Alternative-Careers.co.uk

Working As A Legal Secretary & Pitmans Training

Legal secretarial work can be extremely interesting and rewarding for anyone with the right disciplines and skills. First of all let's get into what a legal secretary does, and then go through the kind of training options available to develop your skills.

The core duty of a legal secretary is typing letters and other legal documents such as Wills, Contracts and Leases etc. Depending on the size of the business, there may also be supplementary admin jobs to take care of as well. And of course sometimes solicitors will need you to attend court with them or visit a client in police custody.

Many legal secretaries start off as general secretaries, but increasingly those who've specialised are being considered more suitable. Law firms usually specialise, for example in criminal law, civil law or corporate law. Thus it could be you find work with a criminal lawyer, which would be a very different experience to working with a company lawyer. That said, although those who work in large companies tend to deal in more specialised areas, a legal secretary in a small practice may handle many areas of the law.

Most of the work will be done on a PC in a single office environment. You can expect regular working hours - usually nine to five on a Monday to Friday, although some big companies offer flexi-time.

Salaries vary from up to 15K at entry level to over 30K for an experienced professional.

Study Paths For Legal Secretaries

What skills do you need for legal secretarial work? Computer user skills and keyboard skills are top of the list, closely followed by an excellent aptitude for written English. High emphasis will of course be placed on accuracy, so a patient and diligent approach will be expected.

Employers may stipulate certain academic qualifications, though usually this is just to demonstrate an aptitude level. Naturally, spelling and grammar are key skills for the job, and no professional should rely on spell-check.

A working knowledge of Microsoft Word will be expected, and knowledge of other Microsoft applications a definite advantage. 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 you can get straight back here with one click of your mouse!

Some of the training colleges offer very helpful advice for people looking to get started in secretarial work. Legal secretarial work attracts people from many different administrative roles, so competition can be tough. 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 Actions Do I Take Now?

It's not unusual for legal secretaries to continue training once in employment. This allows them to specialise in areas relevant to the work they're doing. Sometimes that involves training in the workplace itself, and other times it means continuing to do more advanced external training.

A variety of disciplines will be dealt with on a bespoke training course for Legal Secretaries. Elementary courses will introduce you to legal paperwork and deal with legal working practices. You'll probably cover information about court procedure and how laws are arrived at. Finally you'll come onto the specialist areas. Your choice will reflect your company's expertise, so it could be anything from Family Law to Company Law, or Conveyancing to Criminal Law.

In 2010 you can expect to invest from five hundred pounds upwards for professional legal secretarial training and certifications. 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.

How To Go On To Become A Legal Executive

Many Legal Secretaries eventually go on to study a Legal Executive programme. 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. In the lower courts however, certain legal executives can represent their clients in the same way any other lawyer can. Clearly the level of training they've had will reflect the work they do. Legal Executives can specialise in the same range of activities that other lawyers can.

Hopefully this has helped you to understand Legal Secretarial work and the training that you might need to do. Make a decision today to find out more about how this might work for you.