Level 3 Legal Secretary
"I would highly recommend this course. I thoroughly enjoy my job and without the course I would never have been able to be in the role I am now in and I certainly wouldn’t have been prepared enough for it."
Alice Hooley - Legal Secretary, Energy & Infrastructure at Linklaters LLP, London
What are your day-to-day tasks and responsibilities in your current position?
My day-to-day tasks differ depending on which of my principals need support. However, some common tasks are typing, diary management, emailing, updating documents, taking telephone calls, liaising with clients, booking meeting rooms, organising travel, preparing billing updates to send to clients.
How many people do you provide support to?
9 principals including 1 Partner. I also am involved in mentoring the admin assistants/new joiners which I really enjoy and is of course also of benefit to them as they feel they have a go to person if they have any queries. I had a mentor when I started the firm and it really helped me to have someone to go to when I had any questions.
Is there anything interesting you have done in your role that is not a typical admin or secretarial task?
I was involved in viewing venues for the department’s Christmas party, I had to go around different parts of London and make sure that these venues would be suitable and that the catering was adequate. I also attended a hiking trip to the Cotswolds with my department which was very fun and there is also an annual skiing trip.
What do you like most about your role?
What I like most about my role is that every day is different and I learn new skills even 5 years since joining Linklaters.
What personal qualities and/or skills have you developed in your role?
My confidence has massively improved since starting my role. I remember being nervous about answering the phone to clients and now it is like second nature. My IT skills in general are greatly improved and learning the new programmes and features has always interested me.
What is your future career aspiration?
I would one day like to become a Group Secretary which means that I would be involved in the whole group and working as a manager to the other Legal Secretaries.
Academic year(s) at North Kent College?
2015-2016 Level 3 Legal Secretary
Why did you choose to take the Legal Secretarial course?
I chose the Legal Secretarial course as I thought it suited me well, I knew I wanted to work in an office and I enjoyed working on computers. I felt that being an organised person would help me to gain a role after college. I also had heard good things about Hayley and how she not only helps you to pass the course but also to find a job at the end of it.
How well did the CILEx Level 3 Diploma for Legal Secretaries qualification prepare you for your first role?
Hugely. Everything I had learned at college I have used in my role since, especially Text Processing. In my department, we do a lot of document work and this part of the course prepared me for the mark-ups and document work that I now do. The IT skills in general that I learned in college, I now use every day including PowerPoints, excel spreadsheets etc.
I also am very grateful to Hayley for getting my work experience with Linklaters as this helped me build a relationship with the Company which helped me to gain my current role.
Would you recommend the course?
I would highly recommend this course. I thoroughly enjoy my job and without the course I would never have been able to be in the role I am now in and I certainly wouldn’t have been prepared enough for it.