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Legal Secretary & Contract Law Courses

Legal secretarial work can be extremely interesting and rewarding for anyone with the right disciplines and skills. So let's take a look at the job itself, and explore the various options that could lead into it.

The majority of the work will involve typing correspondence on behalf of the lawyers you work for, and preparing legal forms and documents. In many smaller offices, legal secretaries perform a host of general secretarial roles as well. 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.

Different law firms will have their own specialities, and focus on one area of the law, such as criminal law or civil law. So there's a big variety of legal secretarial work, as civil litigation differs hugely from criminal law. 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.

Most of the work will be done on a PC in a single office environment. It's unlikely you'll be expected to work any anti-social hours - most legal secretaries finish around 5pm and only work on weekdays. 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.

Legal Secretarial Training Options

Which skills are most important to a future employer? Computer user skills and keyboard skills are top of the list, closely followed by an excellent aptitude for written English. Additionally lawyers need secretaries who are completely trustworthy and fair-minded, with very good practical and organisational abilities.

Employers may stipulate certain academic qualifications, though usually this is just to demonstrate an aptitude level. As you would expect, a good working knowledge of English grammar, spelling and punctuation is fairly essential to the whole process. Many companies now utilise Microsoft Office Products, and therefore a good practical understanding of Microsoft Word along with PowerPoint and Excel are definitely welcomed. Study for an ECDL for basic computer user skills, or MOS or MCAS for more advanced Microsoft Office professional skills.

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Any administrative or secretarial qualifications will stand you in good stead. With many Legal Secretaries coming into the industry from other secretarial roles, it's fair to say that the competition has increased. Employers are looking for people who can bring benefits to their organisation so don't be afraid to blow your own trumpet - if you excel at something let them know how that skill could make their life easier. Ultimately though, prepare yourself with professional skills and just be yourself - hopefully your natural charm and enthusiasm will shine through.

What Actions Do I Take Now?

Many legal secretaries carry on with further training as they pursue their careers. They can then become experts in their company's specialism. Sometimes that involves training in the workplace itself, and other times it means continuing to do more advanced external training.

Legal secretarial training covers many areas. For starters, you'll be taught about confidential ethics and practices, and be given an overview of the documents that legal secretaries deal with. The internet has become a very useful tool where legal matters are concerned, so that could also be covered. Then there are the specifics which will be dependent on your career path - be that civil litigation, company law, family law etc.

The cost of training depends on what you do, but most legal secretaries pay several hundred pounds to learn their skills. On top of that you should budget for Microsoft Office skills training if you need that as well.

There are a lot of colleges to choose from - look carefully at the features their courses provide to find the best one for you.

Legal Executive Training

It's not uncommon for experienced Legal Secretaries to further their career by taking a Legal Executive certification. Legal Executives must continue training throughout their careers to keep abreast of the latest legal developments. With the exception of representing clients in the High Court, most of their activities can be similar to other lawyers. Nevertheless, many Legal Executives now work in the lower courts on certain applications and arbitrations. Specialised training is relevant here as well as course. Legal Executives often become the main point of contact for clients seeking professional advice on legal matters.

So to re-cap, training to become a Legal Secretary can lead to a very fulfilling and rewarding career. Shouldn't you start immediately to uncover the possibilities waiting for you?