Both professions are essential in the legal sector, but what are legal secretaries and paralegals and what do they do? In this article, I will be breaking down who they are, what they do, and any skills/qualifications required for both professions.
Legal Secretary
A legal secretary is a member of the legal profession who helps lawyers by performing primarily administrative responsibilities. Like most members of the legal profession, legal secretaries need to have legal knowledge/terms and know of legal procedures.
Working as a legal secretary is fun as their work is not limited to one area of law but many different areas such as conveyancing, litigation, family, and probate. Legal secretaries do not necessarily have to work in law firms, they also work in other legal environments such as Law Courts, the Police, or chambers.
What Do Legal Secretaries Do?
The work of a legal secretary involves a variety of different tasks. These include filling up legal forms, producing legal documents, responding to enquiries, and interacting with clients. They can free up time for lawyers to do things like filing and photocopying, as well as more complex tasks like scheduling meetings and conducting legal research.
Legal Secretary Qualifications
To secure a job as a legal secretary, at least a C/4 in GCSE English is required. However, college courses in IT or law can boost the applications of those hoping to get a legal secretary job. Furthermore, applicants can also go through the CILEx route as the CILEx course gives the applicants the necessary qualifications to embark on this profession.
Legal Secretary Salary
The salary of a legal secretary is dependent firstly on the applicant’s skills and experience, the area the firm (if applying at a firm), is located and lastly, the type of firm. The starting salary for a legal secretary is £20,000 per year and experienced legal secretaries earn up to £45,000 per year.
Legal Secretary Skills
- Using initiative
- Administration skills
- Teamwork
- Legal knowledge, e.g., court procedures, government regulations
- Organisation
- Time management
Paralegal
A paralegal is also an essential member of the legal profession, but they are not a qualified lawyer. Despite not being qualified, they are highly valued and have substantial knowledge of the law. Most paralegals are members of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives; they work closely with solicitors and barristers and other legal executives.
What Does a Paralegal Do?
Paralegals generally work in law firms, and they are employed in a specific department, e.g., family, criminal, corporate, etc… These are few examples of the tasks they do:
- Drafting legal documents
- Legal research
- Administrative tasks
- Negotiations
Paralegal Qualifications
To be a paralegal, an undergraduate degree is needed to be eligible for the position. Any undergraduate degree is applicable although, a law degree is favourable. Anyone interesting in becoming a paralegal can also complete a postgraduate paralegal course.
Paralegal Salary
The starting salary for a paralegal is £14,000 per year and more experienced paralegals can expect to earn as much as £40,000 per year.
Paralegal Skills
- Commercial awareness
- Excellent verbal & written communication skills
- IT literacy
- Research skills
- Teamwork
- Administration skills
By Natasha Raggoo
