Legal secretary salaries can vary greatly depending on skills and experience, the type of firm the role is based, and location of the firm. In London, salaries for legal secretaries can start at around £20,000 per year and increase to as much as £45,000 per year. On average, legal secretaries in the capital take home an annual salary of £34,000.

Legal Secretary Positions

The specific nature of the job can have an effect on your salary. Starting as a junior legal secretary will mean you will be earning at the lower end of the scale. However, taking a lower-ranking position can enable you to acquire valuable experience. The more experience you gain, the more you can move up the ladder and achieve a higher salary. There are some fantastic positions available in London at the higher end of the scale, working for top law firms with a lot of responsibility.

Skill level

The more knowledgeable and skilled you are, the more you’ll be worth. If you are unfamiliar with legal terms or tasks, the firm that hires you will have to spend time or money training you to perform the role. Taking a legal secretaries Diploma is hugely beneficial in this respect. A recognised qualification in the profession means you will be considered to be a competent legal secretary. If you are already familiar with law, legal procedures and the daily operations of a law firm, and you have gained experience of supporting a legal team, you will be able to secure a very good salary.

Firm Prestige

As with most professions, the prestige of the company you work for will also determine how much you will earn as a legal secretary. If you’re hired by a firm that’s part of the Magic Circle, such as Linklaters or Clifford Chance, chances are you’ll earn more than if you’re hired by a smaller Solicitors’ practice that few people have heard of. International law firms such as Sidley Austin LLP are also known to pay their employees well and have great ethics in terms of staff relations. Prestigious firms bring in more revenue, so they are able to invest in their staff.

Raises and Bonuses

The range outlined reflects basic salaries and doesn’t include the raises or bonuses you might experience over time. As you become more experienced and integral to the workings of the law firm, it is common to be awarded an increase in salary as an incentive to stay with the company. In a survey performed by Totally Legal, around 60% of legal secretaries received pay rises and 50% were fortunate enough to be offered a bonus on top of their basic pay package.

Location also hugely affects your earning potential. We recommend that you take a look at ILSPA’s Legal Secretary Jobs Board or legal job sites such as Totally Legal to see what legal secretaries earn in your area.

This information was provided by The Institute of legal secretaries and PAs.

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