Have you ever wondered what legal secretaries do on a daily basis? Before we try to answer that, let’s establish what a legal secretary is. A legal secretary is an administration assistant specializing in law. So they are trained with legal knowledge and skills to help run the office smoothly. Legal secretaries are a valuable asset in the law industry because with them taking care of things in the office, busy senior members such as barristers or solicitors can fully focus on their job.

Career Case Study

Returning to the first question, what do they do on a daily basis? Perhaps if you were to ask 10 legal secretaries about their daily routine, you’ll find that you’ll receive 10 different answers. The reason being is that their job covers a range of different tasks and each individual company needs are different. Having said that, their tasks are similar in many ways. The following is a typical daily routine of being in the office as a legal secretary:

  • Arrive at the office at 9.00a.m. – Sometimes you need to arrive earlier if there’s a lot of work to get done or if there’s a trial scheduled for the day.

  • Check the calendar and diarise – Look for and add in tasks that needs to be carried out. This ensures that important tasks are not forgotten but should be completed in a timely manner.

 

  • Organise meetings – Find out when everyone has the same free time slot and book in a meeting.

 

  • Answer phone calls – The constant ringing of the phone might be frustrating, but it’s part of the job. You need to be on standby all the time.

 

  • Lunch time – As a legal secretary, you have a lot to juggle but you need food to charge up your brain and body or else you might burn out. Sometimes when it is horribly busy, you will have no choice but to grab a quick bite and get going with your work.
Become a Legal Secretary

Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net and author imagerymajestic

  • Deal with documents – Don’t be surprised to have piles of legal documents waiting for you to produce and proof-read. You’ve to be vigilant as the work from you should be immaculate.

 

  • Meet and greet clients – Clients will arrive and you’ve to take care of them by seating them and offering them a nibble and a drink. When boss is ready for them, send them through.

 

  • Meet with boss – Keep your boss up-to-date with the nitty gritty details of your work so that he knows you are capable of being on top of things.

 

  • Get off work at 18.00 – Again, when it’s busy and you’ve to catch up on lots of work, you might have to leave work a little later. It’s best to get things done and dusted rather than letting workload pile up to unthinkable levels.

Day of a Legal Secretary

Do you think you can handle this challenging position? If yes, consider taking a Legal Secretary Course or a Legal Secretary Diploma to learn all about the skills and knowledge of a legal secretary. Both qualifications are CPD accredited. (Continuing Professional Development) Having a CPD qualification demonstrates to employers that you have the necessary skills and knowledge to perform well on your job. It is internationally well-respected, therefore a CPD qualification on your CV will increase your job prospects, significantly.