Litigation Secretary
You support litigators in a law firm or government practice — producing the pleadings, discovery responses, and procedural work that civil and criminal litigation requires — alongside calendaring, file organization, and trial-preparation support.
What it's like to be a Litigation Secretary
The role lives inside the docket — case calendars dictate the rhythm, with answers, responses, motions, hearings, and trial dates all generating filing deadlines. You're often producing pleadings in court-specific formats, organizing discovery documents, preparing exhibits, supporting attorneys through depositions and trial work. Filing accuracy and docket discipline anchor the operating measures.
The harder part is often the document volume in active litigation — major cases generate thousands of pages of discovery, multiple expert reports, and extensive exhibit organization, and the litigation secretary manages the binders and digital files behind it. Practice variance shapes texture: civil litigation runs differently from criminal defense or government enforcement work; plaintiff's and defense practice each carry their own document workflows.
This work asks for organization under pressure, comfort with technical legal documents, and reliability through trial-week intensity. NALS PLS, PLS-SC, and litigation-specific paralegal credentials anchor advancement. The trade-off is the deadline-driven pace — litigation deadlines don't flex, and after-hours filings happen during active matters.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
How this category is changing
Skills & Requirements
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