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Investigating Adult Legal Secretaries Careers

Legal secretaries come into the profession in a variety of different ways - some with more specialised skills than others. So let's take a look at the job itself, and explore the various options that could lead into it.

The core duty of a legal secretary is typing letters and other legal documents such as Wills, Contracts and Leases etc. Some legal secretaries deal with a whole host of office administration as well - from email monitoring to petty cash. Then there are times when the job will require you to leave the office and collect or deliver documents.

Training in more general secretarial skills will prepare you for the basic work, but employment opportunities are always greater for those who've trained in legal aspects as well.

The legal profession is split into civil law and criminal law, and most lawyers will focus on just one. So there's a big variety of legal secretarial work, as civil litigation differs hugely from criminal law. Having said that, if you work for a small firm of lawyers you'll probably deal with more varied tasks than if you work for a big law company.

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.) It's unlikely you'll be expected to work any anti-social hours - most legal secretaries finish around 5pm and only work on weekdays. A well-trained legal secretary entering the industry might expect to start on around fifteen thousand a year, with increments to over twenty five thousand with experience.

Legal Secretarial Training Options

OK - so which skills and competencies does an employer seek the most? Touch typing, audio and shorthand skills are essential, plus a good knowledge of how to use basic computer software. Painstaking attention to detail will be needed alongside an appreciation of legal terminology and concepts.

Whilst there are no real minimum qualifications to starting as a Legal Secretary, employers may look for GCSE's (especially in English and Maths.) Obviously without good spelling and composition you're unlikely to succeed in this work. Just about all law firms will use Microsoft Office, so be sure you have strong user skills for Word, Excel and Outlook at the very least. You can look at stand alone office skills packages - why not try the European Computer Driving Licence for starters. As there are a number of training course providers on this site, here's a quick tip - Press Ctrl and D at the same time and you can Bookmark this webpage for easy reference. Then when you have time to check them out you can come straight back in seconds.

You'll find that general secretarial (Pitman/OCR) and/or business administration qualifications can be very helpful. As the work is so interesting it's a popular choice for many candidates coming from other secretarial fields. Make sure that you convey a bright and attentive professional attitude, display team spirit and good spelling and grammar. Your CV must obviously be presented flawlessly - that document will tell an employer a lot about the standard of your work!

Where Do I Go From Here?

Many legal secretaries carry on with further training as they pursue their careers. They can then become experts in their company's specialism.

This could mean being mentored from within the company, or (more usually) it could mean studying for external exams.

Lots of interesting things are taught on legal secretarial courses. You might start by learning about legal forms and documents and confidentiality procedures. Knowledge of how to use the internet for legal matters will be covered, plus the basics of the English legal system.

The real meat will cover the specific subject matter that your employer's work involves, which for example could be Wills & Probate, Property Law or Family Law.

Based on current prices, the average cost of a formal Legal Secretarial course is currently in the region of 500-1000 pounds. For computer user skills training allow one hundred pounds plus for your ECDL, or several hundred pounds plus for the more advanced Office skills training. Training usually involves some type of distance or blended learning facilities and students require access to a computer.

Legal Executive Training

You might in time also consider the role of Legal Executive. This would provide for a more senior legal position with great prospects. Outside of the High Court, fully qualified and experienced Legal Executives can undertake many of the legal activities that solicitors do. That said, due to the County Courts (Rights of Audience) Direction being extended, many senior Legal Executives now work on behalf of clients in the Magistrates Courts and County Courts. Specialised training is relevant here as well as course. Just like solicitors, legal execs can focus on civil litigation, criminal law etc.

To sum up, training and gaining certifications for work as a legal secretary will give you the confidence to pursue a highly valued career path. It's down to you now to explore how you can turn your dreams and goals into reality.