Certificate in Legal Skills for Legal Secretaries

Programme overview

The course has been designed to give students a greater understanding of the key legal specialisations they are likely to encounter in legal firms. The focus of the certificate is to enhance the practical skills and knowledge of legal secretaries and others who wish to gain greater experience of the skills required to work in a legal office. The certificate will provide value for legal secretaries, but also for their employers.

Lecturers will emphasise the practical aspects of working in a legal office, highlight the key documents that legal secretaries deal with on a day-to-day basis and set out the steps involved in various common types of litigation cases and other legal transactions. The course will also look at some of the main issues which legal secretaries will encounter while working in a legal office, such as data protection issues, cyber risks and anti-money laundering. Finally, the Certificate will help students to develop their knowledge of the business of law and how to run a legal office.

Modules

The programme is based on the following module scheme and covers key themes as listed below:

Module 1: Introduction to the Irish legal system

• Introduction to the Irish Legal System
• Sources of Law
• Irish Courts and the Court Structure
• The role of solicitors and barristers
• The role of the Law Society of Ireland

Module 2: Litigation

• Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB)
• Personal Injury Litigation – taking a case to court
• Personal Injury Litigation – preparing for court
• Preparing a brief
• Dealing with Court Offices
• Criminal Litigation and Practice

Module 3: Conveyancing

• Introduction to conveyancing
• Steps in a conveyancing transaction
• Schedule of documents, title deeds
• Landlord and Tenant law

Module 4: Wills and probate

• Making a Will
• The Probate application

Module 5: Company law

• Introduction to Company structures
• Documents for Company formations/charges
• Mergers & Acquisitions

Module 6: Other areas of law

• Employment Law
• Family Law
• Alternative Dispute resolution

Module 7: Legal skills

• Data Protection at work
• Cyber awareness – common pitfalls and tips
• Anti-Money Laundering
• Communication in a Legal Environment

Module 8: Running a legal office

• The Business of Law and Legal Office Management Part 1 – letters of engagement, time recording, billing, accounting for law firms
• The Business of Law and Legal Office Management Part 2 – social media and marketing, the role of the office manager

Find out more and apply