Institute of Legal Secretaries and PA's

Career Guidance

Legal Secretaries and PAs are in great demand. They help lawyers with their work and they are an integral part of a team of legal professionals. Career prospects are very good, as the more experience you gain, the higher the salary you can obtain. Legal Secretaries can be promoted to PAs or Office Managers, and some go on to become Paralegals or Legal Executives with the right training, as their role provides them with a good grounding in law and legal procedures.

Salaries vary greatly depending on the area of the country you live in, the firm you work for, the position you obtain and the experience you have. Take a look at the positions available on our jobs board and through our recruitment partners to see what Legal Secretaries in your area earn at different levels.

If you would like advice and support regarding your career, we are happy to help you. Members receive:

Advice on securing employment through step-by-step CV help and career guidance. Your CV provides the first impression you make on a potential employer, so it is important that it meets a high standard, is tailored for a Legal Secretary position, and shows your full capabilities, skills and experience. Our career guidance manual and specialist advice will provide you with information on preparing yourself for your job search, where to look for vacancies and interview techniques.

Access to our Legal Secretary jobs board. Our jobs board is the UK’s largest niche recruitment site for Legal Secretaries and PAs and it holds vacancies from law firms and recruitment agencies throughout the country. You can greatly improve your job prospects by registering with us and uploading your CV to show your availability for work. We also have partnerships with jobsites, which you can find in the recruitment section of our website. They have a wide range of vacancies for Legal Secretaries and PAs and are keen for our Members to register with them.

Encouragement to be positive and achieve your goal. We help give you confidence and clarity about your job search. If you are just starting your career as a Legal Secretary, do not be discouraged by job adverts which ask for people with experience. Remember that everyone has to start somewhere and every experienced Legal Secretary was once inexperienced, in the same position as you. A wide variety of positions are available for juniors, trainees, those with good secretarial skills with a Legal Secretary qualification, and those who are more experienced. With the right attitude, determination, skills and qualifications, you can achieve your goal. Many of our Students have managed to secure legal secretarial positions on the strength of having the Legal Secretaries Diploma and being confident about their abilities.

The Legal Secretary

Legal Secretaries help with the smooth running of law firms and can work in barristers’ chambers, local authorities, law courts and with the police. They have a wealth of professional skills and overall they must be excellent secretaries with an understanding of law and legal procedures. The work can be challenging and demanding, so being calm and confident is essential.

  • Producing and completing legal documents, forms and letters
  • Organising and filing correspondence, legal forms and documents
  • Answering telephone calls and taking accurate messages
  • Compiling letters and legal documents from dictation
  • Preparing court forms and statements
  • Attending court
  • Arranging appointments and meetings
  • Liaising with clients
  • Performing legal research

The work of Legal Secretaries varies greatly, as law and legal procedures do. Areas such as conveyancing, probate, litigation, personal injury, family law and criminal law are common to work in and valuable experience can be gained on the job. Legal Secretaries find their careers enjoyable and rewarding as they work on interesting cases, are given important responsibilities, liaise with a diversity of clients and are at the heart of the legal profession.

There are no set entry requirements for this job, but it is important to have good secretarial skills together with an understanding of law and legal procedures. It is beneficial to acquire the relevant legal knowledge and skills if you would like the best chance of securing a position although some law firms offer training programs enabling you to train on the job.

The Legal PA

Legal PALegal Personal Assistants can perform similar legal work to Legal Secretaries but they usually work for just one person in a firm. They furnish clients with a high-quality service and can be the first point of contact, making decisions on behalf of their bosses.

Legal PAs take on more responsibility with senior administrative tasks such as marketing or dealing with accounts and budgets. They act in a personal way for their bosses and are responsible for managing the boss’s personal timetable and diary, together with organising events, engagements and making travel arrangements.

Legal PAs are highly depended upon by their bosses and need to be reliable and committed.

Testimonials

I would like to take this opportunity for thanking you for all the assistance and sound advice you have given me. I take great pleasure in informing you that I have secured a job. It was through your assistance with both my covering letter and CV that I had a positive response.

right quotation markSusan Evans, Nottinghamshire

Thank you very much for your tremendous help in amending my CV and the offering me invaluable advice on covering letters, interview techniques and career guidance. This has restored my confidence. I am extremely grateful for your wonderful help.

right quotation markMary Harvey-Ewusi, London