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The Work Of A Secretary & Receptionist Training 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. 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.

Legal secretaries must be highly proficient in touch typing, shorthand and audio in order to prepare official documents for lawyers. Some legal secretaries deal with a whole host of office administration as well - from email monitoring to petty cash.

Equally you might have to deal with legal enquiries from potential clients, or even take notes in court.

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.

Lawyers most often have their own specialities, such as criminal law for example. So there's a big variety of legal secretarial work, as civil litigation differs hugely from criminal law. Legal secretaries working in a small local company will usually gain a wider range of experiences than those in larger companies (who are more likely to focus on one area).

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

Study Paths For Legal Secretaries

OK - so which skills and competencies does an employer seek the most? Predominantly you'll need to have extremely good English language skills and be able to demonstrate a typing speed of over sixty five words per minute. Moreover employers place a high emphasis on loyalty and trust, so client confidentiality must be honoured at all times.

There aren't any clear cut exam qualifications, but legal secretaries should have an English Language GCSE as a minimum. Obviously without good spelling and composition you're unlikely to succeed in this work. Microsoft Office is used extensively in the commercial world, which means you must have a good understanding of Word in particular. You should pass the ECDL in the first instance, to get you off to a good start. For more professional administrative skills, look into taking a certification such as MCAS.

Various training colleges are featured here, so why not Bookmark this page for easy reference? Then you can access any of them without wasting time.

Any administrative or secretarial qualifications will stand you in good stead. You must be able to present yourself well at interview to give yourself the best chance. Always present yourself in your best light - show how you can contribute to the business as a whole. To get an interview in the first place you must ensure your CV presents the right image - any mistakes here would take you straight off the short-list!

Where Do I Go From Here?

Because of the precise nature of some legal companies, it's not uncommon for legal secretaries to receive on the job training in certain areas. 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.

A variety of disciplines will be dealt with on a bespoke training course for Legal Secretaries. To begin with you'll probably cover aspects of working in a legal office - such as documentation and privacy issues. Plus of course you'll need a grounding in the English (or Scottish) legal system.

More specific subjects looked at (from the legal secretary's perspective) might be Contract Law, Civil Litigation, Land Law, Conveyancing, Wills and Probate.

Prices for training vary - as will the standard of training - but you should expect to pay between five hundred and one thousand pounds. 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.) Most training courses are predominantly home-based and can be done on a PC or laptop.

What Goes into Becoming a Legal Executive?

Further training can lead to becoming a qualified Legal Executive. These are exciting times for Legal Executives. With the exception of representing clients in the High Court, most of their activities can be similar to other lawyers. Because of the Extended Rights of Audience that now exist though, many Legal Executives are successfully representing people in the Family Proceedings Courts, The County Courts and the Magistrates Courts. Specialised training is relevant here as well as course. 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.