Hiring Legal Secretaries in the NW: Skills, Salaries & Market Availability
Overview:
Legal secretaries are the operational glue that holds most departments together yet they’re one of the most challenging roles for NW firms to hire. Demand is rising, expectations are evolving, and availability remains tight.
Here’s the 2026 snapshot:
1. The Skills NW Firms Expect Today
The modern legal secretary role has shifted from traditional typing-heavy duties to a hybrid of administrative, digital and organisational support.
Most sought-after skills for legal secretaries include:
• Document production & formatting accuracy
• Case management system proficiency
• Digital dictation
• Diary management for multiple fee-earners
• Court bundles & forms
• Strong client communication
• Billing and e-billing processes
Technical competence is now just as important as traditional legal secretarial experience.
2. Salary Benchmarks You Should Expect
2025 NW salary averages:
• Junior Legal Secretary: £23,000–£26,000
• Mid-Level Legal Secretary: £27,000–£32,000
• Senior or Specialist Secretary: £33,000–£37,000
• Legal PA: £30,000–£40,000 depending on practice area and complexity
Hybrid flexibility can shift these by £1–2k either way.
3. Market Availability
Strong secretaries in corporate, commercial, litigation and real estate are consistently hard to find.
Two reasons: Many experienced secretaries are staying put due to stability concerns. The training pipeline for junior secretaries is shrinking.
This combination keeps the market tight and reactive.
4. How to Attract Strong Candidates
• Offer hybrid flexibility (2–3 days home is the current sweet spot)
• Move quickly secretary candidates are in process with multiple firms
• Provide clearer career routes (secretary to PA to specialist roles)
• Emphasise supportive, well-structured teams
Bottom Line
Legal secretaries are in demand, short in supply, and critical to daily operations.
NW firms need competitive salaries, realistic expectations and streamlined processes to secure the best talent.
About Us
HST Hiring Group specialises in hiring experienced legal secretaries across the NW both contingent and permanent.
Free coffee and wellbeing days don’t make up for chronic overwork. In many NW firms, , PAs and paralegals are stretched thin and stretched people leave. Fixing workload beats adding perks every time.
About The HST Group
We find the best talent, across all sectors
Hiring well is simply a process, which can span a whole range of sectors. This winning process is one we like to think we’re very good at!
We have unique technology offerings
Our bespoke technology enables us to get your job ads in front of the very best talent out there, which in turn enables us to give brilliant ROI to our clients.
We have an excellent track record
We’re incredibly proud of our track record, and the fact that 80% of our clients are repeat or ongoing customers!