How to Become a Legal Secretary
Aimee Burton • December 17, 2018
Whilst watching or listening to True Crime podcasts and/ or watching Suits may define an initial interest in working in a law firm environment, your future employer wants you to acknowledge a more genuine interest than knowing your viewpoint on whether Steven Avery is guilty or not.
Showing that you have an interest through your academics is a strong start; if you have a law-related diploma or degree this will provide you with an introduction to legal terminology and processes, which is invaluable. It can be competitive for graduates to gain initial experience within a law firm environment, so we recommend that you look to secure administrative work within professional services first, as this is a strong foundation and launch pad.
Once you have 6 – 12 months’ experience in an administrative/ secretarial position, you will then become eligible for Junior Legal Assistant and Secretarial opportunities with the legal firms with whom we work. We have seen attractive opportunities for Junior LA’s across some of the World’s most well-known and successful law firms in Melbourne and we still have plenty more to offer before the year is out.
I have provided a snapshot of some of the junior legal roles which are currently available as at November 2018:
- Mid-tier commercial law firm - $55,000 package – Junior LA supporting Secretaries within a Property and Development team
- Top tier global law firm - $50,000 package – Administrative Assistant with the view to progress into Legal Secretary
- Premier Australian law firm - $55,000 - $60,000 package – Junior Legal Assistant opportunities across Finance and Commercial Litigation teams
- Victorian law firm that are industry leaders - $55,000 package – Junior Legal Assistant in Personal Injury
So why choose to become a Legal Secretary?
The Legal Secretary position has seen an exciting transition in the last 12 months and we are now seeing more experienced Secretaries get involved in Paralegal and Business Development type duties. There are also opportunities to become a Mentor, Trainer or Legal Support Coordinator for those desiring a step towards management.
This has been achieved due to technology taking more of a front seat in support services and allowing the role of a Secretary to evolve. There are now plenty more opportunities to get hands on and real involvement in matters that are changing your city, country and maybe even on a global scale. No longer are Secretaries limited to typing documents and diarising appointments for the Lawyers. Not only can you expect career progression throughout, the legal industry have seen massive improvements in salary offerings and benefits. The benefits you can likely expect are salary continuance programs, professional development schemes, award recognition, discounted health insurance, flexible working arrangements, salary sacrificing, social committee and events.
If you are looking to make that first step into a law firm and wanting to explore our current opportunities, please don’t hesitate in contacting me on 03 9098 7433. For immediate consideration, please forward your resume to aimee.burton@people2people.com.au
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In business since 2002 in Australia, NZ, and the United Kingdom, people2people is an award-winning recruitment agency with people at our heart. With over 12 offices, we specialise in accounting and finance, business support, education, executive, government, HR, legal, marketing and digital, property, sales, supply chain, and technology sectors. As the proud recipients of the 2024 Outstanding Large Agency and Excellence in Candidate Care Awards, we are dedicated to helping businesses achieve success through a people-first approach.
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