Sometimes I get discouraged at work, and I feel as if I’m being paid not to think. Mostly, this happens when I try to correct a lawyer’s grammar and get smacked down for my efforts. But I’m fortunate to work in an environment where this is about as bad as it gets.

Today, as part of my ongoing exploration of building personal capital, I’m thinking about thought. (”Meta-thinking”?)

The reality is that legal secretaries are paid to think. That thinking, along with all the specialized procedures, rules and terminology we think about, is the main reason we’re paid better than secretaries in just about any other field. The legal secretaries who are valued most are those who can “take the ball and run with it,” only asking occasional — and good — questions.

Come to think of it, even knowing when to correct grammar and when to let an error stand is the product of a thought process.

Secretaries who think and work independently might well be the legal profession’s most sought-after employees. Generally, they’re among the best-compensated and the most trusted. They’re probably also the happiest, because of the quality relationships fostered by their intuitive, team-oriented approach to their work.

Perhaps it should be obvious to your lawyer that you’re always thinking. You’re careful to avoid typos, you always send the right number of copies, you’re discreet, you double-check travel arrangements, and so on. But lawyers tend to take things like those for granted; they only get noticed when they’re absent. Lawyers can be tough to impress.

So how do you stand out and gain acknowledgment as an indispensable part of the team? Over the years, I’ve come to understand that a legal secretary’s approach to gaps in her own knowledge is crucial to demonstrating to a lawyer that she is really thinking.

If your initial feeling about an assignment is that you need guidance, hold off on those questions for a moment. You can almost always ask them later, but you can’t take back what you’ve asked prematurely.

Case in point: Say you’ve been asked to draft a document you’ve never drafted before. Your lawyer asked you to do this because she feels it’s simple, and she’s decided her time can be more profitably spent.

Take some time to search for examples before asking her to spend time instructing you (which is definitely not billable). If your firm uses document management software to organize its word processing documents, a keyword search should take less than a minute. Another source of sample forms is your court’s online records database. If it’s a federal form you need, you can probably find something with a little patient searching through PACER. If it’s state court, then court records may or may not be an option. And don’t forget the more experienced legal secretaries in your section. They can be a gold mine of information, and, because they’ve “been there and done that,” they’re usually happy to help. (Just remember to repay their kindness.)

Don’t spend excessive amounts of time trying to chase down answers, though. Your time is worth something, too, and your workload must be considered. If you’ve diligently tried to answer your own question and still can’t, then don’t be shy. Go to your lawyer, mention that you’ve checked A, B and, C but still aren’t sure how to proceed, and ask for guidance. This is a much smarter way to ask than simply saying, “How do I do that?” right out of the gate. The lawyer will be impressed that you did your homework before coming to her, and she’ll be glad you asked rather than doing it wrong.

I know, I know. There are lawyers to whom none of this will mean a thing. They don’t seem to care how hard you work. They don’t want to be bothered with questions, and, sometimes, even great results don’t matter. We’ve all had bosses like that.

But a large majority of lawyers will appreciate the reassurance that comes from knowing their secretaries are thinking. You might even be surprised at the positive effects it has on “difficult” lawyers. And, once you’ve established a reputation for thinking first and asking questions later, the questions you do ask will be much more welcome.