First national career structure for legal secretaries created

The Institute of Paralegals, the leading not-for-profit professional body of paralegals and other legal support staff, has, in partnership with the Council for Administration, issued the first ever national competency standards for legal secretaries. With over 40 law firms, legal regulatory bodies and other organisations such as HR in Law either on the working party or requesting a watching brief, the standards have been much anticipated.

The standards are set at Introductory, Intermediate and Advanced levels. These levels match typical secretarial career development, and so will be very useful in creating a formal, nationally consistent, career structure for legal secretaries. Firms believe this will help with staff attraction, retention and motivation as it is difficult to attract and keep ambitious legal secretaries if they cannot be offered a professional career structure.

The linked government recognized national qualification is the LPQ Certificate in Professional Development (LPQ standing for Legal Professional Qualification). It will be issued by the government-approved National Awarding Body, IAM.

Creation of the standards is in response to the trend towards upgrading the status and responsibilities of legal secretaries. That upgrading itself is in response to the increasing sophistication of law firms and cheaper alternatives for doing basic secretarial work (e.g. the outsourcing of typing).

Written by law firms for law firms, the standards are intensely practical, immediately usable and easy to follow. James O’Connell, Chief Executive of the Institute said, “ Firms wanted the standards in recognition that role of the legal secretary is changing dramatically, and that a much greater degree of professionalism is needed if they are to successfully adapt to the new responsibilities and expectations  being placed upon them."

The following firms and organisations were either members of the Standards Working Party or requested a watching brief. The Institute greatly appreciated their advice and assistance during the creation of the standards: 

Berrymans Lace Mawer  HR in Law Norton Rose
Bond Pearce Institute of Paralegals Pinsent Masons
Cobbetts Jacobs Police National Legal Database
Compliance Recruitment Solutions Law Society of England & Wales Reed Smith
Council for Administration Law Society of Scotland Scottish Paralegal Association
Dawsons Legal Education & Training Group Shepherd Evans
Denton Wilde Sapte Legal Services Commission Sherman & Sterling
Dickinson Dees Legal Services Ombudsman SJ Berwin
Edexcel Lincoln University Law School Solicitors Regulatory Authority
Fox Williams Mayo Wynne Baxter Thompsons
Gide Loyrette Nouel Ministry of Justice Thomson Snell & Passmore
Halliwells Mills & Reeve TLT
Hilary Meredith Solicitors Morgan Cole Weightmans

For more information on the Institute or other paralegal/support staff matters please contact James O’Connell, Chief Executive, on 020 7887 1420 or 0797 6818 728, at joconnell@InstituteofParalegals.org or visit www.InstituteofParalegals.org