Table 1Transition record

legal service managertolegal assistant

A legal service manager already meets 29% of what the legal assistant role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.

From legal service manager

29%

Overlap1

To legal assistant

7 Skills carried over

10 Required, not held

65.5 Difficulty2

adjacent 0–30

moderate 30–55

substantial 55–75

career change 75–100

this move, 65.5

This move: 65.5 of 100 · substantial

1 Share of the legal assistant role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the legal service manager profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 7 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A legal assistant role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a legal service manager background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held advise on legal services communication, collaboration and creativity
already held legal department processes business, administration and law
already held revise legal documents communication, collaboration and creativity
already held private law business, administration and law
already held legal case management business, administration and law
already held legal terminology business, administration and law

All 7 carried skills, including the 5 the legal assistant role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 22 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier

01 communication, collaboration and creativity 3 required, 4 supplementary

required, not held execute working instructions required
required, not held handle case evidence required
required, not held pose questions referring to documents required

optional, not held assist judge optional
optional, not held apply technical communication skills optional
optional, not held process commissioned instructions optional
optional, not held proofread text optional

02 management skills 2 required, 4 supplementary

required, not held manage accounts required
required, not held meet deadlines for preparing legal cases required

optional, not held brief court officials optional
optional, not held manage personnel agenda optional
optional, not held perform clerical duties optional
optional, not held perform office routine activities optional

03 business, administration and law 2 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held court procedures required
required, not held legal research required

optional, not held civil process order optional
optional, not held criminal law optional

04 information skills 2 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held compile legal documents required
required, not held study court hearings required

optional, not held record court procedures optional

05 working with computers 1 required

required, not held use word processing software required

06 assisting and caring 1 supplementary

optional, not held respond to enquiries optional

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a legal assistant role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 7 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held legal case management knowledge
already held legal department processes knowledge
already held legal terminology knowledge
already held private law knowledge
already held revise legal documents skill
already held advise on legal services skill
already held civil law knowledge

12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held assist judge optional
optional, not held apply technical communication skills optional
optional, not held brief court officials optional
optional, not held civil process order optional
optional, not held criminal law optional
optional, not held manage personnel agenda optional
optional, not held perform clerical duties optional
optional, not held perform office routine activities optional
optional, not held process commissioned instructions optional
optional, not held proofread text optional
optional, not held record court procedures optional
optional, not held respond to enquiries optional

32 held skills the legal assistant role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role advice on security risk management skill
not needed by the target role advise on drafting policies skill
not needed by the target role advise on financial matters skill
not needed by the target role advise on legal decisions skill
not needed by the target role advise on tax policy skill
not needed by the target role assist with litigation matters skill
not needed by the target role business law knowledge
not needed by the target role comply with legal regulations skill
not needed by the target role consumer law knowledge
not needed by the target role corporate law knowledge
not needed by the target role cost management knowledge
not needed by the target role intellectual property law knowledge
not needed by the target role liaise with managers skill
not needed by the target role make strategic business decisions skill
not needed by the target role manage a team skill
not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
not needed by the target role manage data for legal matters skill
not needed by the target role manage tender processes skill
not needed by the target role mergers and acquisitions knowledge
not needed by the target role monitor policy proposals skill
not needed by the target role motivate employees skill
not needed by the target role negotiate in legal cases skill
not needed by the target role negotiate lawyer's fee skill
not needed by the target role negotiate settlements skill
not needed by the target role prioritise requests skill
not needed by the target role provide legal advice skill
not needed by the target role provide legal advice on investments skill
not needed by the target role strategic planning knowledge
not needed by the target role supervise legal case procedures skill
not needed by the target role tax legislation knowledge
not needed by the target role use communication techniques skill
not needed by the target role write work-related reports skill

4 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to acquire Tier

required, not held court procedures required
required, not held legal research required
optional, not held civil process order optional
optional, not held criminal law optional

Index

Other moves recorded from legal service manager

Full index of moves from legal service manager

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.