Day in the life: Legal Assistant and Secretary
The role of a legal secretary means being able to work in an often fast-paced, structured and detail-orientated manner. Within my role, I am the go-to for administrative tasks, but I have also taken on my own fee earning work as a develop my career.
Like most office workers now, my days are split between working in the office and working at home. I have drafted this blog based on a full day in the office. I arrive shortly before 9am so I have time to get set up for the day.
Administrative Focus
I kickstart the day by reviewing my emails, whether it’s from clients or colleagues. I take note of urgent matters or matters that need discussion so they can be highlighted in our team meeting, which typically take place early on in the day. As a small team, we like to stay up to date with what each person is up to and it gives me an opportunity to take things off their plates.
I then focus on organising the day. I check what client appointments are taking place and review any documents that need to be prepped beforehand. Today we had 2 clients coming in to the sign their Wills, so they needed to be printed, and the invoice needed to be drafted.
I check the post-box to see what has been delivered, and scan on the letters to the correct file and pass the original on to the appropriate staff member if necessary. Occasionally I will be asked to action the letter depending on the matter.
Koren, our paralegal, and I share the work phone as necessary. This involves taking and making client calls, responding to any voicemails left from the previous evening, and make a note of any conversations had.
As it is nearing the end of the month, I run off a work-in-progress report so Ian and Koren can let me know which clients need to be invoiced. Once approved, I create the invoice and send it out via email or post.
Client Focus
I have recently taken the lead in managing Lasting Power of Attorney clients. I have been completing these legal documents, with the oversight of Koren, for some time now, but it has reached the stage where I have acquired enough knowledge to take the matter on from start to finish. This is a massive step in my legal career and professional confidence. Today I have 4 separate LPAs to draft and then send off to the respective client for review.
Furthermore, I carry out research and complete various other legal document preparation in the background. So today I also completed draft county court forms in relation to claim for possession of a property and drafted a tricky Statement of Reason to accompany a Will.
Finally, I have been tasked with scanning a lot of historical documents for a client (a couple of boxes worth). This can seem like a repetitive task, so I like to do it in short bursts, particularly as there is little time pressure.
Social Media
A few months after starting at Pro-law I took on the role of social media coordinator. This involves planning, designing and scheduling posts to go out on our Facebook and Instagram. This is typically something I do when I have some downtime, which tends to fall on a Wednesday. This task does add a touch of creativity to my working week.
Moreover, Koren and I quite like drafting blogs for our clients or potential clients, which gives them an insight into the services we offer. All of which I proofread and add to the website.
Finally
At the end of the day, I update my outstanding matters document that I share with my senior, Koren, so we can stay up to date with what has been done and what needs doing.
While it can be a routine job in some respects, it requires high levels of organisation, management, and legal knowledge (to name a few).
