Will AI replace legal secretaries?

Much of the work, but not all of it. AI could take on about 67% of the working time in a typical legal secretary job today. The other 33% still needs a person.

33% of the work still needs a person.

Needs a person: 33%A person checking AI: 22%AI alone: 45%

The bracket under the bar is the evidence range for the share AI could take on: 55 to 67%. One end comes from how well AI did each responsibility in real use, or a second rating where that isn't measured. The other is our figure, which also follows research across the industry.

14 responsibilities in a typical legal secretary job. Median pay $55,570 a year in the U.S. (BLS, May 2025).

Still needs a person

  • Photocopy documents
  • Answer and place phone calls AI helps
  • Collect records attorneys need for cases AI helps
  • Prepare and proofread legal documents AI helps
  • Fill out legal and court forms AI helps
  • Take notes in legal meetings and depositions AI helps

AI can do or help with

  • Organize the law library and case files AI can do it
  • Answer and place phone calls AI helps
  • Send legal mail and deliveries AI can do it
  • Prepare and proofread legal documents AI helps
  • Collect records attorneys need for cases AI helps
  • Schedule appointments AI can do it

The biggest responsibilities on each side, ranked by a person's time on the left. "AI helps" means AI takes on part of the work, or most of it with a person checking what it produces, so one can show on both sides. See all 14, with the reason for each and the cost of handing them to AI.

Is this your job?

Upload your résumé to see your Human Edge: how much of this job your experience holds in the 33% that still needs a person. You also get a free plan with what to learn next. We never keep your résumé.

Check my résuméHiring? Check a job posting

Questions people ask

Will AI replace legal secretaries?

Much of the work, but not all of it. AI could take on about 67% of the working time in a typical legal secretary job today. The other 33% still needs a person. That is a split of the work, not a forecast of jobs lost.

Which parts of the job can AI do?

The biggest ones AI can do or help with: organize the law library and case files, answer and place phone calls, send legal mail and deliveries, prepare and proofread legal documents, collect records attorneys need for cases, schedule appointments.

Which parts still need a person?

The biggest ones: photocopy documents, answer and place phone calls, collect records attorneys need for cases, prepare and proofread legal documents, fill out legal and court forms, take notes in legal meetings and depositions.

How is this measured?

The U.S. Department of Labor lists 14 responsibilities for this job (O*NET 31.0). Each is scored on 4 questions: can AI do it, does it get it right, must a person sign for it, and do people need to deal with a real person. The split is weighted by how much of the job each responsibility takes up. The evidence range for the share AI could take on is 55 to 67%. One end comes from how well AI did each responsibility in real use, or a second rating where that isn't measured. The other is our figure, which also follows research across the industry. Scores version 0.7.17, updated October 28, 2026.

Responsibilities from O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor). Pay from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025. Scores are calibrated to published research and updated every month. How it works.

Related jobs

All 231 jobs, ranked · Jobs AI can't replace yet