Legal Secretaries will typically be employed by law firms, legal departments of corporations, courts or governmental agencies. They may also be self-employed as independent contractors. Legal secretaries perform a wide variety of administrative tasks for lawyers, paralegals and clients.
Starting Salary For Legal Secretary: This position requires someone who has outstanding communication and organizational skills, as well as the ability to type at a rate of 50 words per minute or more. You’ll work directly with clients and other team members to organize files and notes, prepare correspondence and memorandums, manage calendars, track deadlines and more.
Starting Salary For Legal Secretary Overview
Legal secretaries are responsible for keeping track of details and organizing information in a law office. They work closely with attorneys, paralegals, and other professionals in the legal field to ensure that the offices run smoothly.
Legal secretaries often work for attorneys or law firms, but they may also work for court systems or governmental agencies. Most work full time and are required to have at least a high school diploma or equivalent.
The average salary for a legal secretary is $36,000 per year. However, this varies based on location and industry.
What is a Legal Secretary?
A legal secretary is an assistant who provides administrative support to barristers, solicitors, legal executives, and other types of legal professionals in a law firm, legal department, or courtroom setting. Barrister’s clerk or court secretary are alternative titles used to describe the same role.
What Does a Legal Secretary Do?
Legal secretaries perform a range of administrative, secretarial, and clerical tasks to support lawyers or legal teams and make sure the workplace runs smoothly and efficiently. The duties vary depending on the employer, but they typically include the following:
- Preparing, typing, and filing legal documents, such as wills, contracts, and subpoenas
- Managing correspondence and responding to clients’ enquiries in person, via email, or by telephone
- Organising diaries, scheduling appointments, and arranging meetings
- Audio typing from digital dictation, transcribing interviews, and conducting legal research
- Gathering information required for cases, such as accident reports or medical records
- Scanning, photocopying, and faxing
Simply put, a legal secretary carries out essential functions that enable legal professionals to focus on their clients’ needs.
How Do You Become a Legal Secretary?
Although there are no industry standard minimum entry requirements, most legal secretary jobs require good GCSE grades, especially in English and Maths. However, some employers may ask for a university degree, certification, or prior experience.
You may choose between four routes to obtain the qualifications necessary to become a legal secretary:
- Take a legal secretary course
- Complete a law apprenticeship
- Start as a secretary or administrative assistant
- Secure a junior position at a law firm
Each one of these paths will help you acquire valuable knowledge, skills, and technical expertise to pursue and further your legal career.
What Skills Do I Need to Be a Legal Secretary?
You need to have the following skills to be a legal secretary:
- Adequate knowledge of the legal system, procedures, and terminology
- Ability to copy and audio type with high accuracy at high speed
- Outstanding organisational, communication, and time management skills
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, particularly Word, Excel, and Outlook
- Excellent verbal and written English skills
Moreover, employers look for soft skills in potential candidates, which often include:
- Polite, friendly, and professional
- Discrete, trustworthy, and reliable
- Ability to work under pressure and to deadlines
- Good attention to detail
In short, a good legal secretary exhibits excellent secretarial skills, legal knowledge, and personality traits.
How Long Does It Take to Become a Legal Secretary?
It takes between a few weeks to over a year, the duration depends on how you go about becoming a legal secretary. Courses may be as short as 8 weeks, while apprenticeships can last as long as 18 months.
School leavers with good IT skills may be able to secure junior roles in less than a month. If you have previous secretarial experience, you may only need a few days to land a legal secretary job if you have luck on your side.
How Much Does a Legal Secretary Earn?
The salary of a legal secretary in the UK ranges between £20,000 to £45,000 per year depending on experience, firm prestige, and location.
In London, for example, an experienced legal secretary at a prestigious firm can expect to earn £30,000 to £35,000. Conversely, the average salary tends to be closer to £20,000 in smaller cities like Exeter.
Legal Assistant or Secretary Salary Data
We’ve provided you the following to learn more about this career. The salary and growth data on this page comes from recently published Bureau of Labor Statistics data while the recommendations and editorial content are based on our research.
National Anual Salary
Low Range
$37,880
Average
$52,390
High Range
$79,010
What are The Career Prospects for a Legal Secretary?
Becoming a legal secretary can pave the way to career advancements within and outside the legal field. You can become a legal personal or executive assistant, which is a similar role but comes with more challenging, often higher-paying, responsibilities.
You can also pursue another career path as a paralegal or solicitor through experience or further education.
Lastly, you can transfer your skills to become an office manager, secretary, or personal assistant in other sectors.
