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Secretarial Careers & Legal Secretary Training

To become a Legal Secretary you will need to acquire a number of key skills, although there isn't one specific certification to get you there. So let's take a look at the job itself, and explore the various options that could lead into it.

Most days, the bulk of a legal secretary's work will be typing up official papers such as contracts or wills, and letters from lawyers to their clients. Other tasks will include keeping records of costs; controlling petty cash; organising diaries and making appointments; organising telephone calls and faxes; and sending, receiving and keeping an audit trail of e-mails. The work becomes more specialist when, for example, you have to attend the magistrate's court or a police cell with one of the company's solicitors.

A lot of legal secretaries started their careers in a more general secretarial role, but employment chances are always better for those who've had some legal training. Solicitors themselves tend to specialise - some deal with civil law and others with criminal law. So your knowledge will build depending on where you work - it could be you gain employment with a solicitor who handles wills and probate for instance.

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.

Although the work varies between companies, the majority of it will be office and PC based. Typical hours will be Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm - although part-time work, flexi-time or even job sharing may be possible. Starting salaries generally vary from twelve to fifteen thousand pounds a year. However, a top legal secretary can command a very attractive thirty thousand pound salary after a few years.

Training for Legal Secretaries

What exactly does it take to become a legal secretary? First and foremost you'll need to prove that you have excellent keyboard skills and a very good understanding of certain computer user skills. Painstaking attention to detail will be needed alongside an appreciation of legal terminology and concepts.

There aren't any clear cut exam qualifications, but legal secretaries should have an English Language GCSE as a minimum. Without doubt the one thing you must be confident about is your spelling. As Microsoft Office products are the industry standard, you should be able to demonstrate advanced skills in Microsoft Word.

Most legal secretaries can also use PowerPoint, Outlook and Excel. An ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence) is a good starting point - but the more advanced Microsoft MOS/MCAS Office Expert certifications would certainly impress more.

Training companies regularly feature on this page. For handy reference you could pop it in your list of Favourites. Then you can come back at your convenience to review the options.

There are a considerable number of training courses covering general secretarial and office administration skills, and they can all offer you something. You must be able to present yourself well at interview to give yourself the best chance. Make sure that you convey a bright and attentive professional attitude, display team spirit and good spelling and grammar. Ultimately though, prepare yourself with professional skills and just be yourself - hopefully your natural charm and enthusiasm will shine through.

Where Do I Go From Here?

As we mentioned earlier many companies are highly specialised, and so legal secretaries often receive training on specifics once they're in the job. Larger companies sometimes train their employees in house, but generally speaking most training is outsourced.

Training courses for legal secretaries cover a broad range of disciplines. You could begin by looking at the different types of legal documents and how they are prepared. The internet has become a very useful tool where legal matters are concerned, so that could also be covered. More specific subjects looked at (from the legal secretary's perspective) might be Contract Law, Civil Litigation, Land Law, Conveyancing, Wills and Probate.

Professional training to become a Legal Secretary usually costs in the region of 600 to 850 pounds, but expect to pay more in some areas. This would not include the ECDL/MOS/MCAS or other IT/Computer training program (which can run from 100-1000 pounds or more - depending on the certification level desired.) 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

It's not uncommon for experienced Legal Secretaries to further their career by taking a Legal Executive certification. There are great career opportunities for Legal Executives. Under the Legal Services Act 2007, Legal Executives are 'authorised persons' undertaking 'reserved legal activities' (not in the High Court) alongside barristers and solicitors. 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. Any work they do will of course depend upon the subject matter they've trained in. Legal executives may go into Public Law, Corporate Law, or maybe pursue private clients of their own.

In closing, if you study to gain the skills for work as a legal secretary, you could build a very promising and interesting career. With so many training options available to you, isn't it time to get the ball rolling?