Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Work

Chat with other users about all things related to working life on our Work forum.

Original poster

Anyone here a legal secretary ? What's the profession like ?

83 replies

bringmeashrubbery · 31/01/2007 11:28

Just wondered if anyone has legal secretary experience. How did you get into it ? Is i t worth taking a qualification ? What's the pay like ? Is it a good profession ?

So many questions !

OP posts:
decafskinnylatte · 02/02/2007 12:37

Hats off, X. I think what you do is phenomenal.

expatinscotland · 02/02/2007 12:44

But Xenia, why do you CARE so much if other people chose to sleep around to get money? Or to be stay at home husbands or wives or partners?

You seem so incredibly bitter about it at all.

I couldn't give a farthing if you want to go and work yourself silly. Or if someone else has the goal of marrying a partner or anyone else so she/he can stay at home. Or go on benefits.

Honestly, that's not my choice. I don't have to wake up and live in their skin every day.

So why do you continually feel compelled to insult others who make choices different from yours?

Do you realise that makes you come across as very bitter, spiteful and angry?

Judy1234 · 02/02/2007 12:45

Yes, he got about £870k which was all our savings, all my shares and my mortgage is over £1m, just to keep the house so it feels he got everything plus a right never to see the children as you can't force fathers to share child care and many choose to walk away as that's easier and part of the deal was that he didn't support the children or pay school fees. He gave up his claim to maintenance from me for the next 30 years so it was all part of that calculation. It was a clean break which is usually better and simpler. I was going to say I am in no worse a position than some widowers I know with small children who work full time except some of them got big life insurance pay outs rather than having to pay out to an ex. On the other hand nothing can be worse than your spouse dying so it's hardly comparable.

Presumably if you choose not to see your children you can't love them, can you? There's a huge problem around the UK not of mother denying fathers contact but in fathers choosing not to help or have contact at all. It's in my estimation probably 10x the problem that fathers denied contact are although of course they deserve huge sympathy too.

Judy1234 · 02/02/2007 12:47

ex, I probably am bitter to some extent but only when I think and write about it.

I think we should all be interested in how others lead their lives and seek to ensure what is best for mankind is done and achieved on the planet.

expatinscotland · 02/02/2007 12:50

'I think we should all be interested in how others lead their lives and seek to ensure what is best for mankind is done and achieved on the planet.'

But you see, this is a value judgement and incredibly subjective.

What you may see as best for mankind - everyone working - others do not see as good at all.

Some value material possessions and status more than others.

Some feel it is best for everyone to live his/her life according to religious or spiritual beliefs, but again, this leads to serious clashes.

jampot · 02/02/2007 12:53

so xenia - did your ex work or contribute towards teh home expenses at all? Is this why you appear to feel that non workers are leeches?

ItsMeMellowma · 02/02/2007 12:54

Well said expat.

You know xenia I could say that almost everytime I start to read one of your posts my brain just switches off as I find quite a lot of what you say really quite boring, long and drawn-out to read, I don't say that though, as its not nice, is it.

Judy1234 · 02/02/2007 14:32

Luckily we have free speech in the UK.
I don't see why people should live only into themselves and not want to benefit the wider world. If we believe women for example should have the vote or girls not be subject to genital mutilation isn't it a good thing if we speak out and lobby or are we saying we should all keep our views to ourselves incase we hurt someone's feelings?

(For a lot of our marriage we didn't earn that much different amounts and always shared all money)

CountessDracula · 02/02/2007 14:36

My dh's secretaries have never been wanabee lawyers, mainly they have been intelligent, capable women who are very good at their jobs but don't want all the long hours and stress crap that comes with being a city lawyer and are not necessarily academically bright but rather very practical and excellent administrators.

CountessDracula · 02/02/2007 14:37

He did have one particularly marvellous one, a gay man who wore Vivienne Westwood rupert the bear style trousers and he and dh used to relish in the stuffy old clients' faces when he minced in with the tea!

jampot · 02/02/2007 19:31

xenia - forgive me for saying this but if you each contributed similar amounts to teh home how is it you had to give over your 870k savings and still have to maintain yourself and 5 children. Am I thinking you got yourself a bum lawyer?

anothernametoday · 02/02/2007 20:57

Lol last post jampot!! Expat you are spot on!

Firstly at the comment that i must be jealous - GET REAL!! Could have been if i wanted to, my brother is a partner in a law firm and I rib him (and totally respect him) for it. He treats his secs really well.

that my up your own arsehole lawyer comments caused such a stir!! thinking about it now it really was mainly the trainees that were the worst problem. The best was seeing the older secretaries put them right in their place!!! The partners were on the whole fab though, and i'm talking real old school, generations of magic circle firm lawyers - bloody brilliant laugh they were. Many a drunken night of fun!

Decaf you sound like the kind of lawyer the secs would all want to be working for!

I was definately not a wannabe. Put me off law altogether and went in very different direction.

Xenia - you really are bitter. Did you lose your husband to his secretary? Hope life getter better for you... its not worth holding onto it.

jampot · 02/02/2007 21:18

the trainees at teh firm I worked for (Pinsents) were all very nice to start with then as they qualified and didnt need the secretaries help to stop them making asses of themselves over teh previous 2 years, they turned into PITAs. I took this to be a phase as most of the older lawyers were actually ok and down to earth

Dinosaur · 02/02/2007 21:52

They like working for me too, anothernametoday [hurt].

anothernametoday · 02/02/2007 21:54

Aw sorry dino!!! You did say you were one of them though !!

Dinosaur · 02/02/2007 21:56

Well, I am a lawyer! You can see my practising certificate if you don't believe me!

Nothing to do with the thread, but I did once cause gales of hilarity in a police station when I was arrested for walking down the street (honestly). They asked me what I did and when I said I was a lawyer they all pissed themselves laughing!

anothernametoday · 02/02/2007 22:00

"I'm one of the up their own arsehole lawyers"

is what you said lower down the thread... now come on get out of there... its not healthy!!

Dinosaur · 02/02/2007 22:02
Grin
anothernametoday · 02/02/2007 22:05

oooh look you have popped out.. now then thats better some fresh air isn't it

Judy1234 · 03/02/2007 08:59

No, he was really nasty, abusive and I wanted the divorce, not him.

As for the deal he got nearly 60% of our assets, more than 50% and no obligation to pay for the children, because he gave up his maintenance claim on me too.

English divorce law is very unfair.

compo · 03/02/2007 09:04

Xenia - training to be a sceretary takes one or two years max.
Training to be a lawyer takes a degree, possibly a post grad degree, then you've got to work yourself up.
plus the cost involved.
Really can't compare the two in terms of training

Judy1234 · 03/02/2007 12:17

True but the good law firms pay the costs and your living costs once you have your first degree (my daughter is applying at the moment) and many secretaries these days get a first degree at unviersity and then go into secretarial work so really we're only talking about the 2 years sudying if you don't do a law degree which a good law firm would pay you for, wehreas leaving university and then doing a secretarial course you won't get that paid for so in a sense the legal training might be the cheaper option! YOu also get paid in London anyway about £30k a year once doing the 2 year training contract in a law firm. Over 20 years I have known lots of legal secretaries who have gone on to be lawyers and many law firms help them and encourage them with that.

decafskinnylatte · 04/02/2007 10:06

Not sure I'd encourage my daughter to become a city lawyer (back to my earlier life balance comment).

Hulababy · 05/02/2007 08:31

The number of training contracts for solicitor's firms are getting few and far between now. We know of people looking with very good degree results (and GCSE/A Level), from very good universities, with excellent reports from the conversion courses and/or solicitor's exams. They also have other things on their CVs to enhance it too. Yet there are just not enough training contracts available - wherever you are in the country.

And not everyone wants to work in a big London firm. The work home life balance is not great from what I have seen. DH works in a big local firm, doing very very well but still have a fantastic amount of time at home with me and our daughter - perfect!

noahsark04 · 22/05/2007 20:57

If any of you are looking to go back to work, I'm looking for someone with legal sec skills to help me out. I've got two little ones (3 and 4), work part time from home with no fixed hours or time commitment, legal work. Sounds too good to be true? That's what I thought at the beginning as well. This is not a scam, it's not running your own business or franchise, it's a genuine need for someone (anyone!) to help me get everything done! Decent pay.