When you finish ILSPA’s Legal Secretaries Diploma and head out to find work, you will be joined by hundreds of others in just the same position you are in. It is important to be prepared for your job search and to be confident of the value you can bring to an organisation.
Before you apply
Applying for a job requires careful planning, and those who are well prepared will secure employment. A good way of going about your job search is to imagine you are employed in the business of finding yourself a job. You need to research and plan each step of the way to secure the right position.
Before you apply for a position as a Legal Secretary, it is beneficial to do the following:
• Have an idea of where you want to work. Ask yourself questions: What type of law do you want to be involved in – Conveyancing, Litigation or Criminal? Do you want to work in a small or large firm or another legal environment such as in a local authority or Barristers’ Chambers?
• If becoming a Legal Secretary is a stepping-stone for your career, will the company you are looking at further your training? Career prospects are very good, as the more experience you gain, the higher your position and salary will be. Legal Secretaries and PAs can be promoted to positions which give them more responsibility, or they can work their way up through the legal profession, going on to become Paralegals or Legal Executives, with the right training. The role provides a good grounding in law and legal procedures, and valuable experience can be gained on the job.
• Research the firm. What areas of law does it deal with? Is it successful? How long has it been in business? You want to make sure that the firms you are looking at are going to be a good fit and provide you with a stable, long-term position.
Applying
The first step to making sure you are ahead of the rest of the applicants is to make sure that you meet the job specifications. You need to have the skills, training and experience required. You also need to ensure that your CV reflects these and is tailored for a Legal Secretary role.
There are many different positions available for Legal Secretaries, from junior and trainee to those that require some secretarial skills and a Legal Secretary qualification to others that require experience. Some employers are very willing to take on someone with a good legal secretarial qualification and secretarial skills, especially if you have studied through the Institute of Legal Secretaries and PAs. Once you have passed the course, you should feel confident in your knowledge of the law and be experienced in producing legal forms and documents.
Applying for positions can be done through ILSPA’s Legal Secretary Jobs Board, through the legal jobs boards featured in the recruitment section of our website or by contacting firms directly.
Experience
If you have no previous experience, it is important to keep in mind that everyone has to start somewhere and every experienced Legal Secretary was once inexperienced, in the same position as you. With a positive attitude, confidence and determination, you will achieve your goal. Many of our Students have been offered Legal Secretary jobs where employers were asking for experience, on the strength of the Legal Secretaries Diploma alone. For example, if an advert for a position states ‘Experience in Wills and Probate desirable’, you know that you have a good knowledge of that area from our course and you can apply for the position outlining your capabilities learnt from the course in your covering letter/email.
A very good way of gaining credibility is by doing work experience or voluntary work for a firm. By contacting law firms directly, you can offer your services and gain valuable experience. Even if it is for only a few weeks or months, it will look great on your CV. Firms have been known to offer full-time positions to people who really show their worth during this period. Either way it is a win-win situation.
If you would like to receive further information on how to go about securing a Legal Secretary job, please contact us for CV help and career guidance. Send a copy of your CV to cvs@institutelegalsecretaries.com and we will take it from there!