Cosec is a weird role - a pure cosec role (filing returns) is dull as dishwater. However there is scope to make of the role what you want. If you end up being a trusted adviser to the board of a decent company, your career can absolutely rocket. 

I did this at a very junior level many years ago. Day to day it was intensely dull. Probably better if you are more senior though.

You could end up as a shadowy consiglieri figure. A power broker pulling the strings from behind the scenes with the casting vote.   

The trick is to hire a deputy cosec to do all the filings and then become whatever you want 

Thanks all. 

Chimp, you mentioned you did it at junior level - what's the story behind that?

Basically I had an “assistant” role working for a law firm doing form-filling for client companies.

"The trick is to hire a deputy cosec to do all the filings and then become whatever you want"

This! 

Deputy Cosec's looking at salary guidelines etc. still seem to be fairly well paid though, so not exactly too-bad of a gig. 

Anyone got any experience of the Australian legal market, and how CoSec fare over there?

I find the Co Sec side of stuff mind numbingly dull. A mix of dull rote form filling and woolly compliance lite governance bollocks. But that’s in a PE portfolio company rather than a listed Co. 

If you’re bright and actually find the stuff interesting I reckon you could carve yourself a decent career amongst a bunch of plodding competitors provided you can get your foot in the door at a listed company where there is a real chance of being taken seriously. I reckon at most privately owned companies though you’re doing the stuff the GC just finds too boring to think about. 

Why would you want to do co sec stuff?

It's even more boring than proper law.