The Diploma of Legal Services provides students with administrative skills for the legal industry. This enables them to take on clerical roles such as that of a paralegal or legal assistant. By completing this course you will learn about the Australian legal system, developing administrative skills that will enable you to support legal practitioners by helping to prepare and interpret materials for cases. This may mean managing paperwork and filing, interviewing clients, and conducting research. Students will develop skills for understanding precedents and other salient legal information, as well as learning to interpret and apply legal principles. In addition to a general understanding of the law, this course also offers options for electives which can help students to specialise in different areas such as civil, family and property law, and wills and probate matters.
Those with an interest in legal practice, and who are organised, methodical and logical in their thought processes may be a good fit for this course. It would also be hugely advantageous to have interpersonal skills that enable them to be excellent oral and written communicators. While it isn’t a prerequisite, many course providers also suggest that prospective students complete a Certificate IV in a related field (such as the Certificate IV in Legal Services or the Certificate IV in Crime and Justice Studies) before enrolling in this course. These courses may provide students with some foundational knowledge that would allow them to transition more seamlessly into the Diploma.
The Diploma of Legal Services prepares you for the following careers:
Legal Secretary
A
legal secretary (sometimes called a
legal receptionist) is responsible for a variety of secretarial duties which help to support their colleagues within the legal industry. This includes both simple and complex document management, such as tracking changes, producing, comparing, formatting and amending documents, and electronic and hard copy filing. Their duties may also include diary, travel and correspondence management, reconciling expenses, budget updates and accrual reports. Legal secretaries must be organised and have strong interpersonal skills, as they’re often responsible for organising and coordinating meetings, including booking boardrooms, liaising with clients and preparing relevant materials.
Conveyancer
Conveyancers are involved in the transference of property titles and help their clients with the complex legal process of buying and selling real estate. They are often required to manage the settlement process from beginning to end, which may include the preparation and management of files, data entry and general administration duties. In carrying out their duties they are often required to use property and lodgement software such as PEXA and Setts Plus. Furthermore, conveyancers must communicate effectively and efficiently with banks, real estate agents, property developers and mortgage brokers on behalf of their clients.
Legal Administrator
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legal administrator carries out administrative duties, usually for a court or in a legal practice, such as photocopying, sorting, filing, faxing and collating documents. They are required to support other staff with clerical duties, which may include the tidying of reception or meeting areas, and greeting clients in a professional and friendly manner. Legal administrators are often the first port of call for clients, and must therefore also communicate with them through letter, emails and over the phone. They may also have some monetary duties including tax lodgements, client billing, and financial analysis such as budgeting.
Higher education pathways
Many students use the Diploma of Legal Services as a stepping stone for studying Law at a university, as it provides them with a basic understanding of many different legal processes from a clerical perspective. It may also be used as credits or advanced standing for the first year of some university degrees, but it’s important to check the details of this with different tertiary institutions.
Getting started
Before enrolling in the Diploma of Legal Services, it’s a good idea to first request information about this study pathway from different course providers. This will help you to decide if this course is appropriate for you given your current level of education and your future career goals. It’s important to compare the duration, cost, prerequisites and content of the course from different providers, as this can vary. In most cases, this Diploma can be completed within twelve months (or two semesters) of full time study, and it consists of four core units and six electives. If there is a particular area of law that you wish to specialise in, it’s essential that you check to make sure that your chosen course provider offers the appropriate electives.