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You won't find any hard and fast rules for getting a position as a legal secretary, though clearly the role demands a number of key competencies. We'll discuss here what the job involves, and cover possible training paths into the industry.

Essentially you will be expected to have excellent typing skills as the bulk of the work involves preparing legal documents. 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. And of course sometimes solicitors will need you to attend court with them or visit a client in police custody.

It is possible to get into legal secretarial work with just regular office training and experience, but that's becoming less and less the case. 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.

The job itself is mainly office-based, and the majority of work will be done on the computer (although that can vary from firm to firm.) Typical hours will be Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm - although part-time work, flexi-time or even job sharing may be possible. A legal secretary with a good skill level and several years experience can earn a very nice salary - indeed sought after professionals would expect upwards of twenty eight to thirty thousand a year.

Legal Secretarial Certification & Training Requirements

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. You should also be very accurate, pay attention to detail, have good organisational skills and an interest in the law.

You should have English and Maths GCSE's at least, although there are no actual formally agreed certifications for legal secretaries. As you would expect, a good working knowledge of English grammar, spelling and punctuation is fairly essential to the whole process. 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. You can look at stand alone office skills packages - why not try the European Computer Driving Licence for starters.

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There are some very good business admin and general secretarial courses on offer from UK colleges - these can certainly help. As the work is so interesting it's a popular choice for many candidates coming from other secretarial fields. When you get a chance to let an employer know what you can do, be sure to display the characteristics that they're looking for. Ultimately though, prepare yourself with professional skills and just be yourself - hopefully your natural charm and enthusiasm will shine through.

What Do I Have To Do Next?

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. The bigger law firms may have their own training schemes, but it's more common for individuals to study alongside their job with an outside training provider.

Various Legal Secretarial training programmes are available, and they can be quite in-depth. 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. 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. This is a position midway between the Legal Secretary and the Lawyer. The work is very similar to that of a solicitor, but Legal Execs cannot represent clients in the High Court. That said, due to the County Courts (Rights of Audience) Direction being extended, many senior Legal Executives now work on behalf of clients in the Magistrates Courts and County Courts. Which courts they can work in largely depends on the area and level of their expertise. Legal executives may go into Public Law, Corporate Law, or maybe pursue private clients of their own.

Building a fascinating and valuable career as a Legal Secretary will take you right to the heart of UK law. With so many training options available to you, isn't it time to get the ball rolling?