other departments or organizations
- Determine and establish office procedures and routines
- May supervise and train other staff in procedures and in the use of current software
- May attend court, meetings or conferences to take notes, minutes and dictation
- May perform other general office work as required including preparing financial statements.
Employment requirements
- Completion of secondary school is usually required.
- Completion of a one- or two-year college or other program for secretaries or legal secretaries is usually required.
Example job titles
estate administrative assistant · estate secretary · legal secretary · legal administrative assistant · legal stenographer · litigation secretary · litigation administrative assistant · real estate secretary · real estate administrative assistant · trademark secretary · trademark administrative assistant · commercial law administrative assistant · commercial law secretary · corporate law administrative assistant · corporate law secretary · collection legal assistant · commercial law legal assistant · corporate finance legal assistant · corporate law legal assistant · corporate records legal assistant · legal assistant - criminal law · family law legal assistant · foreclosures legal assistant · insurance legal assistant · labour law legal assistant · legal assistant · mortgage and real estate legal assistant · oil and gas rights legal assistant · tax legal assistant · wills and estates legal assistant · administrative assistant - legal · litigation legal assistant · judicial assistant · administrative assistant - judicial
Wages (per hour)
| Province / territory | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | $18.75 | $27.47 | $41.72 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $16.00 | $23.08 | $29.67 |
| Nova Scotia | $16.50 | $26.00 | $37.75 |
| New Brunswick | $18.00 | $23.00 | $32.05 |
| Quebec | $20.00 | $26.00 | $38.46 |
| Ontario | $17.60 | $26.44 | $42.03 |
| Manitoba | $18.27 | $26.00 | $33.85 |
| Saskatchewan | $17.00 | $26.00 | $39.00 |
| Alberta | $21.00 | $32.00 | $45.00 |
| British Columbia | $20.00 | $30.00 | $41.96 |
Source: Job Bank wages, 2025 release (ESDC). Low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles.
Occupation details: ESDC OaSIS 2025, based on NOC 2021.