What do legal secretaries earn?

Jul 13, 2022

Written By Helena Kudiabor

If you’re interested in becoming a legal secretary, you are probably curious to find out how much they earn. In this article, you can find out the average salary of a legal secretary, and some ways you can boost your salary.

What exactly is a legal secretary?

Legal secretaries work to support solicitors, and ensure that the legal office they work in runs as smoothly as possible. As opposed to paralegals, who work more closely with the law and have more specialised legal knowledge, legal secretaries tend to complete more administrative tasks.

A typical day of a legal secretary involves preparing court forms, record keeping, and delivering and collecting essential documents.

How much do legal secretaries get paid?

Like most jobs, the salary of a legal secretary depends on where you are located and the amount of experience you have. The average salary of a legal secretary can range between £20,000-£45,000 annually, with £20,000 being for those just starting out, and the salary increasing as you gain further experience.

Where you’re located can also depend on how much money you’ll be earning, For instance, a legal assistant working in Cardiff tends to earn £20,949 annually, while a legal assistant working in London can earn an average salary of £31,251.

It’s important to remember that this difference is down to the differences between living costs across the country. So, even though those working in London earn a higher salary, this is because of the high cost of living there.

How can I increase my salary as a legal secretary?

One way to increase your salary is by having strong qualifications. While there are no academic requirements to enter the profession, taking a legal secretary course can boost your skills and perhaps lead to a higher starting salary.

CILEx offers a legal secretary training course, but you can also do courses elsewhere in audio transcription and IT skills, which will provide the same benefit.

Another way to increase your salary is by securing a promotion or a bonus. This requires you to go above and beyond, working hard and providing new, innovative ideas for the company. Legal secretaries need strong administrative and interpersonal skills, so working on these soft skills can help you succeed.

Once you’ve worked as a legal secretary for a while, you could gain an even larger salary increase by progressing in the field. Becoming a legal secretary gives you the chance to see the day-to-day operations of a law firm, giving you invaluable legal experience. Legal secretaries in the past have progressed to become court reporters, paralegals or even solicitors.

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