Top 12 Legal Administrative Assistant Skills to Put on Your Resume

In the competitive legal field, a legal administrative assistant's resume needs to show a crisp mix of tech savvy and people skills to cut through the noise. Emphasize the skills that prove you’re fast, careful, and a steady hand in the legal machine—so hiring managers stop and look.

Legal Administrative Assistant Skills

1. LexisNexis
2. Westlaw
3. Microsoft Office
4. PACER
5. E-filing
6. Time Matters
7. Adobe Acrobat
8. Legal Research
9. Document Management
10. Transcription
11. Billing Software
12. Typing Speed

1. LexisNexis

LexisNexis is a comprehensive legal research platform offering case law, statutes, regulations, legal news, and practical guidance to support case preparation and workflow.

Why It's Important

LexisNexis gives a Legal Administrative Assistant fast access to authoritative sources and precedents, which speeds drafting, strengthens accuracy, and helps attorneys move with confidence.

How to Improve LexisNexis Skills

Make your research sharper, quicker, and more relevant:

1. Master advanced search: Use Boolean operators, filters, and segment searching to zero in on what matters.

2. Tap training and updates: Leverage platform tutorials and webinars so new features don’t pass you by.

3. Set alerts: Track topics, dockets, and key issues with notifications for fresh developments.

4. Go deep on practice areas: Focus on content tailored to your firm’s specialties for better, faster results.

5. Swap tips with peers: Internal lunch-and-learns or user groups often surface gold—shortcuts, search strings, smarter workflows.

With consistent practice and saved search strategies, your output gets cleaner and your turnaround shrinks.

How to Display LexisNexis Skills on Your Resume

2. Westlaw

Westlaw is an online legal research system with deep case law, statutes, regulations, treatises, and secondary sources used for precise, defendable research.

Why It's Important

For Legal Administrative Assistants, Westlaw streamlines fact-finding and validation, which speeds drafting, bolsters accuracy, and supports polished legal work product.

How to Improve Westlaw Skills

Turn the platform into a time-saver:

1. Use training: Regular sessions illuminate underused tools and new functionality.

2. Refine searches: Boolean operators, field restrictions, and proximity connectors tighten results.

3. Customize your setup: Save jurisdictions, databases, and filters you hit daily.

4. Know citations cold: Reading, tracing, and checking citations quickly is a quiet superpower.

5. Organize with folders and notes: Save, highlight, and annotate once—reuse often.

Do this well and your research becomes repeatable, auditable, and swift.

How to Display Westlaw Skills on Your Resume

3. Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office is a toolkit for drafting (Word), analysis (Excel), presentations (PowerPoint), email and calendars (Outlook), and structured notes (OneNote)—staples in a legal setting.

Why It's Important

It’s the daily driver for formatting briefs, tracking deadlines, organizing data, coordinating schedules, and communicating with clients and courts. Less friction, more throughput.

How to Improve Microsoft Office Skills

Streamline the everyday:

1. Customize Quick Access Toolbars: Surface redlining, styles, and PDF tools where you can hit them fast.

2. Build reusable templates: Letterheads, captions, pleadings, and cover sheets standardized and ready.

3. Go deep in Word: Styles, Track Changes, comments, cross-references, and table of authorities.

4. Level up Excel: Tables, filters, conditional formatting, and formulas for deadlines, costs, and matter lists.

5. Tame Outlook: Rules, categories, search folders, and shared calendars reduce chaos.

6. OneNote for research: Tag, search, and sync case notes, checklists, and meeting minutes.

7. Integrate where possible: Connect Office with your practice management or DMS to keep everything in step.

The payoff is faster drafting, fewer errors, and cleaner collaboration.

How to Display Microsoft Office Skills on Your Resume

4. PACER

PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) provides electronic access to U.S. federal court dockets and filings.

Why It's Important

PACER lets Legal Administrative Assistants retrieve filings fast, track case activity, and monitor deadlines tied to docket movement—vital for timely, organized support.

How to Improve PACER Skills

Make navigation effortless and precise:

1. Learn the interface: Practice common queries and filters until they’re second nature.
2. Bookmark key pages: Keep frequent courts and case types one click away.
3. Use advanced searches: Narrow by party, nature of suit, date ranges, and more.
4. Watch for updates: New features and fee changes pop up—stay aware.
5. Set Case Locator alerts: Get notified when new activity hits.
6. Organize downloads: File-naming, folders, and a DMS keep documents retrievable.
7. Know CM/ECF rhythms: Local rules and timing quirks matter when docketing.
8. Trade tips: Internal guides and quick reference sheets reduce repeat questions.

Less hunting, more doing.

How to Display PACER Skills on Your Resume

5. E-filing

E-filing is the electronic submission of legal documents through approved court portals, replacing paper filings and mail runs.

Why It's Important

It moves documents faster, cuts errors, and creates cleaner audit trails. Done right, it also reduces rejections and scramble.

How to Improve E-filing Skills

Keep filings flawless and on time:

1. Track rules by jurisdiction: Formats, size limits, signatures, and service rules vary—keep a living checklist.

2. Take focused training: Short sessions on CM/ECF and state e-filing portals pay off quickly.

3. Use integrated tools: Case management systems with e-filing and e-service features reduce double entry.

4. Standardize file prep: Bookmarks, text-searchable PDFs, proper exhibits, and clear naming conventions.

5. Pre-submit reviews: Validate captions, certificates, deadlines, and attachments before you click.

6. Protect data: Redact sensitive information and follow privacy rules strictly.

7. Debrief rejections: Capture the cause, fix the template or checklist, and prevent repeats.

Smooth, predictable, compliant. That’s the goal.

How to Display E-filing Skills on Your Resume

6. Time Matters

Time Matters is practice management software used to manage cases, calendars, tasks, contacts, documents, and time entries. It remains in active use and support in many firms.

Why It's Important

Time Matters centralizes case details, deadlines, and communications, which tightens coordination, reduces missed dates, and speeds billing and reporting. Fewer silos, fewer surprises.

How to Improve Time Matters Skills

Turn it into your command center:

1. Get formal training: Short ramp-ups unlock workflows you might not discover alone.
2. Customize layouts and templates: Matter types, checklists, and document templates aligned to your practice.
3. Integrate with Office and email: File emails to matters, generate documents from templates, sync calendars.
4. Automate routine steps: Trigger tasks, reminders, and document creation off key events.
5. Protect and back up: Roles, permissions, encryption, and a tested backup strategy.
6. Stay current: Apply updates for stability, security, and new features.

With clean data and disciplined use, the system hums.

How to Display Time Matters Skills on Your Resume

7. Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat handles creating, editing, organizing, redacting, and securing PDFs—the format courts and clients expect.

Why It's Important

Legal workflows live in PDFs. Acrobat lets you protect, combine, bookmark, comment, and prepare filings with precision.

How to Improve Adobe Acrobat Skills

Make PDFs work for you, not against you:

1. Optimize and compress: Keep files small without wrecking readability.

2. Lock it down: Use passwords, permissions, and redaction for sensitive data.

3. Markup efficiently: Comments, highlights, stamps, and compare documents for speedy review.

4. Streamline signatures: Use Acrobat Sign for quick, compliant e-signing.

5. Navigate long documents: Bookmarks, table of contents, and consistent exhibit labeling.

6. Automate routines: Action Wizard steps for repeat tasks like Bates stamping, flattening, and standard conversions.

Consistency plus speed equals fewer filing headaches.

How to Display Adobe Acrobat Skills on Your Resume

8. Legal Research

Legal research means finding, reading, and applying statutes, cases, rules, and commentary to support drafting and strategy.

Why It's Important

It underpins accurate filings, persuasive arguments, and sound advice. Without it, risk creeps in fast.

How to Improve Legal Research Skills

Build rigor and speed at the same time:

1. Know the hierarchy: Constitutions, statutes, rules, cases, secondary sources—what controls, and when.

2. Use reputable databases: Westlaw, LexisNexis, and reliable open sources where appropriate.

3. Search smart: Boolean connectors, field limits, and citators to verify validity.

4. Organize findings: Standardize notes, quotes, and citations in shared folders or a DMS.

5. Keep current: Track updates, rule amendments, and new decisions in your practice areas.

Repeatable methods make your research defensible and fast to revisit.

How to Display Legal Research Skills on Your Resume

9. Document Management

Document Management means structuring, storing, tracking, and securing documents so the right version is easy to find—every time.

Why It's Important

Good DMS practices raise productivity, reduce risk, and keep you compliant with retention and confidentiality requirements.

How to Improve Document Management Skills

Make your files bulletproof and findable:

1. Digitize consistently: Scan cleanly, OCR for search, and apply standard naming conventions.

2. Adopt a legal DMS: Version control, permissions, audit trails, and matter-centric filing.

3. Standardize structure: Firm-wide folder frameworks and naming rules—written, trained, enforced.

4. Secure the data: Role-based access, encryption, MFA, and tested backups.

5. Train the team: Short refreshers and quick guides keep everyone aligned.

6. Audit and refine: Periodic cleanups and policy tweaks prevent bloat and confusion.

The system should work the same way on day 1 and day 1,000.

How to Display Document Management Skills on Your Resume

10. Transcription

Transcription converts spoken content—dictation, hearings, interviews—into precise, formatted text.

Why It's Important

Clean transcripts become searchable records, fuel briefs, and help teams digest complex discussions without replaying audio endlessly.

How to Improve Transcription Skills

Accuracy and speed, in tandem:

1. Boost typing: Daily drills and WPM tests sharpen speed and accuracy.

2. Use solid gear: Reliable headset and a foot pedal can noticeably lift efficiency.

3. Know the lingo: Legal terminology, citations, and abbreviations—fewer pauses, fewer corrections.

4. Practice active listening: Multiple speakers, accents, and noise—train for it.

5. Leverage software: Tools with playback controls, timestamps, and voice recognition can help.

6. Proof meticulously: Grammar, names, and citations checked before delivery.

7. Keep learning: Short courses and feedback loops quickly tighten quality.

The goal: clear, consistent, courtroom-ready text.

How to Display Transcription Skills on Your Resume

11. Billing Software

Billing software helps track time, expenses, invoices, and payments for legal services with fewer errors and faster cycles.

Why It's Important

It strengthens transparency, speeds cash flow, and reduces manual reconciliation. Clients also appreciate clear, timely bills.

How to Improve Billing Software Skills

Make billing nearly automatic:

1. Integrate systems: Connect billing with your calendar, DMS, and practice management to capture time at the source.

2. Automate the routine: Recurring matters, time capture prompts, invoice generation, and reminders.

3. Customize templates: Clear narratives, branded layouts, and compliant tax/disbursement lines.

4. Prioritize security: Role-based access, encryption, and audit logs for sensitive financial data.

5. Mobile access: Log time and expenses on the go to prevent leakage.

6. Client portals: Statements, payments, and messages in one secure spot.

7. Use reports: Aging, realization, write-downs, and profitability to guide decisions.

When the system fits your workflow, billing becomes a steady drumbeat.

How to Display Billing Software Skills on Your Resume

12. Typing Speed

Typing speed is your words-per-minute with accuracy—crucial for drafting, emails, and transcription under deadline pressure.

Why It's Important

Faster, cleaner typing shrinks turnaround, reduces fatigue, and keeps work moving when timelines tighten.

How to Improve Typing Speed Skills

Small habits, big gains:

1. Practice daily: Short, focused drills beat occasional marathons.

2. Learn touch typing: Proper finger placement and muscle memory pay off forever.

3. Fix ergonomics: Chair height, keyboard angle, and posture matter more than you think.

4. Use shortcuts: OS and app hotkeys shave seconds that add up.

5. Type more: Meeting notes, case logs, templates—repetition builds speed.

6. Target weak spots: Identify frequent errors and drill those keys.

7. Set goals: Track WPM and accuracy to stay motivated.

Accuracy first, then speed. Together, they sing.

How to Display Typing Speed Skills on Your Resume