Arnold
CibbuanoLegal Secretary
November 30th 2006 00:49
Legal secretaries provide the support necessary to keep solicitors, barristers and law clerks churning out documents by the score. While no longer tied to typewriters full of carbonised copies, they nevertheless take responsibility for ensuring the efficient production of large volumes of correspondence, documentation, and a wide range of administrative tasks. If you are confident, can keep up with a heavy workload and juggle 10 things at once, then you may have what it takes to be a legal secretary.
Although many legal secretaries now pass the bulk of their typing to 'WP' (word processing operators), they still have plenty to do. Besides screening phone calls, scheduling appointments, and providing non-legal advice to clients, they may be required to prepare invoices, key time sheets, update databases, open new files, send faxes, clear the partner's email, photocopy and bind documents, organise filing systems, maintain and archive files, liaise with the accounts department, and perhaps calm down a client or two.
Occasionally, legal secretaries may get an opportunity to prepare marketing seminars, coordinate special interest group meetings or arrange travel schedules. In small practices, they may also need to manage the accounts (incoming and outgoing), purchase stationery and equipment, and maintain or install software.
A legal secretary typically wouldn’t initially choose a particular area of law, once experienced, they tend to stay with that field (whatever it may happen to be). They may end up working in criminal law with the Crown Solicitor's Office, family law with Legal Aid, or commercial law or litigation with a large, or small partnership. Working in a well-appointed city highrise or cramped suburban offices, they generally work for three or four members of the professional staff. In a large firm especially, they may work for a partner, one or two solicitors, and an articled clerk.
Wherever they work, legal secretaries will be required to have excellent typing speeds (usually 65 words per minute plus) as well as advanced word processing and audio typing skills. They will also need to be well organised, able to prioritise, and, above all, able to keep a secret.
Most legal secretaries are female, however, there are a number of men who have taken up the challenge. To be a legal secretary, you will need excellent word processing skills, sound English skills and, above all, a knack for organisation. Although there are no formal qualifications required, many opt to do a legal secretarial course at a local training centre. A course offering office or secretarial skills which includes audio typing, word processing and computing is a wise move. General office and administration experience is also an advantage.
A general shortage of highly-skilled legal secretaries means some firms are willing to pay as much as $40,000 to $45,000 per year for the right person. Less experienced or more junior secretaries may start at around $25,000 to $30,000 and more senior secretaries will generally earn between $33,000 and $36,000.
Although many legal secretaries now pass the bulk of their typing to 'WP' (word processing operators), they still have plenty to do. Besides screening phone calls, scheduling appointments, and providing non-legal advice to clients, they may be required to prepare invoices, key time sheets, update databases, open new files, send faxes, clear the partner's email, photocopy and bind documents, organise filing systems, maintain and archive files, liaise with the accounts department, and perhaps calm down a client or two.
Occasionally, legal secretaries may get an opportunity to prepare marketing seminars, coordinate special interest group meetings or arrange travel schedules. In small practices, they may also need to manage the accounts (incoming and outgoing), purchase stationery and equipment, and maintain or install software.
A legal secretary typically wouldn’t initially choose a particular area of law, once experienced, they tend to stay with that field (whatever it may happen to be). They may end up working in criminal law with the Crown Solicitor's Office, family law with Legal Aid, or commercial law or litigation with a large, or small partnership. Working in a well-appointed city highrise or cramped suburban offices, they generally work for three or four members of the professional staff. In a large firm especially, they may work for a partner, one or two solicitors, and an articled clerk.
Wherever they work, legal secretaries will be required to have excellent typing speeds (usually 65 words per minute plus) as well as advanced word processing and audio typing skills. They will also need to be well organised, able to prioritise, and, above all, able to keep a secret.
Most legal secretaries are female, however, there are a number of men who have taken up the challenge. To be a legal secretary, you will need excellent word processing skills, sound English skills and, above all, a knack for organisation. Although there are no formal qualifications required, many opt to do a legal secretarial course at a local training centre. A course offering office or secretarial skills which includes audio typing, word processing and computing is a wise move. General office and administration experience is also an advantage.
A general shortage of highly-skilled legal secretaries means some firms are willing to pay as much as $40,000 to $45,000 per year for the right person. Less experienced or more junior secretaries may start at around $25,000 to $30,000 and more senior secretaries will generally earn between $33,000 and $36,000.
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