Legal secretary

Legal secretaries provide specialised secretarial and clerical support to professional staff in legal offices. They prepare and word process legal documents and correspondence. Other duties could include organising the office diary, making appointments for solicitors and chartered legal executives, handling telephone enquiries and dealing with visiting clients.

Work activities

Legal secretaries provide administrative and secretarial support to professional staff to ensure the efficient operation of a legal office. They carry out a wide range of office duties, including answering the telephone, welcoming clients and visitors, filing legal documents and dealing with incoming and outgoing mail. They organise the office diary, and make appointments on behalf of solicitors, chartered legal executives and paralegals. Some legal secretaries maintain and prepare records of legal costs. They use computers to produce legal documents, forms and letters. They might copy type from a draft, or audio transcribe from recorded dictation. Some might use shorthand. Secretaries prepare documents such as statements, bills, briefing notes, leases, contracts, wills, property conveyances and divorce petitions. They use different layouts according to the type of document. They sometimes attend meetings or court hearings with a solicitor and make relevant notes. In small firms, secretaries gain wide experience of different legal areas whereas in a large firm they will tend to specialise. Some legal secretaries work for a specialist in criminal law, conveyancing, probate or family law. Others work for a number of different solicitors and professional staff. Some work in legal departments of large industrial or commercial firms, public sector organisations, barristers’ chambers and courts. With experience, legal secretaries might take over much of the routine administrative work of running the office.

Personal qualities and skills

As a legal secretary, you’ll need:

A high level of skill in typing, word processing and audio transcribing (from recorded dictation).
To be responsible, well-organised, methodical and able to pay close attention to detail.
Good communication skills.
To manage your workload efficiently and to work well under pressure.
A good grasp of English. Incorrect spelling and punctuation could alter the meaning of legal documents.
To be tactful and sympathetic to clients who might be anxious or distressed.
To recognise the need for confidentiality and discretion, as you will have access to clients’ personal details.
An interest in developing knowledge of aspects of law, and legal terminology.

Some employers expect audio or copy transcription speeds of 60-75 words per minute (wpm). Shorthand skills are useful, but not always necessary. You might need an understanding of accounting, finance and business practice. You might need other IT skills such as email, spreadsheets and databases.

Pay and opportunities

Salaries for legal secretaries depend on qualifications, experience and type of employer. The pay rates given are approximate. Legal secretaries earn in the range of £20,000 a year, rising to £45,000 with experience.

Legal secretaries usually work 36-38 hours, Monday to Friday, but some might be asked quite often to work overtime. Full-time, part-time, temporary and flexible working arrangements could be available.

Employers are solicitors’ offices, barristers’ chambers and courts. Other employers include the legal departments of firms in every sector of industry and commerce and in public service, as well as local authority and government departments. Temporary work, on a casual basis or through short-term contracts, might be available from specialist legal secretarial employment agencies. Opportunities for legal secretaries occur in towns and cities throughout the UK.

Self-employment is possible for some secretaries working in legal practices.

Where are vacancies advertised?

Vacancies are advertised in local/national newspapers, on job boards and employers’ websites, and on the Government’s Find a Job service.

Entry routes and training

There are legal secretarial courses available widely at colleges around the UK. It is also possible to enter employment after completing a course in general secretarial skills.

You could complete an apprenticeship in the role of paralegal as a way into this career. This level 3 (advanced) apprenticeship scheme provides training on the job with the opportunity to study towards relevant qualifications as part of the programme. A legal technician apprenticeship is currently in development but not yet available (December 2023).

City & Guilds/Chartered Institute of Legal Executives offer the certificate and diploma for legal secretaries at levels 2 and 3. There are no formal academic entry requirements for either qualification, although some colleges might ask for GCSEs including English and, sometimes, maths. The Institute of Legal Secretaries and PAs runs the Legal Secretaries Diploma course for people with existing secretarial skills, and individual subject courses for legal secretaries who would like to specialise in one area of law. The Institute also offers an online typing skills course.

Experienced legal secretaries might be encouraged to study part-time to qualify as a chartered legal executive or paralegal. Alternatively, they could gain promotion to senior secretarial positions, personal assistant or office manager posts.

Qualifications

To get onto an advanced apprenticeship in this career, you will need GCSEs in English and maths, although you may be able to complete these alongside your programme. Employers will usually expect good English language skills. Some employers expect audio or copy transcription speeds of around 60-80 words per minute (wpm).

You should be familiar with office procedure and with one of the major word-processing software programs. The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives has no formal entry qualifications for its Certificate or Diploma courses but advises that entrants have GCSE English at grade 9-4.

For some college courses, you might need to have up to five GCSEs at grades 9-4 including English and maths. A relevant work-related qualification in a business subject, such as an Edexcel (BTEC) level 2 First qualification, might be accepted for entry. For the Institute of Legal Secretaries and PAs’ Diploma course, you will need computer skills (including word processing), a good standard of English, spelling and grammar and a good typing speed. A few employers might prefer people to have one or more A-levels in addition to secretarial skills.

Adult opportunities

Age limits: It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

Some entrants have a relevant background in, for example, office and administrative work.

Some college courses are aimed specifically at people wanting to gain or update their general keyboard and secretarial skills. These can be organised on a one- or two-term full-time intensive basis or taken part-time. Colleges will usually consider applications from adults who do not meet their usual entry requirements. You should check the admissions policy of individual colleges.

Related careers

Court reporter
Legal executive
Magistrates’ court assistant
Paralegal
Proofreader
Secretary