A legal secretary is a particular category of worker within the legal profession. In the practice of law in the South Africa a legal secretary is a person who works in the legal profession, typically assisting lawyers.
What does a legal secretary do South Africa?
Legal Secretaries, or Legal Assistants, perform clerical work at law offices or organizations. Their primary duties include providing Lawyers with direct assistance, scheduling client appointments and organizing and maintaining all legal documents kept on-site.
Do legal secretaries go to court?
Legal secretaries work in law firms to carry out administrative duties for lawyers. Daily tasks include performing research, transcribing interviews, preparing court forms and diary organization. They also attend court and more generally keep the office running smoothly.
Can a legal secretary become a lawyer?
Once you have completed your legal secretary course, your learning does not need to stop there. In fact, many legal secretaries get the bug for law and end up studying further to become a paralegal or even a lawyer!
How to Become A Legal Secretary In South Africa
Take a Legal Secretary Course
Gaining a qualification is the best way to acquire the legal knowledge and practical skills you need to work as a legal secretary. Law firms and legal recruiters often check to see whether candidates have a legal secretarial qualification on their CVs as evidence of their capabilities.
If you don’t have any legal work experience, you will benefit significantly from studying a course. A Legal Secretaries Diploma course will teach you about the various areas of law, legal document production and the day-to-day tasks involved in a legal secretary role.
Having a recognized qualification will show potential employers you are serious about your career and ensure you stand out from the crowd.
Become an Apprentice or Trainee
Some of the large law firms run trainee programmes or offer law apprenticeships. Through on-the-job training, you work alongside experienced professionals to acquire various essential skills and become competent in a legal secretary role.
To join a trainee programme, having a qualification is desirable, although some firms will accept you if you have good secretarial skills. As an apprentice, you will train on the job while studying for your role.
Once you complete your contract, you will be a fully trained legal professional. You will then be able to secure a permanent role within the firm as a legal secretary or even a PA.
Start as an Administrator or Secretary
A great way to become a legal secretary is to start as an administrator or secretary within a legal organization. If you have good administration or secretarial experience, legal recruiters will be willing to take you on with a view to you picking up the procedures as you go along.
You may start off doing administrative tasks, but over time your knowledge of law will expand and you will take on more responsibility.
If you show enthusiasm and willingness, you can also be put on a training course by your employer to gain the knowledge and skills you need to perform well in the role.
Apply for a Junior Position
Securing a junior role will enable you to acquire valuable legal experience. Having a legal secretary qualification can be advantageous, but it is not always essential.
As your expertise increases, you can be promoted to a higher position. You might have the opportunity to progress within the same firm or you can apply for more senior jobs within a new firm.
What does a legal secretary do South Africa?
Legal Secretaries, or Legal Assistants, perform clerical work at law offices or organizations. Their primary duties include providing Lawyers with direct assistance, scheduling client appointments and organizing and maintaining all legal documents kept on-site.
Which subjects are required for legal secretary In South Africa?
Subjects
First Semester N4. Information Processing. Entrepreneurship and Business Management. Communication. Office Practice.
Second Semester N5. Information Processing. Legal Practice. Communication. Office Practice.
Third Semester N6. Information Processing. Legal Practice. Computer Practice N4. Office Practice.
How do I become a legal secretary with no experience In South Africa?
The minimum requirement for entry-level or temporary secretarial or clerical positions is a high school diploma. You can also pursue an associate degree in legal studies or earn a paralegal certificate from a community or vocational school.
How much does a legal secretary earn per month In South Africa?
How Much Do Legal Secretary Jobs Pay per Month?
Annual Salary | Monthly Pay | |
---|---|---|
Top Earners | R 914342.44 | R 76185.13 |
75th Percentile | R 748098.36 | R 62341.53 |
Average | R 643742.41 | R 53636.39 |
25th Percentile | R 476062.59 | R 39671.88 |
Do legal secretaries go to court In South Africa?
Legal secretaries work in law firms to carry out administrative duties for lawyers. Daily tasks include performing research, transcribing interviews, preparing court forms and diary organization. They also attend court and more generally keep the office running smoothly.
Is it hard to be a legal secretary In South Africa?
About Recruitment: Of the 550 employers surveyed in California, most indicate it is moderately difficult to find applicants with experience who meet their minimum hiring requirements, while many indicate it is hard to find applicants without previous experience who meet their minimum hiring requirements to fill
Can a legal secretary become a lawyer In South Africa?
Once you have completed your legal secretary course, your learning does not need to stop there. In fact, many legal secretaries get the bug for law and end up studying further to become a paralegal or even a lawyer!
Is a legal secretary a professional In South Africa?
Legal secretaries are an essential part of the legal profession and assist with legal departments’ smooth running. Providing support to Lawyers, they perform valuable administrative duties. They are required to have knowledge of the law, legal terms, procedures and documentation.
Is legal secretary a stressful job In South Africa?
Being a paralegal is stressful, and paralegal burnout is real. Also, clients may lose trust in their lawyer, because their case or matter heavily depends on the accuracy of the paralegal’s work. In short, paralegals do difficult, challenging, and high-stakes work with stress as the inherent outcome.