Legal Secretary Job Description: Top Duties and Qualifications

Legal Secretaries, or Legal Assistants, perform clerical work at law offices or organisations. Their primary duties include providing Lawyers with direct assistance, scheduling client appointments and organising and maintaining all legal documents kept on-site. 

 

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Legal Secretary duties and responsibilities

While a Legal Secretary performs some standard secretarial tasks, they spend most of their workday performing tasks specific to the field of law. Other duties and responsibilities of Legal Secretaries include:

  • Preparing court statements and forms
  • Dictating Lawyers’ audio files and written notes
  •  Managing records, projects and calendars to make sure everything functions smoothly
  • Transcribing and proofreading legal documents
  • Indexing and updating pleadings and discovery binders
  • Collecting and delivering documents
  • Managing diaries and making travel arrangements for one or more Lawyers
  • Supporting legal research and communicating with vendors, experts, Lawyers, opposing counsel and other staff

 

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Legal Secretary Job Description Examples:

 

Example 1

*MUST HAVE A FIRST CLASS LAW Degree* We require a Legal Secretary to work closely and provide efficient and effective support to our CEO. We are seeking applications from outstanding candidates with integrity, imagination, and energy for this rewarding role. Our CEO is looking for a proactive, think on your feet, two steps ahead of the game ‘Fixer’ type of person whose flexibility in terms of time, is second to none. This position is ideal for anyone looking for a role to make their own. The individual must possess a degree in Law, as the ideal candidate would be expected to work closely with the legal department along with the PR and marketing team. *Key Duties and Responsibilities*
  • Timekeeping and organizational skills must be second to none
  • New Business Development
  • Assisting the PR & Marketing team
  • Liaising with the legal department
  • Field incoming calls and inquiries
  • Must be able to work under pressure
  • To set up and manage internal meetings between members of staff and project teams, including diary management for the meeting spaces
  • To plan and manage internal and external events, including but not limited to exhibitions, trade shows, and internal launch events
  • To ensure that the movements of the Senior Management team are communicated to relevant persons
  • This list is not exhaustive and is meant to provide a guide only. You may be required to fulfil other duties depending on the need of the business *Desired Skills and Experience*
  • 1st Class certification is ideally required
  • Strong time management and organizational skills
  • The ability to communicate with various stakeholders
  • Very strong in Microsoft Office, especially Outlook, Word and Excel. Job Type: Part-time Salary: £18,000.00-£21,000.00 per year Additional pay: * Bonus scheme * Commission pay Benefits: * Casual dress Schedule: * Monday to Friday Ability to * Bradford BD1 4SX (preferred) Education: * Master's (preferred) Experience: * Legal: 1 year (preferred) Work remotely: * No

    • Example 2

    Established in 1977, Warners is one of Edinburgh’s leading solicitor firms offering residential conveyancing, private client and estate agency services to our clients. We are currently looking to recruit a Legal Secretary in our busy residential conveyancing team. *The role will involve* * Assisting with all aspects of residential conveyancing · Typing correspondence from digital dictation · Handling emails and calls from clients · Processing forms for the Land Register · Dealing with LBTT returns to revenue Scotland · Instructing searches *The successful candidate will* * Have knowledge of current residential conveyancing practice * Be well organised * Have good time management skills * Have good communication skills * Offer excellent customer service * Work effectively on your own as well as with other team members * Be IT literate We offer a competitive salary and understand the importance of a good work/life balance Job Types: Full-time, Permanent Reference ID: LT/ Legal Secretary Application deadline: 23/06/2021 *Warners Solicitors LLP provided the following inclusive hiring information: * We are an equal opportunity employer and considers all qualified applicants equally without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or disability status. Job Types: Full-time, Permanent Salary: per year Additional pay: * Yearly bonus Benefits: * Bike to work scheme * Company events * Company pension * Life insurance * Referral programme Schedule: * Monday to Friday COVID-19 considerations: Mask wearing in the office and additional cleaning, restricted client access and staff numbers reduced. Work remotely: * No

    Example 3

    *Key Tasks/Responsibilities* * Digital Dictation, able to prioritise urgent matters * Deal with all administrative duties associated with the role * Arrange appointments – both in and outside the office – in person and via telephone * Deal with clients’ queries in person when they visit the Offices & on the telephone, take detailed messages, pass to Solicitor/Fee Earner ensuring calls are returned * Filing photocopying when necessary, sending e mail/ fax messages upon request * Closing & archiving files * Ensure that the outgoing Royal Mail & DX post is available for signature and ready for collection by the Post room staff at the appropriate times * Provide cover for other secretarial staff holiday/sickness absence within the Department as and when required * Ensure that the Solicitor/Fee Earner responds promptly to letters and telephone calls * Secretary must be aware always where the Fee Earner is, so he /she can be contacted if required * Maintain their personal; central & Court Diary keeping it up to date – daily where necessary placing out of office message to advise of Fee Earners availability * Respond to all other reasonable instructions from Fee Earners * Responsible through the appropriate Fee Earner to the Head of the Department * Respond quickly and efficiently to all clients’ needs and requests *This is not an exhaustive list but outlines the main duties* *Person Specification* * Polite professional friendly demeanour * Computer literate * Good standard of Education minimum GCSE * Good typing accuracy & speed * RSA or equivalent qualification preferred * Nice telephone manner & good communicator * Interpersonal skills * Organised * Methodical * High standard of English grammar & numeracy * Able to work on own initiative & meet deadlines Reference ID: Legal Secretary Job Types: Full-time, Permanent Salary: per year Benefits: * Additional leave * Company events * Sick pay Schedule: * Monday to Friday COVID-19 considerations: Covid Secure Office Experience: * secretarial: 2 years (required) * Legal Secretarial: 2 years (preferred) Work remotely: * No

    What does a Legal Secretary do?

    Legal Secretaries ensure that a legal office runs efficiently and smoothly to enable Lawyers to focus on the clients’ needs. They help ease the workload of Lawyers by providing general administrative support, such as answering telephone calls, taking messages and photocopying documents. In addition to general administrative duties, they also have responsibilities with a specific legal focus, for example producing legal documents such as contracts and wills for Lawyers. A Legal Secretary can also prepare court documents and type minutes of the court proceedings.

     

    Legal Secretary skills and qualifications

    Most legal offices and law firms deal with multiple clients simultaneously, a Legal Secretaries must be able to multitask. A successful Legal Secretary candidate will have various prerequisite skills and qualifications that include:

    • Familiarity with legal terminology and documentation
    • Proficiency in word processing software including MS Office
    • Excellent oral and written communication skills
    • Ability to work with a team of Lawyers and others in the organisation
    • The ability to prioritise tasks and meet deadlines
    • Attention to detail
    • A professional and courteous manner
    • Ability to type quickly and accurately

     

    Legal Secretary experience requirements

    The experience requirements for a Legal Secretary position vary from one organisation to another. If an organisation is small, it may consider candidates with little experience as a Legal Secretary. Larger organisations usually require Legal Secretaries to have several years’ experience in the field.

     

    Legal Secretary education and training requirements

    Prospective Legal Secretaries must have a Level 3 Diploma for Legal Secretaries or should have completed a higher education college course in legal word processing and audio transcription. Some employers prefer candidates who have completed an intermediate or advanced apprenticeship as a Paralegal or in legal services, or worked as an Administrative Assistant in a legal organisation. Other employers prefer candidates who obtained qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx) and the Institute of Legal Secretaries and Personal Assistants.

     

    Legal Secretary salary expectations

    According to Indeed Salaries, the average salary for a Legal Secretary is £21,517 per year. This figure varies depending on factors, including years of experience, geographical location and the law firm or organisation.

     

    Job description samples for similar positions

    If the sample job description for a Legal Secretary is not exactly what you are looking for, here are sample job descriptions for similar positions: 

     

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    Legal Secretary job description FAQs

     

    What should you look for in a Legal Secretary CV?

    Employers should look for a candidate with experience in specific areas of law, such as family law or criminal law. They should also look for a candidate with specific skill sets for example familiarity with a particular case management system. Employers should also see if a candidate has experience supporting multiple Lawyers at different levels of seniority (partners or associates) if that is a required for the position.

     

    What are the day-to-day duties of a Legal Secretary?

    Legal Secretaries file, scan and copy legal documents on a daily basis. They  schedule the hearings, meetings and court depositions for the Lawyers they work with. They make  travel arrangements for Lawyers and  file documents with the court before the deadlines.

     

    What is the difference between a Legal Secretary and a Paralegal?

    A Legal Secretary performs administrative tasks such as scheduling meetings, organising work files and documents for review by the Lawyers and Paralegals. Paralegals do legal research and draft pleadings, contracts and other legal documents. They also help with trial preparation, monitor changes to legislation and can deal directly with clients without giving legal advice.

     

    Do Legal Secretaries have different responsibilities in different industries?

    Legal Secretaries can work for local authorities, estate agent companies and law firms specialising in different areas of law. Although the responsibilities of Legal Secretaries may differ slightly between different types of organisations, the typical responsibilities for Legal Secretaries remain similar for all law firms, regardless of the areas of specialisation.

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