Legal Secretary

Course details

Our Legal Secretarial programme, endorsed by the Chartered Institute of Business Management, is 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.

On completion of this programme, you’ll be able to confidently display your secretarial skills, with a broad understanding of various aspects of South African law, including terminology, the justice system and the administrative procedures followed in a legal office.

About the programme

Our Legal Secretarial programme is 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.

On completion of this programme, you’ll be able to confidently display your secretarial skills, with a broad understanding of various aspects of South African law, including terminology, the justice system and the administrative procedures followed in a legal office.

Programme Outline
Microsoft Office Fundamentals
MS Windows

• Creating documents in Windows
• Organising files
• Creating an efficient work environment
• Cleaning up your system
• Finding information on the Internet

MS Word

• The MS Word environment: help, save, enter text, review document, print
• Editing and formatting documents
• Proof-reading
• Adding tables and inserting graphics
• Page appearance

MS Excel

• Modifying a worksheet
• Performing calculations
• Formatting a worksheet
• Developing a worksheet and workbook
• Printing a workbook’s contents
• Customising layout

MS PowerPoint

• Creating a custom designed template
• Adding organisational charts and diagrams
• Adding special effects
• Creating an Internet presentation
• Delivering a presentation

Office Administration

Understanding the business and office environment

• The South African business environment
• How the office interacts with every part of the business
• The role of an office administrator
• Office etiquette
• Good working relationships
• Good customer relations
• Handling complaints
• Telephone etiquette

Storage and retrieval systems

• Implement and control a filing system
• Time management
• Managing a diary for a manager and for yourself
• Scheduling appointments

Co-ordinating meetings

• Procedures for meetings
• Understanding meeting documentation Business correspondence
• Communicate effectively using various forms of business correspondence
• Handling mail and electronic mail (emails)
• Your career – producing a professional curriculum vitae (CV)

Office equipment

• Understanding the basics of computer hardware and software
• Using office equipment eg. photocopier, fax, binding machine
• Data capture and database management
• Routine maintenance of office equipment

Office supplies and stock control

• Procedures for ordering office supplies and maintaining optimal levels of stock
• Using source documents in ordering and stock control
• Controlling the distribution of office supplies

Financial and banking procedures

• Handling petty cash
• Performing basic VAT calculations
• Understanding payroll functions
• Banking transactions and procedures

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
• How to complete various legal documents correctly

Wills and deceased estates

• The 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

Touch Typing

A minimum typing speed of 20wpm must be attained to pass this subject.

• Keyboard skills
• Accuracy
• Speed

Disclaimer

• The information contained in this fact sheet is accurate at the time of printing. However, factors beyond UniCollege’s control (such as environmental, regulatory or technical changes) may cause the contents of this fact sheet or of the programme to change. In the event of any such change, UniCollege will formally notify current students. All possible measures will be taken to minimise inconvenience to students.