Custom Courses Administration and Secretarial

Professional Legal Secretary Training

SAQA US AATICD-0026 | NQF 5 | Credits 10 | Duration 5 Days
From $1,242 per delegate

Description

This course equips legal secretaries with the essential skills and knowledge to efficiently manage legal documentation, correspondence, and administrative tasks within a law firm or legal department. Participants will learn to produce accurate legal documents, manage filing systems, and communicate effectively in a legal environment, thereby enhancing office productivity and professionalism.

Learning Outcomes

  • Apply legal terminology and principles to draft and format legal documents and correspondence.
  • Implement efficient filing and records management systems for legal documents.
  • Demonstrate effective communication skills in a legal context, including client liaison and telephone etiquette.
  • Manage legal diaries, appointments, and court schedules using appropriate tools.
  • Utilize office technology and software to produce professional legal documents and presentations.
  • Analyze and prioritize tasks to meet deadlines in a legal office environment.

Target Audience

This course is designed for administrative professionals, secretaries, and clerical staff working in legal practices, corporate legal departments, or government legal offices who wish to specialize or upskill in legal secretarial functions.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment

Course Outline

Day 1: Introduction to the Legal Environment and the Role of the Legal Secretary

Objectives:
• Understand the structure of the South African legal system and key legal terminology.
• Identify the roles, responsibilities, and ethical obligations of a legal secretary.
• Recognise the importance of confidentiality and professionalism in a legal practice.
• Familiarise with the typical workflow and documents in a law firm.

Topics:
• Overview of the South African legal system: courts, legislation, and common law.
• Key legal terms and abbreviations used in legal correspondence.
• Role of the legal secretary: duties, skills, and career path.
• Professional ethics: confidentiality, impartiality, and client care.
• Introduction to legal practice management: filing systems, diary management, and client communication.
• Overview of common legal documents: letters, affidavits, contracts, and pleadings.

Day 2: Legal Document Preparation and Formatting

Objectives:
• Apply correct formatting and structure for standard legal documents.
• Draft professional legal correspondence and basic court documents.
• Use templates and style guides to ensure consistency.
• Proofread and edit legal documents for accuracy and compliance.

Topics:
• Formatting guidelines for legal letters, memoranda, and emails.
• Drafting affidavits: structure, jurat, and exhibits.
• Preparing summonses, particulars of claim, and notices.
• Using templates in Microsoft Word: styles, headers, footers, and numbering.
• Proofreading techniques: checking citations, dates, and party names.
• Document version control and tracking changes.

Day 3: Court Procedures and Filing

Objectives:
• Understand the court hierarchy and filing procedures in South Africa.
• Complete court forms accurately and comply with rules of court.
• Manage case files and track deadlines using a diary system.
• Communicate effectively with court officials and clients.

Topics:
• Overview of Magistrates' Courts, High Court, and Supreme Court of Appeal.
• Filing procedures: issuing process, serving documents, and lodging papers.
• Important court forms: notices of motion, rule nisi, and interpleader summons.
• Diary management: calculating dies induciae and court dates.
• Case file management: indexing, pagination, and archiving.
• Telephonic and written communication with the Registrar and Sheriff.

Day 4: Legal Research, Correspondence, and Ethics

Objectives:
• Conduct basic legal research using online databases and law reports.
• Draft formal legal opinions and letters of demand.
• Apply ethical principles in handling sensitive information and conflicts of interest.
• Manage billing and trust accounts under attorney supervision.

Topics:
• Introduction to legal research: statutes, case law, and journal articles.
• Using Juta, LexisNexis, and SAFLII for research.
• Drafting letters of demand, settlement offers, and legal opinions.
• Ethical considerations: handling privileged information and avoiding misconduct.
• Basics of legal billing: time sheets, fee notes, and trust account reconciliation.
• Confidentiality in electronic communications and data protection.

Day 5: Practice Management, Technology, and Career Development

Objectives:
• Utilise legal practice management software for efficient workflow.
• Implement best practices for electronic filing and document management.
• Develop strategies for continuous professional development.
• Integrate all skills in a simulated legal office environment.

Topics:
• Overview of legal practice management software: features and benefits.
• Electronic document management: scanning, naming conventions, and cloud storage.
• Time management and prioritisation in a busy legal practice.
• Career development: CV writing, interview skills, and professional associations.
• Simulated day: handling a typical workload from client instruction to filing.
• Review of course outcomes and Q&A.

Practicals

No practicals for this training.

This course is made up of exercises and case studies delivered alongside the theory — no separate practical sessions are required to complete it.

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course and a final summative test at the end.

Daily Exercises — 30%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 30% to the final total.

Final Test — 70%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 70% to the overall mark.

Final Total
Component Out of Weight
Daily Average (multiple choice) 100% 30%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice) 100% 70%
Final Total 100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

Certificate of Completion

Awarded to delegates who achieve an overall mark of 50% or higher on the Final Total (Daily Average 30% + Final Test 70%).

How it works
  • Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
  • Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
  • You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
  • If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.
Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.

Upcoming Training Sessions
Online training — attend live sessions from anywhere via our virtual classroom.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Mon 07 Sep 2026 Fri 11 Sep 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 21 Sep 2026 Fri 25 Sep 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 05 Oct 2026 Fri 09 Oct 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 07 Dec 2026 Fri 11 Dec 2026 Virtual Summer 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 04 Jan 2027 Fri 08 Jan 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 01 Feb 2027 Fri 05 Feb 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 01 Mar 2027 Fri 05 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 07 Jun 2027 Fri 11 Jun 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 21 Jun 2027 Fri 25 Jun 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 05 Jul 2027 Fri 09 Jul 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 06 Sep 2027 Fri 10 Sep 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 20 Sep 2027 Fri 24 Sep 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 04 Oct 2027 Fri 08 Oct 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 06 Dec 2027 Fri 10 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 20 Dec 2027 Fri 24 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 03 Jan 2028 Fri 07 Jan 2028 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,242 Register
On-Campus training — face-to-face sessions at our training venues across Africa and beyond.
Showing all 424 sessions across 26 venues
Start End Venue Season Price Action
Mon 10 Aug 2026 Fri 14 Aug 2026 Durban, South Africa Winter 2026 $2,916 Register
Mon 10 Aug 2026 Fri 14 Aug 2026 Abu Dhabi, UAE Winter 2026 $5,238 Register
Mon 17 Aug 2026 Fri 21 Aug 2026 Harare, Zimbabwe Winter 2026 $3,078 Register
Mon 17 Aug 2026 Fri 21 Aug 2026 Shenzhen, China Winter 2026 $7,398 Register
Mon 24 Aug 2026 Fri 28 Aug 2026 Bangkok, Thailand Winter 2026 $6,318 Register
In-House training — we bring the trainer to your organisation, tailored to your team.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Mon 14 Sep 2026 Fri 18 Sep 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 28 Sep 2026 Fri 02 Oct 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 12 Oct 2026 Fri 16 Oct 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 14 Dec 2026 Fri 18 Dec 2026 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 11 Jan 2027 Fri 15 Jan 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 08 Feb 2027 Fri 12 Feb 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 08 Mar 2027 Fri 12 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 14 Jun 2027 Fri 18 Jun 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 28 Jun 2027 Fri 02 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 12 Jul 2027 Fri 16 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 13 Sep 2027 Fri 17 Sep 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 27 Sep 2027 Fri 01 Oct 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 11 Oct 2027 Fri 15 Oct 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 13 Dec 2027 Fri 17 Dec 2027 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 27 Dec 2027 Fri 31 Dec 2027 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 10 Jan 2028 Fri 14 Jan 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,615 Register
Training Discounts
Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% off per 5 delegates, up to 40% for 100+

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