Talk to me about becoming a legal secretary

[NiceCupOfTeaAndALittleSitDown]

Not sure if this is the best place to post but as good a starting place as any.

I'm fed up in my job and want a change and the thought of working in a legal setting really appeals to me, partcularly conveyancing.

I'm waiting to hear from the local college but I would like to hear from anyone that has trained, how you found the course and what you did after. My main worry is that I will potentially spend thousands of pounds to retrain but not be able to get a job because my past employment is not in a legal environment.

TIA

You could apply for a conveyancing typist role to start with which would be a good introduction to legal work. Many conveyancing firms are now inundated with internet clients so there may be more vacancies in "volume" type settings. I'm currently working in a conveyancing practice having been a SAHM for many years and before that in banking. Granted my salary is not brilliant but the work is interesting and I'm learning a lot, so the experience I'm gaining now can only help secure a better position in a few years from now. I didn't do a course, though naturally it may be easier to get work if you have a legal qualification.

Our firm now has a general typing pool where legal experience is not required, as do many I think (cost cutting..) good starting point for any legal sec vacancies that come up.

I'm not sure you need much training. Very fast touch tying you can teach yourself. Most of us have also taught ourselves at no cost things like powerpoint, excel etc and ability to book things on the telephone just requires very good English, communication skills etc.

Some legal secretaries in London work a night shift which fits in well with a spouse who works in the day as saves child care costs. There are really an awful lots of different ways to be a legal secretary. I would suspect conveyancing is not one of the best - low pay, clients individuals rather than rich companies with lots of money etc. Any reason conveyancing rather than big City commercial firm appeals to you?

Hmm, difficult question. I got into conveyancing by accident as I initially pitched my salary low and got a lucky break. Have worked in small city conveyancing firm, largely wealthy individuals and residential real estate, and now a big London firm dealing with high value commercial real estate. Salary is great, but you have to be flexible and sometimes work very long hours (latest I have worked is 1.00 a.m). I had no formal training; just a very fast typing speed (with certificate as proof from local college) and "can do" attitude. I love working in conveyancing and the work is varied if your boss is willing and trusts you enough to give you the interesting stuff to do.

Ideally I'd like to work local rather than in the centre of London, but the salaries are half of what you can get at the big city firms.

Suggest you ask the college what their success rate is in placing students into relevant jobs. Back in the day, minimum typing speeds were 75 wpm. not sure what they are now though. Good luck!

Thanks for your replies. I've got a meeting next week with the course tutor at the local college but the course doesn't start till September, or I can do a distance Learning course with Pitmans and start anytime. I'll probably go with the latter to help me get a foot in the door, I already have good office skills and typing speed. Not 75 wpm though!
I want to stay local and get that will affect my earning potential, that's fine/understandable.

If you already have good typing skills then approach a number of local legal firms who have a conveyancing department and see if they would be able to offer you work experience. If you're not working at the moment but are able to, approach a couple of employment agencies who specialise in the legal field and get a feel for what may be available. I think it's a hard job as conveyancing is a lot more difficult now with money laundering regulations being tightened. It's also all about the 'completion' day which is usually Friday so expect some manic Fridays. Try to avoid the new conveyancing call-centres/mills if possible and go with a reputable firm.

I spent thousands retraining as a legal secretary only to find most employers didn't know that the Legal Secretaries Diploma was a qualification available and every other employee had previously just been a generic Secretary/administration assistant. They also earned considerably more than I did because they had experience to draw on.

Have you considered approaching an agency and getting experience in a legal environment for a while before applying for a permanent position?

You really will benefit more from gaining experience in the workplace rather than going to college removing yourself from the workplace to gain a little known qualification. Good luck in whatever you do.

I am a legal secretary and I hate it with every bone in my body. I wouldn't advise anyone to do it. I could be quite biased because I work in a small high street firm (one office only) and there are about twelve of us that work here. Typing is around 40% of my job. The rest is talking to clients and sometimes actually seeing clients. I also have to manage the files (ie know what needs doing and get on with it), as well as manage the solicitor's diary, book him on courses, open files and any other jobs in the office that need doing. I prepare court applications and probate paperwork from scratch as well as drafting powers of attorney (and I mean drafting and not listening to dictation that tells me what to do) and other documents. I also draft basic letters as a lot of the work is formulaic once you have got used to it.

I get paid £9.00 per hour for this. If it was not for the fact that I have a ten year old and this is suitable for school hours I wouldn't be doing it at all.

Interesting to hear the other opinions, and thanks. I have good all round admin experience so that's not a problem - I was more worried about my lack of legal knowledge. I have approached a couple of specialist legal recruitment agencies and they're not interested in me at all because my CV is quite frankly irrelevant to the field!
Sorry to hear you hate it TheWork and wondering if your user name reflects what you do! Is there anything you hate in particular or is it the environment?
I'm currently in full time employment but hate what I do too so sympathise. Ironically, I work in a specialism that is notoriously hard to get into without a recognised qualification which I don't have, which makes moving on really difficult - even though I have 10 years of experience on my CV!

I suppose what really gets to me is the ridiculous salary, particularly in relation to what I do and what is expected of me. I am expected to speak to clients about what their requirements might be and advise them on what they need. It is not just a case of taking a message or making an appointment, I actually have to talk to them about the files and know what I am talking about.

It's also the endless interruptions throughout the day. I have a large amount of work to do each day and I never, ever get it finished. If it isn't clients wandering into reception without an appointment then it's colleagues who just come in expecting me to drop whatever I'm doing to look at a file for them or to answer a question. This is not including the forty or fifty emails that I receive a day as well as phone calls.

Back in the day, before DC, I worked in logistics and had a very well paid job. One child and one divorce later I had to find a job that was local and convenient for wrap around child care. And that meant earning a lot less money.

You don't mind having lots to do and lots of responsibility when you are being paid for it. I work for one of the two partners. Last year his costs (what he billed) was nearly £300,000. There is just the two of us in the department. He takes £7,000 per month out of the business. I take home £287 per week. After eight years of doing this it does start to irritate because he couldn't earn that if he didn't have a decent secretary.

Also it's a very much "them and us" industry. There is also very little advancement to be had because you are either qualified or you're not. And if you can't advance anywhere you will never earn any more money.

If I could find another job then I would be off like a shot.