Becoming a Legal Secretary – Legal Administration Courses
Legal secretaries are responsible for administration and secretarial work and provide support to professional staff in legal offices. The duties involved in this role include;
- Telephone answering
- Dealing with clients and members of the public
- Organising correspondence and administrative tasks such as making appointments on behalf of solicitors and legal executives.
- Preparation and proof reading documents such as leases, contracts, wills and property conveyances
Typing skills and a degree of computer proficiency are necessary as the role includes the production of legal documents and letters. This may be done from a draft, or by audio typing from a tape of recorded dictation. Legal Secretary courses will teach these skills as well as other necessary requirements for the role.
Those working as a legal secretary are often responsible for the preparation of records of legal costs. They will therefore need an understanding of accounting, finance and business practice.
Legal administrators work with legal contracts on a daily basis. They therefore need to develop a knowledge of law, including criminal law, conveyancing and family law, and must understand how the courts apply the law in particular situations.
Jobs in this profession are highly valued and well paid as the reliance lawyers place on their specialist secretarial support is enormous.
Resources
• The Pitman Training Diploma is a professional legal secretarial course which will give you the skills required for this career– from typing skills (speed and audio); to total mastery of the most common business software; to business communication techniques. Choose from a range of Legal modules such as Conveyancing, Wills & Probate, Civil Litigation, Company and Family Law.