We are often asked whether you can study ILSPA’s Legal Secretaries Diploma course with no Legal Secretary experience. The answer we always give is that the course is suitable for all levels of experience from beginners to experienced professionals. Tracey Jenkins, an ILSPA Student, decided to enrol on the course when she left her position in administration. Tracey had an interest in law but had no experience in a law firm. She passed the course with a distinction, achieving an incredible grade of 99%. We spoke to Tracey to find out about her background and how she found her studies.

Have you always been interested in law, and do you come from a legal background?

The Law Society’s Conveyancing Protocol (usually just referred to as the “protocol”) first came into effect on 1 April 2011. It was replaced on 19 August 2019 with an amended version.

The original protocol was created by the Law Society to improve how conveyancing transactions were dealt with. The protocol provided a framework for firms to follow and a detailed list of ‘dos and don’ts’. Although the protocol has been described by some as ‘conveyancing by numbers’ it has brought a uniform structure to conveyancing transactions. Essentially the protocol made most firms ‘sing from the same hymn sheet’. The procedures the protocol set out are intended to ensure that clients are treated fairly and are protected, and that the entire process is dealt with more efficiently.

The protocol splits transactions into six stages:

TotallyLegal - the UK’s leading job board for legal professionals - has launched its annual salary survey and wants to hear the details of your daily working lives.

The results of the survey will detail the average salaries of Legal PAs and Secretaries across the UK, revealing whether you are adequately rewarded for your efforts or could be earning more elsewhere.

Last year, Legal PAs in our audience reported average salaries of £32,619, while Legal Secretaries took home £34,615.

More broadly, the results of last year’s survey - compiled into a comprehensive Audience Insight Report - revealed that, despite being a high profile issue, the gender pay gap continued to widen within the legal profession.

There has been a real shift over the past couple of years when it comes to preparing for an interview. Relying on your skillset and experience to speak for themselves just isn’t enough for Hiring Managers anymore, particularly when it comes to senior-level PA and EA interviews.

Not only is the market at this level incredibly competitive, but the senior stakeholders these roles support have very high expectations. Therefore, you will need to be extremely prepared for your interview and able to articulate and highlight what sets you apart from the other candidates that will be going through the same interview process.

To find out what gives certain candidates ‘the edge’ in an interview, I recently spoke to some of the top PA and Secretarial Services Managers in my network who are responsible for hiring senior-level PAs and EAs.

The law in England and Wales dealing with wills dates back to Victorian times. The current rules are based on the Wills Act 1837, while the tests to see if someone has the capacity to make a will were set out in a case from 1870.

The Law Commission has been consulting on several proposals to reform the law on wills. It is expected to report soon on proposals to modernise the law, which include:

• Changes to the test for capacity to make a will, which take into account modern medicine’s understanding of conditions like dementia;
• Statutory guidance for doctors when assessing if someone has the capacity to make a will; and
• New rules protecting someone making a will from undue influence. 

Here is a selection of vacancies from our Legal Secretary Jobs Board this month:

Legal PA – Elliott James Recruitment Ltd     

Location: Cheltenham

Salary: £25,000

Excellent opportunity for a PA to provide secretarial support at a high level within one of Gloucestershire’s top law firms. The successful candidate will have previous experience in a similar role.

View the full job description here:

https://www.institutelegalsecretaries.com/jobs/candidate/job/161488/ 

Legal Secretary – Residential and Commercial Conveyancing – Vivash Brand LLP      

Location: North Cheam

Salary: £24,000

SecsintheCity – the only job board dedicated to PAs, EAs and Office Support Professionals – is searching for outstanding Legal PAs and EAs to be winners at the eighth annual PA of the Year Awards.

While an abundance of high calibre nominations has already been submitted for this year’s event, we know a wealth of talent and achievement remains untapped. With limited time left to nominate yourself or a colleague, we want to hear from you today.

Your questions answered

Alongside event judge and Chief Executive of Tay Associates Susanna Tait, SecsintheCity recently answered some of the questions that are most frequently asked about the PA of the Year Awards.

What do you look for in a Legal PA, EA or Office Manager?

We recently had an excellent opportunity to sit down and speak with Gemma Williams, Paralegal at the largest news publisher in the UK, Reach PLC. In this interview, Gemma shares some invaluable insights into her Paralegal career so far, as well as some expert advice for aspiring Paralegals.

Tell me about the education route you took to become a Paralegal and your legal work experience prior to working for Reach PLC.

People learn in different ways. So, if people learn in different ways, then it is only logical that they should study in different ways. When you are studying, you may prefer to read out loud, rewrite text or even act something out to commit it to memory. You may like lists, colours or Post-its around the house. Your preferred study method gives a good indication of what sort of learner you are. Once you know this, you can establish which practices will help you and which are not really going to work. You can read more about the different types of learners here. In this article, we will be focusing on visual learners – people who need to see new information in order to truly learn it.

The term ‘business support’ can be quite a broad term but in general terms, jobs that fall under the category ‘business support’ are roles that provide administrative support to a business. Typical roles include; PA, Secretary, EA, Team Leader and Secretarial Manager.

A career in Business Support requires a large variety of transferrable skills that, if used wisely, can open your door to pretty much anything. Here is a breakdown of some of the typical roles we recruit for in Business Support and how these job roles can help you progress your career.

Admin / Office Support / Office Administrator