Case study: Legal Secretary

Katrina Ireland, 18, always knew she wanted to
be a secretary, but a word from a helpful teacher introduced her to the idea of specialising in the legal profession. She now lives out her courtroom
drama-inspired fantasies as a legal secretary for a major law firm.

Why did you choose this career?

Originally, I just wanted to be an ordinary secretary because it's what I'd always been interested in doing. My form tutor in secondary school suggested I should think about going into legal secretarial work because it's a more challenging job and the earnings are potentially better.

Which qualification did you do?

I did a diploma in Legal Studies and it was really exciting - we even went on a trip to court. You expect secretaries to sit there and make tea and answer phone calls, but that's not what it's like at all. There's a lot more responsibility and training involved. Even the paperwork is interesting!

What's the best thing about the job?

I think there's actually quite a lot of glamour in working in the legal world, because the courtroom dramas on TV raise the profile of the job.

What's the worst thing about the job?

There isn't one, really. I think I was expecting it to be a bit boring but it's not at all!

What's the money like?

The salaries are pretty great - they start at around £20,000 in London. I was quite surprised to discover how much you can earn because you don't really think about it when you enrol on the course.

What do you want to do in the future?

The next step beyond a legal secretary is a legal executive, and that's where I'd like to go next.