Legal Secretary N Diploma

Course details

Attorneys, busy legal firms and legal departments require the services of competent legal secretaries. A legal secretary needs to have excellent administrative and secretarial skills and a working knowledge of law and legal procedures. They are also expected to be proficient in typing, office computing and have good communication skills.

The Legal Secretary N4, N5 and N6 qualifications are designed to give you the specialist knowledge and understanding that is required to work within the legal profession or the legal department of a large firm.

Once students have successfully achieved all three N4 - N6 certificates and have worked for 18 months as a legal secretary, they will be entitled to receive the National N Diploma: Legal Secretary conferred by the DHET.

UniCollege also offers a part-time Legal Secretary study option which starts throughout the year.

Qualification

• Attorneys, busy legal firms and legal departments require the services of competent legal secretaries. A legal secretary needs to have excellent administrative and secretarial skills and a working knowledge of law and legal procedures. They are also expected to be proficient in typing, office computing and have good communication skills.
• The Legal Secretary N4, N5 and N6 qualifications are designed to give you the specialist knowledge and understanding that is required to work within the legal profession or the legal department of a large firm.
• Once students have successfully achieved all three N4 - N6 certificates and have worked for 18 months or 2 000 hours as a legal secretary, they will be entitled to receive the highly respected National N Diploma: Legal Secretary.
• On completion of this national diploma, you'll be able to confidently display your secretarial skills, with an in-depth understanding of various aspects of South African law, including terminology, the justice system and the administrative procedures followed in a legal office.

Career & Job Opportunities

This programme will prepare you for many career opportunities, including:

• Legal secretary
• Legal assistant
• Legal typist
• Commercial law secretary
• Legal assistant or paralegal
• Tax secretary
• Administration assistant
• Litigation secretary
• Office manager
• Executive personal assistant
• Office administrator
• Receptionist

Subjects per level

N4

• Office Practice N4
• Information Processing N4
• Communication N4
• Computer Practice N4

N5

• Office Practice N5
• Information Processing N5
• Communication N5
• Legal Practice N5

N6

• Office Practice N6
• Information Processing N6
• Communication N6
• Legal Practice N6

Subject outlines

Office Practice N4

• Telephone techniques and telephone aids
• Reception and basic etiquette
• Postal services and office supplies
• Preparing, collecting, processing and filing documents

Office Practice N5

• Management of the secretarial office
• Self management
• Time and task management
• Diary control and follow-up systems
• Managing the filing and retrieval system
• Managing telephone usage
• Dealing with messengers
• Access control and security
• Assisting with travel arrangements
• Organising meetings, conferences and seminars
• Financial record-keeping and administration
• Using auxiliary services: Financial services, telecommunication services, transport services, storage facilities, insurance services etc.

Office Practice N6

• Functions of management, the role of the manager and role of the secretary
• Human resources and dealing with confidential information
• Supervision and the motivation of personnel
• Handling difficult situations
• Handling the manager's failure
• Business etiquette
• Catering and entertaining in the office
• Liaising with clients at executive level
• Organising executive corporate functions

Legal Practice

• The attorney's practice
• Different legal practitioners in private and public capacity
• Differences between attorneys and advocates and their personnel structures
• The handling procedure and prescribed documentation relevant to mail
• Security files, closed files, protocol filing and removal of files
• Compiling a statement of account for client tasks executed
• Business and trust accounts
• The role and duties of the
• secretary/administrative clerk
• Ethics of justice and the importance of secrecy

Litigation and debt collection

• The meaning of jurisdiction
• The nature and working of the supreme courts, the lower courts and tribunals
• Court officers and officials
• The procedures involved in civil actions
• Debt collection in the magistrate's courts

Legal documents

• Affidavits, power of attorney, underhand agreements, supreme court and lower court summons
• Complete various legal documents correctly Wills and deceased estates Requirements for and contents of a valid will
• Administration and winding up of a deceased estate   
•  Affidavits, power of attorney, underhand
• agreements, supreme court and lower court summons

Basic conveyancing

• The deeds office and contract of purchase
• Deed of transfer and supporting documents
• Steps for registration of a transfer
• Mortgage bonds
• Sectional titles

Notarial practice The law of contract Specific contracts

• The contract of sale
•  Credit agreements

Communication

• Communication in the employment interview
• Communication skills and techniques needed for: Concise communication, business letters, circulars and sales letters, reports, meeting correspondence, questionnaires
• Critical thinking skills
• Non-verbal factors that influence communication
• Presentation skills
• How to listen analytically in order to provide sound feedback