Employment in Legal Document Coding

Seeking Employment in Legal Document Coding

Legal document coding is one way to break into the data entry field, if you’re comfortable with the legal field.

Legal document coding makes research more refined to suit someone in the legal field’s needs. Time is important to the lawyers and their teams, so gaining access to the information in a quick manner is vital. A legal document coder will take the necessary information and get it placed within the coding documents, so the researching process can be quick for the legal team.

Where to find Legal Document Coding Jobs:

Check with your local legal offices to see if they’re in need of some help. They may also refer you to other legal offices within local counties. You can also check out the any of the online job boards and do a search for these jobs.

There are some companies that hire telecommuting legal coders. A search on the internet can help you find some of them to apply to. Find out what skills or requirements you need before applying. Also, check out the freelance bidding sites, like Elance or Guru.

Skills you need:

While it isn’t necessary to have any specific schooling to become a legal document coder, you should have some knowledge in the legal field. Some companies will require you to have at least one year of working in a legal office, while others require you have experience with subjective and objective coding, which are highly important for proper legal indexing.

Your typing skills will need to be at least 40 wpm. Each company will have a different requirement, so check with them for their specific typing speed.

Tools you need:

As with any work from home job, a computer with a reliable internet connection is the most important tool. The computer should have plenty of available space for any required software download they may want you have, due to some of the coding being done through these programs.

Each company is different on how the coding will be done. Some may want you to scan and fax the completed documents, so a printer/scanner/fax machine may be needed. Others may prefer the documents be mailed to a specific address, so a certain type of envelopes may be required. Check with the company’s policies to see if there’s a reimbursement program.

How much money can you make?

The pay for this type of work can be about .08- .10 cents per line or up to $9 an hour. Some companies will pay a per project rate which will vary with each one.