News that top ten City firm Lovells has become the latest to pilot speech recognition software has no doubt added to the concerns of legal secretaries that their future might be bleak (see [2001] Gazette, 20 April, 16).But while the role of legal secretaries may be changing, demand is high across the country, with firms offering generous benefits to attract and keep good staff.A devoted Miss Moneypenny will always be needed by more traditional lawyers, but legal secretaries tend to work for several fee-earners, who are far more self-supporting now than in the days of typewriters.According to Clare Gilligan, senior consultant with recruitment agency LFI in London: 'The days of the one-to-one PA who does everything are numbered, but there will always be partners or fee-earners who are so busy they have to have their own secretary -- in one client firm there is a very senior partner who has five secretaries because she generates so much work.'Another of the fir ms Ms Gilligan deals with switched to voice-activated software, and gave its secretaries the option of remaining in their traditional role, or taking on a more legal assistant-type one.

She says: 'Some didn't want to change, and a couple left, but the others welcomed the new opportunities.'Some firms are not as enthusiastic as Lovells about the chances offered by technology.

Pat Southern, head of human resources at Wragge & Co in Birmingham, says that Wragges looked at all the software available but decided it was not yet right.

While it will watch developments, the firm will not introduce it in the near future.Clifford Chance has more than 600 secretaries in London, and Alistair Dawson, head of personnel, says the firm tried voice-recognition, but also decided that the software was not yet right.However, he says technology has affected the work of legal secretaries.

'At one time, I think it would be fair to say you could do the work without engaging the brain but now, with all the technology offering more complex programmes, the work can be both more interesting and more complex.'In terms of salaries, the average in the City is £25,000, about £4,000 more than three years ago.

Inevitably, corporate and property departments pay the most.'I might get a corporate position where the salary is £26,000 to £27,000, while US firms pay up to £30,000,' says Ms Gilligan, adding: 'A firm specialising in litigation or personal injury just doesn't generate the same sort of cash to justify those levels of salary and they tend to pay £23,000 to £24,000.'Ms Gilligan explains that salaries are generally higher than in other professions -- a secretary working for an accountant might receive £19,000 to £23,000 whereas someone with their equivalent experience would get between £24,000 and £27,000 in a law firm.She adds: 'The other bonus in joining a law firm is their system of regular salary reviews, which tend to be generous as they are well aware good secretaries can be snapped up by someone else.'Ms Gilligan says firms offer benefits, such as private health insurance, five weeks' holiday with the possibility of buying an extra five days, gym membership, and season-ticket loans.

Hours are also being reduced.

'A 37.5 hour week is now seen as negative, as lots of firms have reduced the working week to 35 hours,' Ms Gilligan explains.'However, if you work in a corporate department, you have to be prepared to do the overtime -- but at time-and-a-half till 9pm, and double time after that, you can earn a lot of money.

I interviewed one Australian who had doubled her £26,000 salary with overtime.'Ms Gilligan has found more men seeking legal secretarial jobs -- about 5-10% of the people on her books.

'We also get mature secretaries in their 50s who are worried they are too old, but age doesn't seem to be a problem with law firms in the way it does in some industries.'She has also found that shorthand is starting to make a comeback, particularly with US practices, after being out of fashion for the past ten to 15 years.Sally Slayford, director of Absolute Recruitment in London, agrees that technology will change the role of legal secretaries.

'I think lawyers will still need secretaries, but now fee-earners do a lot more of their own work so secretaries might work for two or more, rather than on the more traditional one-to-one basis,' she says.'This might mean firms take on fewer secretaries and possibly a slight shrinkage in the temporary side.' Ms Slayford adds: THowever, at the moment, there are still more jobs than candi dates.'With trainees, CMS Cameron McKenna found the opposite was true with 80-plus applicants for the eight places the firm offered on this year's trainee legal secretarial scheme.The firm has been running the current two-year scheme for about four years.

Human resources officer Deborah Nightingale explains: 'It is the best way of getting good secretaries young.

We can teach them our house style and procedures and they can learn about the culture and environment so when they become fully fledged legal secretaries they are the best we have got, while they feel a sense of loyalty to the firm.'The firm writes to about eight colleges which run legal secretarial colleges, inviting their students to an open day.

It looks for five good GCSEs, some work experience and good course results.

The firm then tests them on typing, grammar and verbal reasoning, and interview them.TWe look for someone who is bright and enthusiastic, with a good attitude and an easy-going personality who will be flexible and a good team player,' she says.The trainee secretaries start on just over £16,500, which goes up every quarter during the first year and once at the start of the second year before they become a junior secretary on about £19,000.

'We have never yet said to any of our trainees that we haven't got a job for them,' Ms Nightingale adds.The need for legal secretaries is as strong outside London, particularly in Leeds and Manchester, which are vying to be the biggest legal centres after London.Rachel Clark, associate director of Law Recruitment with responsibility for Leeds and west Yorkshire, says: TIt is desperately difficult finding candidates.

Some firms are starting to use voice-activated software, so the role of legal secretaries will change to become even more of a legal assistant/PA role.'I don't know if it will reduce the demand for secretaries.

Certain firms are saying they don't need to replace people because of the software, but where they do need them, the roles are more demanding, so they are recruiting at a higher level, and looking for people who want to get more involved.'Unsurprisingly, salaries are much lower than in London -- an average legal secretary will earn about £15,000, although the larger firms will pay £17,000 for a good corporate secretary, while a niche firm will pay £20,000 to £21,000 -- but firms offer good benefit packages, says Ms Clark.Male legal secretaries are the 'exception, not the rule,' she says.

'I have placed three this year.

They tend to be very highly skilled but it still isn't seen as a career option among the younger end of the market -- they still come for straightforward office junior/trainee positions with the aim of progressing to legal executive.

The market is still very female dominated -- there is no doubt about that.'To Justine Stevens, associate director of Legal Recruitment in Manchester, where there is an emphasis on personal injury work, there has always been a shortage of good legal secretaries in the 13 years she has worked in the city.That has been exacerbated by the number of law firms opening in Manchester over the past four or five years.

'Most firms carry a few vacancies at any time,' she says.

Salaries are between £13,000 and £16,000, while male legal secretaries are 'still a rarity'.Technology advances means she now has some clients who have one legal secretary in their whole firm.

TBut the larger firms still need them.

The good ones are getting more involved in quasi-paralegal roles, while the junior ones concentrate on audio-typing and document product ion.'Certainly Lee Munnerley, who is 33 and joined Eversheds' employment law department in Leeds in November, is loving the work and he does not mind being a 'rarity'.

He explains: 'When I answer the telephone, clients tend to ask to speak to so and so's secretary and when I say that's me, a small handful pause, but the majority of people are fine and have no problem with it.'