Jobs
Legal Secretary
What does a legal secretary do?
Knowing the answer to 'What does a legal secretary do?' can help you understand why they're crucial to the company's legal team. Legal secretaries are administrative assistants who support lawyers, solicitors and barristers by carrying out essential administrative tasks within the firm. The exact nature of their work depends on what type of law they work in within the organisation. For instance, working as a legal assistant in a conveyancing practice differs greatly from working as a legal assistant in a criminal law practice.Some of the typical responsibilities of a legal secretary include:
Producing legal documents
Providing secretarial support to lawyers
Answering telephone calls, transferring calls and taking messages
Keeping accurate records of meetings and appointments
Organising travel arrangements for lawyers
Arranging meetings and managing lawyers' diaries
Attending court and meeting clients
Closing, archiving and storing files
Assisting in the preparation of court documents
As a legal secretary, your role is primarily to support the lawyers working in the firm by carrying out administrative tasks. Experienced legal secretaries have good knowledge of the law and in particular legal procedures, but legal secretaries can't give legal advice. If you're looking for a role within a law firm that combines administrative duties with more technical legal work, you can consider becoming a paralegal.
Edinburgh[a]is thecapital cityofScotlandand one of its 32council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by theFirth of Forthand to the south by thePentland Hills. Edinburgh had a population of 506,520 in 2020,[6]making it thesecond-most populouscity in Scotland and theseventh-most populousin theUnited Kingdom. Thewider metropolitan areahad a population of 912,490 in the same year.[7]
Recognised as the capital of Scotland since at least the 15th century, Edinburgh is the seat of theScottish Government, theScottish Parliament, thehighest courts in Scotland, and thePalace of Holyroodhouse, theofficial residenceof theBritish monarchin Scotland. It is also the annual venue of theGeneral Assembly of the Church of Scotland. The city has long been a centre of education, particularly in the fields of medicine,Scottish law, literature, philosophy, the sciences, and engineering. TheUniversity of Edinburgh, founded in 1582 and now one of three in the city, is considered one of the bestresearch institutionsin the world. Thefinancial centreof Scotland, Edinburgh, is the second-largest financial centre in the United Kingdom, the fourth-largest in Europe, and the thirteenth-largest in the world.[8]
The city is a cultural centre, and is the home of institutions including theNational Museum of Scotland, theNational Library of Scotland, and theScottish National Gallery.[9]The city is also known for theEdinburgh International Festivalandthe Fringe, the latter being the world's largest annual international arts festival. Historic sites in Edinburgh includeEdinburgh Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the churches ofSt. Giles,Greyfriarsand theCanongate, and the extensive Georgian New Town built in the 18th and 19th centuries. Edinburgh'sOld TownandNew Towntogether are listed as aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site,[10]which has been managed byEdinburgh World Heritagesince 1999. The city's historical and cultural attractions have made it Britain’s second-most visited tourist destination, attracting 4.9 million visits, including 2.4 million from overseas, in 2018.[11][12]
Edinburgh is governed by theCity of Edinburgh Council, a unitary authority. The City of Edinburgh council area had an estimated population of 514,990 in 2022,[2]and includes outlying towns and villages which are not part of Edinburgh proper. The city is in theLothianregion and was historically part of theshireofMidlothian(also called Edinburghshire).
