Support Staff

By this phrase we mean secretaries, office trainees, receptionists, switchboard, cashiers, etc.

No law firm can function well unless it recruits the right kind of people to fill these vital roles. We call them "support staff"� because their role is to support the frontline legal staff who act directly for clients. Although support staff are not acting directly for clients, they play a vital role in enabling our legal staff to do so. Moreover, they frequently have contact with clients, primarily by telephone.

Their attitude and performance can make all the different in terms of a successful outcome on a file but also the impression that we create for our clients and the quality of service that we give. That is why we pay the same careful attention to recruiting people of good character to fill all the support staff roles as we do for the legal roles. There is no such thing as an unimportant role in a law firm.

One unusual and important point that we need to emphasise is that at Advance Legal we do not place any artificial ceilings above your head to prevent you from rising higher within the firm. That may sound obvious, but there are many organisations, and even law firms, that we hear about who will not allow a member of their support staff to be promoted into a legal role. Thus, a secretary must remain a secretary and if they want to become a paralegal or legal executive then they have to go elsewhere.

That is not our approach. We want our staff to be free to rise to whatever level they are capable of reaching. Nobody at Advance Legal will prevent a secretary, receptionist or cashier from beginning to take on more difficult duties and metamorphosising into a paralegal, or legal executive, or even a trainee solicitor. Far from hindering such promotion, we encourage it and will support you, if you have the aptitude, to learn new skills, take on new responsibilities and seek formal qualifications.

So, if you want to consider aiming for advancement then we would support you. That said, if you feel comfortable at your present level and do not want to seek further advancement, then that is also fine with us. Our aim is to get the right people in the right roles and to do nothing that hinders that.