The Institute of Legal Secretaries and PAs
Dedicated to your career every step of the way
Legal Secretary Foundation and Advanced Courses
ILSPA's Foundation and Advanced courses enable you to become qualified and competent in a specific area of law. You can gain a certificate or diploma in your chosen subject area and include any of the core units from our Legal Secretaries Diploma if you wish. Our qualifications are recognised by law firms and legal recruiters throughout the UK and overseas.
These courses are suitable for people who are interested in studying a particular area of law or those who already work in a specific legal department. We offer a range of legal subjects that can be studied online by distance learning, at your own pace. If you would like to gain additional knowledge, you also have the option to add on our General Legal Procedures, Key Legal Secretary Skills or English Legal System units.
Foundation Level (Certificate)
This level is suitable if you would like to gain a good understanding of an area of law and learn the practical tasks involved with Legal Secretary work. You do not need to have any previous experience of law. Once qualified, you will receive a certificate in your subject of choice.
The following subjects are available:
Please click on each subject for the full syllabus.
Advanced Level (Diploma)
This level is suitable if you would like to gain an in-depth understanding of a particular area of law and acquire some Paralegal skills. Ideally, you should have some existing legal knowledge which has been acquired though study or work. Once qualified, you will receive a diploma in your subject of choice.
The following subjects are available:
- Civil Litigation
- Corporate & Commercial Law
- Criminal Law and Procedure
- Family Law and Practice
- Land Law & Conveyancing
- Wills, Probate & Administration
Please click on each subject for the full syllabus.
Optional Units
If you would like to gain additional knowledge, you have the option to add on extra units to your Foundation or Advanced level course as follows:
These units are £100 each.
Our courses can be started at any time and you have the flexibility of studying at your own pace. You have up to one year to complete it, however the average time is 3-6 months. The more time you dedicate to the course, the sooner you will achieve your qualification.
The study material, coursework and Student resources are available online through the Student and Member area of our website. When you enrol, you will be able to login and access everything you need. You also have access to help and support throughout your studies. You can submit your queries online and receive a response from a member of our team.
There are many benefits to studying a Legal Secretary course through ILSPA. You can gain a recognised qualification, receive CV and guidance to secure employment, have access to a wealth of online resources to help you in your career, receive FREE Membership of the Institute for one year and gain the eligibility to apply for a TOTUM Student discount card.
Coursework and Assessment
You are assessed through coursework for the Foundation or Advanced level courses. There are no examinations.
Foundation Level
You are required to complete a multiple-choice achievement test and assessments for these courses. The multiple-choice achievement test will ask you questions about the areas you study and enable you to show your understanding of each unit. The practical assessments involve the production of legal forms, documents and letters. Through completing the assessments, you will be able to show how well you are able to follow instructions, apply word processing skills to a variety of legal documents, forms and letters, and become competent in Legal Secretary work.
You do not need to have any experience to do the coursework. Full instructions and examples are provided in the course material to enable you to complete it.
Advanced Level
You are required to complete a multiple-choice achievement test and an assignment for these courses. Through this coursework, you will have the ability to show your understanding of the subject studied and gain some Paralegal skills. The assignments will be in the form of essay or direct questions. A helpful guide on writing assignments is provided within the coursework.
It is necessary to have some practical or theoretical experience of law in order to take the advanced level subjects.
Certification
You will receive a grade for each piece of work you submit. When you complete the course, an average percentage is taken from your results and you will be awarded a pass, merit or distinction, depending on the standard of your work. If you fail any part of the course, you will be given the opportunity to retake it once. There are no additional fees for this.
Upon passing the Foundation Level course, you will be awarded a Foundation Level Certificate in your area of study. Upon passing the Advanced Level course, you will be awarded an Advanced Diploma Certificate in your area of study.
If you fail any part of the course, you will be given the opportunity to retake it once. There is no additional fee for this.
Entry Requirements
Foundation Level Courses
There are no entry requirements for the course, however, we recommend that you have a good typing speed, computer literacy, an understanding of Microsoft Word, and a good standard of spoken and written English.
If you do not have these skills, ILSPA Students can receive a 50% discount on Microsoft Office courses. We can also recommend a free online typing course, which is studied by thousands of Students wanting to improve their speed and accuracy. Please contact us for details.
Advanced Level Courses
We advise that Students have the same basic skills as our foundation level courses, as well as existing legal knowledge which has been acquired through study or work.
Student Terms and Conditions
Please read our terms and conditions below.
Terms and Conditions
