Course Fees - £995 plus VAT

You have up to 12 months to complete this course (excluding holidays)

Fees can be paid in full to benefit from a 10% discount.

Course fees can also be paid in instalments over 8 months.

Course fees can often be modified/reduced to reflect existing skills and knowledge - please telephone Penny Lewis at the College to discuss possible options - 01803 299955.

Start Dates

Autumn Term start dates:

• 31 August which is 60% full
• 21 September - 65% full

If you wish to have a career as a Legal Secretary, then you can study our combined Legal Secretarial and Legal Administration Course.

If you already have Secretarial skills, then you may wish to study just Part 2 of the course.

This course is available through distance learning and is tutor led.

In Part 1 you will cover a range of Secretarial topics including Legal Word Processing and Legal Audio Transcription.

In Part 2 you will gain a very good insight into how different legal matters are dealt with and the step by step process used in different legal cases.

You will understand the range of legal forms used, standard letters sent out and how to complete a range of general legal administrative duties ie requesting searches.

The course is run by Penny Lewis, who used to work as a Legal Secretary before going into teaching, having worked in London, Kent and Devon at partnership level.

CONTENT AND QUALIFICATIONS

SECRETARIAL SKILLS

This section of the course covers secretarial skills, specialising in Legal Secretarial topics.

You will be studying for the OCR Level 3 Advanced Diploma in Text Processing (Legal Options), covering:

• Speed Keying
• Text Production
• Legal Text Processing
• Legal Word Processing
• Legal Audio Transcription
• Document Presentation
• Mailmerge

You will be taught touch typing as part of the course.

LEGAL SKILLS

This section of the course covers the Legal Administration topics, developing your knowledge in legal matters.

GENERAL

This section is designed to cover background knowledge in legal work.

Topics you will cover include:

• Definitions of English Law
• Main forms of English Law - public, private, criminal and civil, tort, contract, family, employment, business and land law
• Sources of law - legislation, case law, European law
• Roles of Judges, Magistrates, Solicitors, Barristers
• Different types of legal work - litigation, probate, conveyancing, matrimonial and family, business/corporate
• Types of Legal Funding and sources of legal advice
• Court Structure
• Duties of a legal administrator - completing legal forms, support to legal professionals, accounting systems (office and client), sources of information, preparing correspondence, notes etc
• Dealing with clients - confidentiality, filing client documents, limitations of role

CONVEYANCING

This module covers the step by step process when dealing with the sale and purchase of a property.

Topics you will cover include:

• Conveyancing terminology
• The step by step process of the sale and purchase of properties
• Completion of a range of forms used in conveyancing
• Composing routine conveyancing letters

WILLS AND PROBATE

This module covers the step by step process when dealing with the preparation of a will and dealing with probate matters.

Topics you will cover include:

• Probate terminology
• The main processes carried out in the Wills and Probate department of a firm of solicitors
• Completion of basic documents relating to the Wills and Probate department
• Composition of routine probate letters

LITIGATION (CRIMINAL)

• Criminal practice, bail, and police powers
• Preliminary proceedings, trial process, Magistrates Court, arrest, detention  
• Codes of practice, interviewing clients and taking statements
• Prosecution and defence disclosure

LITIGATION (CIVIL)

• The role of lawyers in civil litigation
• Court venues - High Court, (claim forms, statements of case and statements of truth) issue and service of proceedings and defences
• Case allocation and the 3 track system
• Funding actions
• Case management - disclosure, exchange of witness statements, use of expert witnesses
• Preparation for trial, hearing, judgment and settlement personal injury claims 
• Enforcement procedure  

MATRIMONIAL AND FAMILY LAW

• Magistrates Court, County Court and High Court 
• The role of lawyers in matrimonial and family matters
• Types of proceedings in Magistrates Court, County Court and High
• Court 
• Petition for Divorce   
• Separation     
• Service
• Divorce directions - decree nisi, decree absolute
• Children - S8 orders, wardship and care orders 
• Finance
• Maintenance orders   

Careers and Job Support

This section of the course is for those of you who would find it beneficial to have some guidance and support in developing a professional CV as well as developing interview techniques, either at the end of the course or part way through.

You will prepare a draft CV to include the qualifications gained on this course and submit this to our careers adviser who can provide help and guidance in developing this to a professional standard, ensuring it is suitable for the types of jobs and businesses you wish to work in.

You will also prepare draft answers to standard interviews, enabling you to prepare a “script” in readiness for any interviews, and again submit this to our careers adviser who can see how you are portraying yourself at the interview stage.

Additional support can also be provided in connection with individual job applications and career plans.

Equipment you will need for this course

You will need to be able to access the Internet – either at home or work to receive your lessons via email.

You will also need a computer – a tower or laptop, plus a printer to enable you to print off the courseware (if preferred) and practice papers.

You will need either Word 2003 or Word 2007.

You will also need a folder with plastic pockets if you would wish to print off your courseware to create a hardcopy of the manual for each program.