A legal career had always been on the cards for Sinead Owen, but when life took her on a different path during the second year of working towards her Law degree, it became clear that it might not be as set in stone. A few years down the line, the pandemic and a furlough gave Sinead the opportunity to look at how to re-enter the legal profession. Sinead used a difficult and insecure time to take the leap back into her dream legal role, and she has continued to take steps to progress ever since.

Can you tell us how you originally entered the legal profession?

If a child decides they want to pursue a career in the law, a frequent reaction is Wow! Or Wow! adjacent. And much of that Wow! is based on a well-worn trope – working in the legal profession is something for the “elite”. It is true that there has been a lot of snobbery around the practice of law – both real and perceived – and it is well documented that the traditional legal professions lacked diversity and did not reflect those they were representing.

Being able to manage your workload well makes all the difference in how you perform in your role. Whether you are a new Legal Secretary or someone who has been working in the legal profession for many years, you will need to manage your workload efficiently. Learning this valuable skill enables you to do your job well and avoid becoming overwhelmed.

To be able to manage your workload successfully, it helps to plan and schedule your tasks. There are some very useful apps that can assist you with this. We have listed some of the best ones here:

Microsoft To-do

To bring in 2023, TotallyLegal surveyed over 900 legal professionals to understand the finer details of their working lives, including salaries, bonuses and job satisfaction. The feedback and results revealed an educated and experienced audience covering a range of roles, including the valued Legal PA and Legal Secretary niche.

With over 20 years of experience in the legal sector, Elizabeth Forbes has had a very successful and interesting career. From starting out as a Legal Secretary Temp in a local firm at age 19, she progressed all the way to become a Secretarial Co-ordinator for a large Southeast based firm. Her goal had always been to become a Paralegal. So, when a vacancy for a Trainee Paralegal became available in her department 18 months ago, she knew it would be perfect for her.

We caught up with Elizabeth to hear all about her current role as a Trainee Paralegal and the steps she took to get there. She explained why she chose to do further qualifications with ILSPA to help reach her goal and gave some excellent advice for Legal Secretaries at the start of their career.

Working from home is fast becoming a common feature of the working week for many of us, and in the legal sector, hybrid and remote working bring many benefits for both individuals and law firms.

For a Legal Secretary, increased productivity, enhanced focus and a better work-life balance are just a few of the ways in which home working can help you manage your workload better. However, it can sometimes be difficult to separate work duties from home responsibilities, and you may need to create some structure to help yourself avoid blurring the lines between work mode and relaxation.

Here are some of the best ways to manage your time when working from home.

Create a schedule

SecsintheCity, the UK’s number one specialist job site for PAs, EAs and business support professionals, has published the results of its 2023 salary survey. Over 1,500 professionals detailed the intricate insights of their working lives, shining a light on salaries, bonuses and benefits.

We don’t often come across court decisions concerning trespass, but it is an interesting area of law to delve into. In a way, it is similar to the tort of nuisance but more divided. For example, trespass encompasses trespass to the person (assault and battery), false imprisonment (including wrongful arrest) and trespass to goods and conversion. Trespass and nuisance are often seen banded together, which is much more common, but not so common as the tort of negligence, which is the ‘leader of the pack’, so to speak. Historically, trespass is possibly one of oldest of the torts. Why? Because this tort basically applies to land and, historically, land was the most important of things.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the amount of people working from home has increased from 4.7% to 38%. For many, remote working offers a better work-life balance and greater comfort than working in the office. The trouble is, it can be difficult to access training and development opportunities when working outside of a traditional office environment. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to upskill yourself as a remote legal secretary or PA. Here are three ways to grow your skill set and develop your career.

1. Learn how to use the latest digital communication tools

Whether you are studying, working, or both, a well-focused mind is an essential tool. So, how can you ensure that your brain is working as efficiently as possible? 

Practice mindfulness

"Mindfulness is about focusing attention on the present moment, and practising mindfulness has been shown to rewire the brain so that attention is stronger in everyday life," says Dr Kim Willment, a neuropsychologist from Boston. She recommends taking a moment each day, even if for just a couple of minutes, to sit quietly and refocus your mind. By paying attention to what you are doing and the sensations around you, this small habit helps you to centre yourself and regain clarity.

Train your brain