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Legal Secretary in The Movies

Name: Erin Brockovich (Julia Roberts)
Job Title: Legal secretary
Strengths: Crusader for justice, sharp-tongued, street savvy
Weaknesses: Bad temper and a few questionable cleavage-baring outfits
Final Analysis: Based on a true story, Erin Brockovich showed that a hot temper, a big heart and a heavy-duty push-up bra can do wonders for a career woman. It also showed that many women don't know just how powerful they are (past some hoochy-mama get-ups and a big mouth) until they tap into their true passion and positive goals. It all sounds very kumbaya/Oprah, but the film's just gritty, fun and quirky enough to pull off its "You go, girl" message. It helps that a sassy, almost harsh Julia Roberts (Julia makes for a better near-bitch in this writer's opinion) plays the titular character, a single mother whose low-paying, no-benefits legal secretary job with ambulance chaser Ed Masry (a terrific shaggy-dog Albert Finney) hits her justice jugular. Aiding the toxic-addled residents of a Southern California town, Brockovich is tireless, no B.S. and yes, victorious.

More female work related film roles

Time Off Scores Big Time With Legal Secretaries

Are you happy with you legal secretary job. What would improve you work environment?
More time off?

This is a smart article about it:

Legal Secretaries Like Time Off !

WHAT DO LEGAL SECRETARIES DO THESE DAYS?

Taken from Even Schaeffer's Legal Underground.

. . . Even just a few years ago, it was rare that lawyers at large firms would use email to communicate with opposing counsel. But now this seems to be the norm, at least in my practice. There are some exceptions, such as lengthy letters about discovery or letters that might need to be attached as exhibits to a brief. But for the most part, email has almost replaced letter-writing, just as it has almost replaced making calls on the telephone.

For both phone calls and letters, there used to be a middleman--the legal secretary. The secretary would screen the phone calls or type up a lawyer's dictation into a complete letter. This still goes on, of course, but to a much lesser extent. Legal secretaries were also called upon to type briefs and other legal documents. These tasks are also being assumed by lawyers, at least the younger ones, who often write briefs themselves on their computers. Who dictates briefs anymore?

In my own practice, the legal secretaries are all but gone, replaced by paralegals, who have added typing the occasional letter to their job descriptions. My own practice is heavily paralegal dependent: paralegals can request and organize medical records, assist clients with discovery answers, review documents, and so on.


Meanwhile, while the large firms once had two lawyers per secretary, I bet the ratio is now closer to 4:1 to 5:1. Are there fewer secretaries than there used to be, or are they all just becoming paralegals?

Find more really cool articles like this on:

Evan Schaeffer's Legal Underground

Legal Secretary A Case Study

Jobs4u title: Legal secretary

Sarah works as a legal secretary in Surrey. Legal secretarial work carries a lot of responsibility, and it is important that Sarah understands the legal terminology and processes she supports.

What do you do?

My main role is typing legal documents. I also speak with clients over the
telephone, arrange appointments and take messages. I’m responsible for filing and arranging the storage of original wills and documents, and I also witness the signing of wills. Occasionally, I help out on reception.

What is a typical day like for you?

Although I spend most of my day typing, each day varies depending on what has been dictated and whether clients are coming into the office.

What equipment do you use?

I use a computer which has a digital dictation system.

How did you get into this work?

I was working at a video publisher as an administrative assistant and wanted a job with more responsibility. I went to an agency and they arranged an interview for me with a law firm. Although I had no experience, I was very fortunate that they offered me the job and gave me a chance to learn something new. I spent a while there and then moved to other firms to gain experience in different areas of law.

Why did legal work appeal to you?

I wanted a change of career and the agency I was with put me forward for a role they thought would suit me. I hadn’t actually considered the work before then.

Do you get to know all the clients?

Yes – even though my role is a supporting one, I still have a lot of interaction with clients and it’s important that I know what each case involves. As I work with wills and look after the estates of people who have died, I often deal with the elderly, some of whom are hard of hearing. I have to try and speak loud enough for them to hear, but not so loud that they think I’m being rude!

What training have you had?

My training has mostly been on the job within various law firms. Each area of law involves learning new things.

What are your working hours?

I work from 9.00am to 5.00pm. Sometimes I work through my lunch hour if we are very busy.

What do you like best about your job?

I like the fact that everyone’s will is different! It is interesting to find out about people’s lives. I also have the opportunity to meet lots of people.

Are there any disadvantages?

Occasionally, I feel so overloaded with work I don’t know where to begin! Also, there are times when I cannot help clients with their requests and that can be frustrating.

What skills and qualities are required?

You must be a fast and accurate typist and enjoy having a varied and busy workload. Good communication skills are also vital.

Sarah’s route

• NVQ in Business Studies.
• Administration assistant.
• General experience in different law firms.
• Employed as a legal secretary.

Sarah’s tips

• It’s important to have good communication skills, to be patient and able to get on with people.
• Even if you have no experience, don’t be afraid to go for an interview. Many law firms are willing to train you on the job.

Related jobs

Barristers’ clerk (England and Wales) Court reporter
Legal executive
Paralegal
Personal assistant (PA)
Secretary

£ Salary information

A junior legal secretary earns around £10,000. The highest salaries are up to £40,000 a year, especially in London and other major cities.


Getting in

• Legal secretaries do not need any particular academic qualifications, although it is helpful to have some GCSEs/S grades or equivalent qualifications in administrative or business subjects.
• Accurate secretarial skills, especially fast typing, are essential.
• Some colleges offer legal secretarial training alongside their general secretarial courses.
• Legal secretarial qualifications are available from The Institute of Legal Secretaries and PAs, and City & Guilds/ILEX (The Institute of Legal Executives), including distance-learning options.
• Apprenticeships may also be available.


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The Toils of a Legal Secretary

I think this blogger should be looking for a new legal secretary job are reading the post about her boss.

Ramblings of a GreenYogurt: Bring Your Blog Readers To Work Day

What Does a Legal Secretary Earn?

Gordon Yates 2002-03 Survey results for secretaries by type.

Sector Junior Team/manager

Accountancy £16,475 £19,000
Advertising £16,844 £22,938
Commercial £14,423 £18,750
Computing £16,286 £22,500
Consultancies £17,679 £20,875
Financial services £17,502 £22,383
Legal £15,950 £18,300
Marketing £17,159 £19,806
Publishing £15,392 £19.417
TV, music, film £16,144 £20,208

Source: 'The Administrative, Secretarial and Support Staff Survey 2002-2003', published by Gordon Yates in association with The Guardian.

Other figures of interest for Hayes:

Legal secretaries with at least two years' experience were paid £21,000 in central London, £16,000 in outer London, and a UK average of £15,429

Legal Secretary Jobs

The Role

Legal secretaries help out in all aspects of running a law firm. The legal secretaries’ jobs can include basic tasks such as word processing, audio-typing and dealing with general clerical work. Some legal secretary work can include meeting clients, arranging meeting and some even attend court or police cells.

Legal secretary jobs can incorporate all areas of law. Legal secretaries can work in firms specialising in criminal or civil law, while other firms have a broader remit covering such areas as property, divorce and family law,

Skills and Interests

If you are looking for a Legal Secretary job you should:
Have an interest in law
Have brilliant secretarial skills Be PC literate
Be accurate and methodical
Be discreet when dealing with confidential information
Have a good standard of English, spelling and grammar
Work well under pressure and be good a meeting deadlines
Have a polite friendly manner.
A mix of these skills would provide a solid foundation for anyone looking for jobs as a legal secretary

Click here for Legal Secretary jobs

Qualifications

Four Steps to Recruiting the top level players in the Legal Field

1. Post your Legal Job on a legal niche job board.

I know it sounds so simple but many firms and recruitment agencies are not yet clued into the niche job boards market. So you want legal candidates then don’t post on a generalist board. You will get a raft of poor quality responses that will take time to sort and the likely hood is you won’t find the new member of staff you are looking for. Your advert will also get lost amongst all the other jobs on the board. No if good quality candidates then use a board like:

Simply Law Jobs

Its easy to use for both recruiters and job seekers. The roles are broken down into Lawyer and Support staff and can be further sorted into area of law and region. If you are seeking a solicitor in Sheffield or a Legal Secretary in Liverpool then you can post these details in your legal job advert.

2. Use a Legal Recruiter Agency

If you do not want to advertise directly then you should use a recruitment agency that specialises in the Law Jobs/Legal jobs market. These agencies have a stack of quality candidates, local firm knowledge, contacts and experience in the field. Although they may save you time you will have to pay for their services more than you would for placing an advert on a legal jobs board like www.simplylawjobs.com

3. Use In House Referrals

You may discover that an existing staff member may be the best fit for the role. Are the member of departing staff if they know of anyone within the company that could replace them. In a field such a law many of your staff will know other people within the industry who could become your next lawyer or paralegal. Encourage a culture that fosters this kind of referral. If possible even include a cash bonus for finding staff.

4. Make use of specialist CV databases

As well as being an advertising portal most job boards also carry a large CV database. Again for the legal profession niche is best. Simply Law Jobs has an online database that is searchable for a fee. Take time to search the database and you may be able to headhunt your perfect employee without have to shell out on a fee for a headhunter.

A combination of the tips above should result in your finding the perfect lawyer or Paralegal for you role. It really is that simply.

5 Ways to Drastically Improve Your Resume in 10 Minutes

By: Vincent Czaplyski

Follow these quick and easy tips to build yourself a better
resume in under 10 minutes flat.

* Use strong, action oriented language that describes
specific skills or accomplishments.

Go through your resume from top to bottom and eliminate weak
language. Don't write "Was in charge of large graphic design
department that increased company revenues" when you can say
"Managed 12 graphic artists in major creative projects that
increased revenues by over 3 million last year."

Whenever possible, eliminate all forms of the verb "to be"
(is, are, was, am and so on), as demonstrated in the
previous example. Instead, replace them with strong action
words that paint a compelling picture.

* Add bullets.

Bullets are a great way to transform lists that would
otherwise make tedious reading in paragraph form, or that
would benefit by a cleaner layout. They make the job of
reading your resume more pleasant for the reader. A perfect
candidate for bullets is a list of accomplishments related
to a single job. For example, "Postmaster, 1998 -2003"
followed by 3 or 4 major accomplishments in bullet form.

* Write a specific, concise job description.

If the job you really want is "Director of Human Resources
at a Fortune 1000 company," say so. Don't write "Middle
management position at a large or mid-size company" or
something equally vague. That covers a lot of territory. You
need to help the company with the exact job you're looking
for find you. Put yourself in the hiring manager's shoes.
Would you call a candidate for an interview in the hopes
that she is a good match, or would you call the person whose
job description specifically indicates she wants the job?

* Don't include every single position you've ever held.

Your resume is a document designed to land you an interview,
followed by a job offer. There will be times when omitting a
position - especially if it has no relevance to the position
you are seeking, may be in your best interest. This is easy
to do where omitting short term positions or special
projects conducted as part of an ongoing job assignment will
not create an obvious "hole" in your background that you
will need to explain.

(There are ways to avoid making an employer suspicious of
resume rough spots, like gaps in experience or experience
that lacks relevance to the position you are seeking. A
professional resume writer can offer you specific advice on
ways to do so, considering your unique background.)

* Spell check.

When you're finished improving your resume, run a final
spell check. Your word processor's spell checker probably
won't contain all the acronyms and specialized industry
jargon that your resume likely contains. In that case, take
the time to manually check each flagged item to make sure
your resume is spelling error-free.

Follow these five easy tips for a better resume, fast!

Copyright 2005 by Vincent Czaplyski, all rights reserved.

You may republish this article in its entirety, as long as
you include the complete signature file above without
modification.


About the Author

Copywriter and consultant Vincent Czaplyski is founder of
www.impressive-resumes.com, your online source for
professionally written "industrial strength" resumes and
cover letters guaranteed to land you an interview.