[freepertoo]

I began as a legal secretary in 1983, but that title and that job no longer exists. When I switched firms a few years ago, I was in for the shock of my life. All of a sudden I was a “legal assistant,” doing paralegal type work I’d never done before in my career. Legal secretaries are quickly becoming a thing of the past, if they’re not already extinct. On the plus side (for me), the job is more interesting. On the minus side, it is enormously more anxiety ridden.

[fatnotlazy]

At the last firm I worked for, the secretaries are now assistants of some sort. A friend who still works there is now an “Overflow Assistant.” Basically, she's a stenographer doing work that others can't get to. She is also now working 35 hours a week vs. 40 hours a week up till earlier this year. My guess is that she will be part-time thanks to Obamacare or maybe canned altogether.