Will AI replace Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants?

Many of your tasks are within reach of AI. The role will change, so it pays to act now.

Task exposure to today's AI

60/100

High exposure

This is the occupation's typical task mix. Your own score can be up to 30 points higher or lower depending on how you work: routine share, people contact, judgment and how much you already use AI.

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Will AI replace Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants?

Not entirely. Today's AI tools can take on about 60% of the typical work in this occupation, mostly: prepare and distribute invoices to bill clients or pay account expenses. The parts that stay human include: Prepare, proofread, or process legal documents, such as summonses, subpoenas, complaints, appeals, motions, or pretrial agreements.; Organize and maintain law libraries, documents, and case files.; Receive and place telephone calls..

People who learn to use AI for the automatable parts keep the edge. The 3-phase plan below shows where to start.

Which tasks AI can take on

The largest tasks in this occupation, their share of the working week, and how much of each today's AI tools can do.

TaskAutomatable

Prepare and distribute invoices to bill clients or pay account expenses. 80%

Prepare, proofread, or process legal documents, such as summonses, subpoenas, complaints, appeals, motions, or pretrial agreements. 62%

Mail, fax, or arrange for delivery of legal correspondence to clients, witnesses, and court officials. 57%

Schedule and make appointments.AI already used 57%

Organize and maintain law libraries, documents, and case files. 53%

Receive and place telephone calls. 53%

+ 8 more tasks (26% of the week) in the full test.

Your human edge

Prepare, proofread, or process legal documents, such as summonses, subpoenas, complaints, appeals, motions, or pretrial agreements.
Organize and maintain law libraries, documents, and case files.
Receive and place telephone calls.

AI tools to try

Microsoft 365 Copilot or Google Gemini for WorkspaceChatGPT / Claude for emails and documentsAutomation tools (Power Automate, Zapier, Make)

Related roles

A 3-phase AI learning plan

Phase 1

Automate the routine

Emails, letters and documents from templates with AI.
Data entry and extraction from forms and PDFs.
Spreadsheet work with AI help.

Project

Build AI prompt templates for your five most-used filings (motions, subpoenas, cover letters) using anonymised samples, and time drafting before versus after.

Phase 2

Workflows across tools

Connect email, forms and spreadsheets with no-code automations.
Checks and controls on automated steps.
Document how each workflow works.

Project

Connect intake form, calendar and case spreadsheet with a no-code automation that logs new matters and court deadlines, add a validation check, and write a one-page runbook.

Phase 3

From doing to coordinating

Become the person who maintains the team's automations.
Train colleagues.
Look at roles in operations, coordination or process improvement.

Project

Run a 90-minute training for three colleagues on your two automations, hand over a maintenance checklist, and track adoption and hours saved per week for a month.

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