Introduction

Councils have duties that they must fulfil by law. They also purchase large amounts of supplies and equipment and issue a lot of contracts for work to be carried out. In addition they are employers and have obligations under health and safety and employment law. All councils have legal departments, which advise council managers and elected members on legal matters. Legal assistants provide administrative support for this work.

Work Environment

Legal assistants are mainly office-based, although they may sometimes attend meetings in other departments or attend court.

They normally work a 37-hour week, but part-time work and job-sharing are often available.

Daily Activities

Legal assistants provide support to solicitors in a number of different areas of the law relating to, for example, highways, housing, planning or social services. Legal assistants’ duties usually include:

• general administrative duties such as filing, answering the telephone and inputting data into computers;
• assisting with the drafting of legal documents;
• drawing up contracts for work carried out by external contractors;
• helping to prepare tree preservation orders, traffic regulation orders, housing eviction orders, or footpath creation and diversion orders;
• preparing and sending information to County Court staff if the council intends to prosecute anyone for non payment of debts (such as rent arrears);
• attending the Magistrates’ Courts to assist solicitors by organising their paperwork and taking notes;
• liaising with clients and ensuring a good level of customer care;
• advising other council departments about legal issues relating to their area of work;
• keeping up to date with new legal developments.

Skills & Interests

Legal assistants need to be:

• knowledgeable about certain aspects of law,
• computer literate, with good research skills,
• organised and methodical,
• accurate, with good attention to detail,
• able to work well in a team and on their own initiative,
• good communicators, both in person and in writing,
• good at public speaking.

Entry Requirements

Most councils ask for a minimum of four GCSEs/S Grades or equivalent (A*-C/1-3) including English and maths, but many entrants have higher qualifications, including A levels and sometimes degrees.

You will probably need some experience of working in an administrative support role, possibly in a legal environment, although this is not essential. Some councils may ask for a minimum of one years experience plus Part I of the ILEX qualification (see below).

Legal assistants are usually encouraged to study for a professional paralegal qualification via the Institute of Legal Executives (ILEX).

Estimated salary range

£20,300 – £24,000 per year.

Please note that salary information is a guide only and there may be local agreements in place. For further information about salaries for particular positions, please contact your local council directly.

Future prospects & opportunities

Legal assistants may have the opportunity to specialise in one area of law. There are prospects of promotion to a post of senior legal assistant, which carries more responsibility and involves supervising junior staff. Legal assistants who qualify via the Institute of Legal Executives may undertake further training to become solicitors.

Related Occupations

Follow this link to view a list of all related occuptions in Supporting Your Community.
Alternatively, follow this link to view all career profiles placed in the same job area.

Further Information & Services

Institute of Legal Executives www.ilex.org.uk

Solicitors in Local Government www.slgov.org.uk

Law Society www.lawsociety.org.uk

Law Society of Scotland www.lawscot.org.uk

You may find further information about this area of work in your local/school careers library – under L and AD.

What should I do next?

Look for current local government Legal Assistant vacancies in the following places:

• LGjobs.com - the official recruitment website for local government.
• Weekly, bi-weekly or monthly jobs bulletins produced by local councils themselves, available from libraries, community centres, town halls/main civic buildings and central council personnel departments.
• Local council websites.
• Local newspapers
• National newspapers – The Guardian is particularly well known for its public sector job advertisements on a Wednesday.

Find out about the council and get some work experience if possible by:

• Making the most of work experience placements arranged through your school, college or university.
• Contacting councils close to your home to find out about the work experience opportunities they offer.
• Talking to someone who does the job you are interested in – ring your local council to see if someone can spare some time.
• Making an appointment to see a careers adviser for more specific information about jobs and training.