Legal Clerk Job Description: Top Duties and Qualifications

A Legal Clerk, or Judicial Clerk performs record keeping and administrative duties in law offices. Their primary duties include maintaining legal records, completing paperwork and organising a Solicitor ‘s Lawyer’s workload. 

 

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Legal Clerk duties and responsibilities

Legal clerks perform most of their duties in an office, though they may also spend some time in the courtroom or the Judge’s chamber. Their day-to-day duties and responsibilities include:

  • Collecting and delivering documents by hand
  • Preparing documents, books and papers and taking robes and other supplies to and from court
  • Organising the law library, negotiating payments for Solicitors Lawyers and handling customer services
  • Collecting and updating client information and maintaining paper and electronic records
  • Printing, photocopying and reproducing business correspondence, letters and emails
  • Organising the Lawyer’s schedule, booking flight tickets and hotel accommodations
  • Ordering office supplies, managing invoices and tracking petty cash
  • Welcoming clients and setting up an appointment between clients and Solicitors

 

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Legal Clerk Job Description Examples:

 

Example 1

*Role: Solicitor/Legal Clerk* *Department: Civil Department * *Location: * *Hours: Full Time * Watson Woodhouse Limited are expanding their Civil Litigation team and seek an innovative and forward thinking Fee Earner / Senior Clerk to work from their Middlesbrough office. *The role: * The successful candidate will be able to work independently and as part of a team and be able to manage a caseload of civil claims including Negligence; Actions Against Public Authorities; Inquests; Personal Injury; Public Inquiries; General Civil Litigation; as well as contributing to the promotion of the firm’s services. *Requirements: * · A minimum of 4 years PQE within Civil Litigation is essential (or relevant experience) · The ability to deliver Excellent Client Care · Excellent verbal and written communication skills · Ability to work effectively in a team and as an individual on their own initiative · Excellent time management skills, with an ability to prioritise and organise a complex workload to deadline · The ability to build rapport with both internal and external stakeholders In return we offer a competitive salary, role prospects and training, 25 days holiday plus bank holidays, workplace pension, Employee Assistance Programme, Christmas Saving Scheme and other staff benefits. Email covering letter, CV and salary expectations to our *Human Resource Department*, byclose of business on the *24 June 2021*. Should you have any questions about the role/department please feel free to contact our HR team at the email above. Job Types: Full-time, Permanent Benefits: * Company pension * Employee discount * Referral programme * Sick pay * Wellness programmes Schedule: * Monday to Friday COVID-19 considerations: All of our offices have had risk assessments carried out and we keep our staff safe by providing protective screens, sanitation stations and social distancing is in place. Work remotely: * No

Example 2

*Paralegal/Legal Clerk– Full Time* A great opportunity has arisen for the right candidate to join our legal Care/Family team in Leicester. We are looking for a candidate who is a law graduate, wanting to gain exposure and experience in the Legal environment. We will offer training to the right candidate for Care and Family work, so a genuine interest with a strong work ethic is required. The candidate must have excellent written and oral communication skills, a commitment and aptitude for providing high quality service to clients. An understanding of basic office administration skills such as filing, diarising, taking instructions accurately, arranging meetings and keeping diaries is essential. The candidate must have a full clean UK driving license and access to own car as they may be required to travel to other offices. Job Type: Full-time Salary: £16,700.00-£17,685.00 per year Schedule: * Monday to Friday * No weekends Ability to commute/relocate: * Leicester LE1 7EA: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (preferred) Education: * Bachelor's (required) Experience: * Paralegal: 1 year (preferred) * Legal drafting: 1 year (preferred) * Driving Licence (required) Work remotely: * Temporarily due to COVID-19

Example 3

*Paralegal/Legal Clerk– Full Time* A great opportunity has arisen for the right candidate to join our legal Care/Family team in Leicester. We are looking for a candidate who is a law graduate, wanting to gain exposure and experience in the Legal environment. We will offer training to the right candidate for Care and Family work, so a genuine interest with a strong work ethic is required. The candidate must have excellent written and oral communication skills, a commitment and aptitude for providing high quality service to clients. An understanding of basic office administration skills such as filing, diarising, taking instructions accurately, arranging meetings and keeping diaries is essential. The candidate must have a full clean UK driving license and access to own car as they may be required to travel to other offices. Job Type: Full-time Salary: per year Schedule: * Monday to Friday * No weekends Work remotely: * Temporarily due to COVID-19

What does a Legal Clerk do?

A Legal Clerk works at legal chambers, courts and law offices. They perform a wide range of administrative tasks, including conducting research, performing legal analysis and preparing legal documents. They prepare draft opinions for legal cases that will act as the foundation for Judges and Solicitors  Lawyers. They also help Lawyers during a legal action by preparing for the case, which includes reviewing and preparing legal documents, such as affidavits, legal complaints and petitions. 

 

Legal Clerk skills and qualifications 

A successful Legal Clerk candidate will have a various range of prerequisite skills and qualifications that typically include:

  • Proficiency in word processing software, such as MS Office
  • Strong administrative and clerical skills 
  • Ability to operate office equipment
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • Attention to detail and accuracy 
  • Excellent customer service, sales and negotiating skills 
  • Knowledge of court procedures and ability to work as part of a team 
  • Analytical skills and ability to work under stressful situations 

 

Legal Clerk experience requirements

A strong foundation in legal writing and research, torts, contract law, criminal law and procedures, UK’s constitutional law and ethics is typically required for all Legal Clerk positions. Many Judges and law firms prefer Legal Clerks who have some experience with legal research and procedures. Working in a law office or serving as an intern while preparing to take the bar examination can meet this requirement. A senior-level Legal Clerk position requires three to five years of experience in the field.

Some law firms may prefer law school graduates who were active participants in a variety of student groups, such as trial team or moot court, or who wrote for the law journal of their school. 

 

Legal Clerk education and training requirements

The education requirement for a Legal Clerk position varies depending on the employer. However, a bachelor’s degree in legal studies is usually a baseline requirement. Most people who wish to become a Legal Clerk will complete a bachelor’s degree and at least one year of law school. Some employers accept candidates who have at least four GCSEs grade A to C or equivalent, including English and maths. 

Most legal clerks receive on-the-job training, which usually includes the basic processes related to the firm’s systems. It may also include learning about specific types of computer software or systems. 

 

Legal Clerk salary expectations

According to Indeed Salaries, the average salary of a Legal Clerk in the UK is £8.71 per hour. Actual salaries vary depending on factors, including the employer, geographical location and the candidate’s experience and academic qualifications. 

 

Job description samples for similar positions

If a Legal Clerk is not quite what you’re looking for, here are other job description samples that may fit your needs: 

 

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Legal Clerk job description FAQs

 

What qualities make a good Legal Clerk?

Legal Clerks need the ability to multitask, as they will work on more than one case at a time and more than one client. However, clients want to feel like they’re the only client and may feel disappointed if their concerns or queries are not addressed promptly. Legal Clerks must be empathetic and respond promptly to these concerns and needs, even if they’re not legal in nature. 

 

How can you make your Legal Clerk job description stand out?

To make your Legal Clerk job description stand out, make sure to provide information about your company, including your company’s mission, goals and industry. Other useful information includes the area of law your firm specialises in and the people potential candidates will work with. You must also include information about salary and benefits, such as pension plans, medical insurance coverage, paid vacation days, travel reimbursement and any housing benefits. 

 

Who does a Legal Clerk report to?

A Legal Clerk usually reports to a Legal Assistant, Legal Secretary, Barrister, Solicitor and other senior executives in the law chambers.

 

What makes a good Legal Clerk job description?

A good Legal Clerk job description needs to include an attention-grabbing headline. It should also be concise and written in plain language, while specifying all the required experience and qualifications along with any preferred skills.

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