Many people think that lawyers are dull fellows (or Fellows) and picture them wading through dusty tomes in dusty offices with quill pens in hand and sour expressions on their sour faces. Not a bit of it! (Although, I must admit, I can think of one firm of Solicitors in a smallish town in Devon, not a million miles away from Exeter, that does not seem to have been able to dig itself out of the Dickensian past – but they are an exception.)

At long last, the Government has recognised the fact that the vast majority of the population are looking for a much higher level of protection when it comes to confronting intruders during a burglary. Perhaps now we will be less likely to be identified as criminals simply for protecting our loved ones and belongings.

The new Justice Secretary, Chris Grayling, outlined his plans to provide homeowners who are the victims of burglary with more protection under the law if they injure the intruders in the heat of the moment. He stressed that the current law and test on ‘proportionality’ do not go far enough, leaving most homeowners afraid to use any level of force to protect what is dear to them. In short, most of the population of this country would agree that the law appears to be firmly stacked on the side of the criminal rather than the victim.

The Institute of Legal Secretaries and PAs features a range of single-subject legal courses which are designed to provide you with a good understanding of one specific area of law. Whether you are already working within a certain area of law and want to advance your knowledge, or you would like to secure a position in an area that interests you, ILSPA’s single-subject legal courses are the perfect way to focus on exactly what you want to learn in order to have a successful career.  

We have all, at some time, encountered the steamroller and the sniper. ‘Steamrollers’ are aggressive, hostile and intimidating; they don’t listen, they talk over what anyone else may have to say and they bludgeon others with their views and demands. ‘Snipers’ are far more insidious; they seek to undermine, often indirectly, and pick fault.

Steamrollers have a great need for control, and snipers are essentially insecure. So, how can we best take the sting from their poisonous tails? Let’s consider some examples:

Steamroller Case Study

 We all know that the economy has been going through difficult times, due to the banking crisis and turmoil in the Eurozone. There are signs of it turning around, however, and this is reflected in the job market. In particular, there is something of a mini-boom happening in the legal industry in London.

Everyone recalls a time or a particular situation when we wish we had been more assertive. Assertive communication is all about putting our point of view over – clearly and calmly, free from the distortion of mood or circumstances – so that we can best communicate how we feel about something and what we need as a result.

If a particular situation nags at our thoughts, this can be because our response was not as we wanted it to be. Replaying the same situation through our minds, again and again – what could or should we have said differently? – is a sure sign that we have not expressed ourselves as we needed to. The mind keeps working on a solution before we can let it go.

22 September 2012 marked the third Annual World Rhino Day. Many of you may have heard about it, but some of you may not have. One thing for sure is that we have all heard about the plight of the rhino at some point. Having grown up in South Africa during the ’80s and ’90s, I hold rhino conservation very close to my heart. At least once a week the news would break that a poacher ring had been dismantled by force.

Following the Energy Act 2011, a new government initiative known as the Green Deal is due to become active on 1 October 2012. This is designed to install new green technology into homes without the owner having to pay an upfront cost. Instead, the costs are paid back through your energy bill over a period of time. There are a whole range of improvements that can be claimed, including double glazing; cavity wall and loft insulation; gas and oil boilers; and renewable technologies such as solar PV, solar thermal and heat pumps. 

Every year scores of awards are up for grabs for Lawyers and HR teams but never for Legal PAs or Secretaries. This has now changed! One of the UK’s leading legal Secretarial and PA agencies, Strictly Legal, has launched the inaugural Legal PA of the Year Awards. The process offers a unique opportunity to recognise the vital role that Legal PAs and Managers play in the industry. 

Following the tragic and shocking murders of two policewomen in Greater Manchester – Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes – that old debate of whether capital punishment should be brought back has been reignited for the murder of police personnel. Aside from a small number of sick people who decided to pay tribute to the killer through social media sites, the vast majority of the population of the country were shocked to the core when this terrible news reached their ears.