NATIONAL COMPETENCY STANDARDS

FOR

PARALEGALS AND LEGAL SECRETARIES

Paralegal Standards

The national competency standards for paralegals are currently being drafted and will be released during spring/early summer of 2008. If you wish to join the working party or have a watching brief, please contact Steve Wilcock at swilcock@Instituteofparalegals.org

The paralegal standards will largely mirror the legal secretarial standards in format, purpose etc.

Secretarial Standards

Introduction

In February 2008 we launched National Competency Standards for legal secretaries. The standards were written in collaboration with the premier standards setting body for business and administration, the Council for Administration, and over 450 organisations and law firms who were either on the working party or who requested a watching brief:

There are three levels of national competency standards for legal secretaries: introductory, intermediate and advanced. The introductory level standards are designed for secretaries undertaking standard secretarial duties. The intermediate level standards are aimed at secretaries with wider responsibilities, and these advanced level standards are for senior secretaries with a broad range of responsibilities, possibly including managing other secretaries.

Please click on the link below to see a Microsoft Word copy of the Advanced Level standards:

Need for the Standardst

ndards 

The Institute created the standards at the request of law firms coping with:

•  Rising secretarial salaries and office rental costs

•  Many traditional secretarial tasks (e.g. audio typing) ceasing to be cost-effective

•  A shift towards team working which required all team members to work to a professional standard

•  The rapidly changing nature of the secretarial role within law firms

•  The trend towards giving legal support staff greater responsibility

•  Risk-management requirements

•  Attracting, retaining and motivating good secretarial staff

•  The fact that, as with paralegals, the role of the legal secretary is becoming more of a professional, career occupation

As a nascent professional career occupation, nationally consistent structures need to be in place to define the new job role, to identify and measure the skills and knowledge required, and to create a basic career structure. The Institute's new National Competency Standards are designed to:

•  Create a careers structure for legal secretaries

•  Identify the core knowledge and skills required and have them adopted as a national benchmark

•  Detail the increasing compliance obligations imposed upon legal secretaries

•  Assist with training by identifying the core skills and knowledge areas

•  Assist with the recruitment process by creating common benchmarks which recruitment companies, candidates and employers can use to more

   accurately identify required skills and knowledge

•  Encourage staff retention and motivation by offering new legal secretarial qualifications linked to completion of the standards

•  Create a comprehensive list of goals and expectations that both firms and secretaries can use to during staff appraisals and when looking to

   career development

Updating the Standards

The secretarial role is changing so quickly that the standards will be updated at least once a year, more frequently if required.

New Career Structure

The standards create a de facto nationally consistent career structure for secretaries as there are three grades: introductory, intermediate and advanced.

New Qualifications

To aid with attracting, retaining and motivating secretarial staff, the Institute will give LPQ (Legal Professional Qualifications™) Certificates of Secretarial Completion when a firm has confirmed that one of its secretary's has completed a stage (e.g. the introductory stage). When they have shown that they have the skills required for all three stages they will get a nationally/government recognized qualification issued by the Institute and a IAM government approved national awarding body.

For more information on LPQ™ qualifications click here.

Transportable

The standards are transportable. Secretaries can continue them even if they change firm. They will have an online record that confirms which standards they have met. It will be signed off by a responsible line manager within each firm. This avoids the problem of secretaries having to keep or disclose to third parties confidential client or firm information.

Appraisals and Assessments

The Institute has created a full set of annual appraisal documentation based upon the standards for those firms wanting them.

Professional Conduct

The standards also list the professional conduct obligations applicable to secretaries. We very much t appreciate the input and commentary from the Solicitors Regulatory Authority in this regard.

Membership

In recognition of the growing professionalism required from a broad range of legal support staff, the Institute of Paralegals is opening Affiliate Membership to all legal secretaries and other law firm support staff.

Existing Standards

A number of firms have already produced their own secretarial standards. Where possible, the Institute will work to recognise them and give credit for them against the national standards so that secretaries can obtain the new national LPQ qualifications.

Obtaining a free set of the Standards

The standards are free to legal recruitment companies, training organisations and other bodies wanting a copy for reference purposes, but not intending to use the standards for their secretarial staff. Those using the standards for their secretarial staff - e.g. law firms and in-house legal departments need to subscribe on an annual basis.

Subscription costs to law firms

All three levels of secretarial standards are available on an annual subscription basis. The prices below (upon which no VAT is payable) include:

• All corrections issued during the year of subscription
• All updates issued during the year of subscription
• Unlimited implementation advice by telephone
• One year's corporate membership of the Institute (optional)

The payment is a one-time payment per firm per annum.  The amount below figure does not include the cost of registering any candidates for the LPQ qualifications. This has to be done direct with IAM. Nor does the cost include Institute membership for individuals.

Subscription costs to in-house legal departments and others

All three levels of secretarial standards are available on an annual subscription basis. The prices below (upon which no VAT is payable) include:

• All corrections issued during the year of subscription
• All updates issued during the year of subscription
• Unlimited implementation advice by telephone
• One year's corporate membership of the Institute (optional)

The payment is a one-time payment per firm per annum.  The amount below figure does not include the cost of registering any candidates for the LPQ qualifications. This has to be done direct with IAM. Nor does the cost include Institute membership for individuals.

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