Legal administrative assistants in high demand

 

Originally published in Star Metro Vancouver

With a growing demand for legal administrative assistants in the Lower Mainland, now is the time to enroll in Vancouver Community College’s (VCC) legal administrative assistant program, says the head of the school’s business department.

“Law firms and employment agencies are scrambling to fill positions,” says Helen Roberts. “We have job postings that we send to our graduates and recently we’ve had twice as many job postings as we’ve had graduates. I don’t see this trend slowing down anytime soon.”

Taking just five months to complete, VCC’s legal administrative assistant program requires applicants to have finished the college’s administrative assistant program or have administrative assistant experience. This prerequisite allows the program to dive right into topics relevant to the legal realm.

“We essentially cover six topics: law office management, the court system, corporate law, conveyancing, litigation, and family law,” says Roberts. “We also teach about wills and estates. The program is very hands-on and students work on simulated files to complete the documents they will encounter once they graduate.”

In addition to hands-on practice through assignments, students are exposed to the industry through field trips to the B.C. Supreme Court and to a law firm office, through guest speakers, and a unique opportunity to interact with legal professionals during a job skills seminar day.

Students also complete a two-week practicum to put their skills into practice in a real-world setting.

“The job skills seminar day is a really valuable experience because students get to ask these professionals about careers and job searches while networking,” says Roberts. “And, of course, practicum ties it all together. We want them to be as workplace-ready as possible so the transition into the field is as smooth as it can be.”  

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Apply now for the next intake of VCC’s legal administrative assistant program starting on Feb. 4, 2019.