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The Work Of A Legal Secretary & Studying Law Courses

There are no precisely defined routes into the role of Legal Secretary, but there are some key skills that many employers will be looking for. Firstly we'll cover day to day aspects of the job, and then we'll take a look at the type of training that might be relevant.

The principal activity for all legal secretaries involves the preparation of legal documents and paperwork on behalf of barrister's, solicitors or legal executives. In many smaller offices, legal secretaries perform a host of general secretarial roles as well. Equally you might have to deal with legal enquiries from potential clients, or even take notes in court. It is possible to get into legal secretarial work with just regular office training and experience, but that's becoming less and less the case.

Legal professionals will either work on criminal cases or civil cases, or a division of one of those. Thus it could be you find work with a criminal lawyer, which would be a very different experience to working with a company lawyer. The size of office you work in will also determine how specialised your work is likely to be - firms with several legal secretaries may allocate one speciality to each.

The job itself is mainly office-based, and the majority of work will be done on the computer (although that can vary from firm to firm.) There's often the chance for legal secretaries to work part-time, and in fact some companies encourage job-sharing. Salaries vary from up to 15K at entry level to over 30K for an experienced professional.

Training To Become A Legal Secretary

What skills do you need for legal secretarial work? High importance will be placed on excellent audio-typing abilities and copy speeds (60wpm plus - ideally reaching 70wpm or more). Painstaking attention to detail will be needed alongside an appreciation of legal terminology and concepts.

Passes in English and Maths at GCSE level should be offered as a minimum. Without doubt the one thing you must be confident about is your spelling. An ability to use Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel and probably PowerPoint is essential - with particular emphasis on skills in Word. You can look at stand alone office skills packages - why not try the European Computer Driving Licence for starters. You'll find links and adverts from several training providers here, so it would be worthwhile bookmarking this page ('CTRL-D' will do the trick). Then you can access any of them without wasting time.

You'll find that general secretarial (Pitman/OCR) and/or business administration qualifications can be very helpful. In some parts of the country competition for jobs can be high, so it's important to give yourself an advantage. Always present yourself in your best light - show how you can contribute to the business as a whole. Check and double check your CV before you send it to an employer though. You could fall at the first hurdle if you're spelling's not up to snuff!

What's the Next Stage?

As we mentioned earlier many companies are highly specialised, and so legal secretaries often receive training on specifics once they're in the job. So for example the law firm might have their own training programme for new employees, or they might allow time for college or home study.

Legal secretarial training covers many areas. You could begin by looking at the different types of legal documents and how they are prepared. Plus of course you'll need a grounding in the English (or Scottish) legal system. Then there are the specifics which will be dependent on your career path - be that civil litigation, company law, family law etc.

Training prices range from a few hundred pounds to around a thousand pounds, but of course that depends on how much you need to learn. Certain PC skills may be included in the training, but for professional certifications refer to specialist IT Training Providers. Some training requires college attendance, but more usually courses can be taken in your own time on a distance learning basis.

Training To Become A Legal Executive

You might in time also consider the role of Legal Executive. Legal Executives duties fall between the Legal Secretary and those of the full lawyer. The work is very similar to that of a solicitor, but Legal Execs cannot represent clients in the High Court. However, with the extended rights of audience now in place, there are many Legal Executives who can represent their clients in County Courts, Family Proceedings Courts and the Magistrates Courts. Specialised training is relevant here as well as course. As with other lawyers, legal execs can cover a wide range of disciplines.

Building a fascinating and valuable career as a Legal Secretary will take you right to the heart of UK law. With so many training options available to you, isn't it time to get the ball rolling?