When you need information about the latest practices,procedures, technology, and services in law office administration, you need this completely revised and updated edition of Merriam-Webster's Legal Secretaries Handbook. Topics covered include:

American Law and the Judicial System

Employment in a Law Office

Office Design, Equipment, and Supplies

The Computer and the Law Office

Telecommunications and Office Mail

Appointments, Meetings, and Trips

Business Letters and Forms of Address

A Guide to Punctuation and Style

Dictation and Transcription

Preparing and Executing Legal Documents

Docket Control and Records Management

Accounting and Bookkeeping

The Law Library

You can rely on Merriam-Webster for current, authoritative information about every aspect of establishing and maintaining the modern law office.

The newly revised edition of Merriam-Webster's Legal Secretaries Handbook puts all the latest information about operating a law office in a single volume that will quickly become the most-used reference on your bookshelf.

This valuable reference is filled with practical guidelines and useful tips drawn from the accumulated experience of a team of well-seasoned law-office administrators and managers. Its abundant examples make it easy to understand how to apply proven procedures for virtually every aspect of law-office operation, from receiving new clients and executing court papers to locating on-line legal resources and managing computerized calendar and records-control systems.

Because effective communication is critical in a law office, the Legal Secretaries Handbook features an extensive section on the conventions of punctuation and style.In addition, three useful appendices cover expressions to avoid in business writing,frequently confused and misused words,and a list of further reading for those who want to expand their understanding of law-office practice.

Today's legal secretaries and office managers are called on to handle more sophisticated and complex tasks than ever before, and they need a high-quality reference to guide them through the intricacies of the modern electronic workplace. Now they can turn to Merriam-Webster's Legal Secretaries Handbook, Second Edition for fast, reliable answers to the questions that come up most often in the modern law office.

Preface

1. American Law and the Judicial System

Classifications of Law   1

The American Judicial System   8

Court and Law-Enforcement Personnel   18

Court Procedures   22

2. Employment in a Law Office

The Legal Profession   29

The Law Office   36

The Legal Secretary   39

The Legal Assistant   42

Employment Opportunities   44

Applying for a Job   47

Successful Human Relations   61

Ethics  64

Training and Education   65

3. Office Design, Equipment, and Supplies

Office Design   70

Reprographic and Other Equipment   74

Office Supplies   78

4. The Computer and the Law Office

Computer Hardware   84

Computer Software   91

Supplementary Technologies   107

5. Telecommunications and Office Mail

Telecommunications   110

Fax Machines   114

E-Mail   119

Postal Services   121

6. Appointments, Meetings, and Trips

Client Appointments   128

Business Meetings and Conferences   136

Making Travel Arrangements   146

7. Business Letters and Forms of Address

Material and Design Considerations   156

Standard Letter Formats   158

Letter Elements and Styling   169

Envelope Addresses   182

Forms of Address   186

Letter-Writing Guidelines   205

Sample Letters  207

8. A Guide to Punctuation and Style

Punctuation   227

Capitals, Italics, and Quotation Marks   258

Plurals, Possessives, and Compounds   276

Abbreviations   294

Numbers   303

Legal Citations  318

9. Dictation and Transcription

Live versus Machine Dictation   324

Evaluating Dictation Equipment   325

Giving and Taking Dictation   327

Transcription   331

Meeting Minutes   333

10. Preparing and Executing Legal Documents

 Obtaining and Maintaining Legal Forms   339

  Preparing Legal Forms   342

 Executing Legal Documents   347

 Recording Legal Documents   351

 Filing Legal Documents with the Court   352

 Serving Court Documents   355

11. Docket Control and Records Management

 Docket Control   358

 Records Management   368

 Types of Law-Office Files   372

 Types of Filing Systems  376

 Alphabetic and Numeric Filing   378

 Handling and Storage of Records   384

12. Accounting and Bookkeeping

 Accounting Procedures   392

 Banking and Cash Transactions   400

 Trust Accounts   404

 Payroll   410

  Billing and Collections   414

 Computerized Accounting   417

13. The Law Library

 The Electronic Revolution   419

 Types of Legal Sources   420

  Primary Source Materials   421

  Secondary Source Materials   430

  Managing the Law Library   437

Appendix I: Expressions (Cliches) to Avoid in Business Writing

Appendix II: Frequently Confused and Misused Words

Appendix III: Further Reading

Index