HOW TO GET THERE
Typical pathway
A typical Canadian secondary-school student may take English, keyboarding, computer applications, and business or office studies, then look for a legal office job or office administration training after graduation. Many employers prefer strong writing, organization, and careful attention to detail, and some may favour candidates with college or office administration coursework. Early experience through co-op, part-time clerical work, reception, filing, or other office roles can help build the computer and document-handling skills used in law offices. Requirements can vary by employer and province, especially for specialized legal work.
THE WORK
What you may do
Legacy duties
- Prepare and key in correspondence and legal documents, such as deeds, wills, affidavits and briefs, from handwritten copy, shorthand and machine dictation using computers
- Review and proofread documents and correspondence to ensure compliance with legal procedures and grammatical usage
- Schedule appointments, meetings and conferences for employer
- Set up and maintain filing systems, utilizing knowledge of legal records and procedures and frequently controlling confidential materials and documents
- Open and distribute regular and electronic incoming mail and other material and co-ordinate the flow of information internally and with other departments or organizations
- Determine and establish office procedures and routines
- May supervise and train other staff in procedures and in the use of current software
- May attend court, meetings or conferences to take notes, minutes and dictation
- May perform other general office work as required including preparing financial statements.
SKILLS TO BUILD
Skills used in this Career
Computer LiteracyProject OrganizationRecord Keeping