Legal Secretaries have excellent career prospects. Through gaining experience, you have the opportunity to work your way up the ladder and obtain a higher salary. You can also become a Paralegal or even a Solicitor! Studying with us is a great way to take that first step towards your future career.

Take a look at the career experiences featured in our Legal Secretary Journal. You can read about various Students who have qualified through ILSPA and are sailing through their legal careers.

An example is Elizabeth Forbes who was a Secretarial Coordinator for a large south-east based firm. She is now working as a Trainee Paralegal after learning about the vacancy in her department. Elizabeth said:

"From when I started as a Legal Secretary, I always wanted to become a Paralegal and I was aiming for that, but I wanted to be a really good Legal Secretary also and I enjoyed that role a lot. After having my two daughters and changing law firms, I found ILSPA and I was impressed with the flexibility of the learning and courses on offer. That’s when I started to aim more for becoming a Paralegal. During my time at the new law firm as a Legal Secretary, I worked for the head of department whilst doing my courses with ILSPA."

There is also Melinda Toth who secured a Solicitor Apprenticeship with her firm while working as a Legal Secretary in their Pensions, Incentives and Corporate Tax team. Melinda said:

"In short, a Solicitor Apprenticeship is a paid role which combines on-the-job training with study. It is a work-based pathway; I have one day per week allocated to studying. The apprenticeship embeds a law degree and also incorporates the new Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) assessments, which form the End-Point-Assessment for the Solicitor Apprenticeship. The fact that the apprenticeship is fully funded by my employer means I can complete a degree without building up student loan debt, making this a great career option. I believe it’s also the best way to prepare someone for qualifying as a Solicitor, as having 6 years of work experience behind you will give you confidence when it comes to completing independent legal work and dealing with clients."

Elizabeth, Melinda and many other ILSPA Graduates show what fantastic opportunities are available to Legal Secretaries in the industry.