How can I break into the world of legal secretarial work? I've been a medical secretary now for the past?

Question

10 years or so, but each time I try to do the same kind of work in a legal setting, I can't get anywhere. Why is this? I've tried agencies and applied for permanent roles, but still nowhere.

Answer 1

Good legal secretaries are now highly valued members of staff in law firms.

When I helped set up a law firm in 1997 I head-hunted a legal secretary from my old employer. She had no formal training in legal secretarial work and minimal knowledge of legal terms. What clinched it for me was:-
* fast accurate typing speed
* good telephone manner
* smart, efficient, polite and presentable
* adaptable and willing to learn
* a good basic knowledge of IT, especially word-processing (Microsoft WORD is the most commonly used)

Larger law firms can pay the highest salaries and will therefore most likely prefer to take on staff who already have knowledge and experience as legal secretaries. For someone without such knowledge and experience I would suggest three possible approaches:-
* go on a training course (this is my least preferred because a qualification only shows a theoretical knowledge of the subject and no practical experience)
* apply to smaller firms (who may, in any event, sponsor you through some additional training). A smaller firm with a willingness to "break you in gently", perhaps as an assistant secretary in the first instance is a good first step.
* apply for a related job. We took on a receptionist/admin assistant some years back. She did everything from answer the phone to making the tea and while she was doing all that she learnt what it was all about. Soon we were giving her small amounts of work such as standard letters etc. Some years later she is now a core member of our secretarial team with primary responsibilty for preparing Legal Aid Bills and complex documents.

Hope this helps - and good luck!

Answer 2

Good for you - there's loads of jobs out there for legal secretaries and they also get paid more!!

You can do an evening course for legal terminology at college and go from there - you already have everything else. I also suggest that you do 1/2 - 1 day a week work experience (you can offer your services to a local legal firm for a short spell) and this will give you a strong position for applying for a legal secretary.

Good luck!!

Answer 3

One possibility would be to work for a Law Costs Draftsmen as this is a kind of half way measure. That is what I did, once I had learned the lingo then I applied to a firm of Solicitors and was accepted.

Answer 4

I'm afraid I'm in the same boat as you at least you've got a lot of secretarial experience I'm afraid the only advice i can give you is that persistence is the key just keep trying eventually they'll say yes!!

Answer 5

try going back to school and expanding into paralegal