As the legal profession is one that benefits from clear communication, it is surprising how the language used by lawyers can sometimes be confusing. This may in part be because of the liberal use of legal jargon. In this article we will consider some common terminology used by the profession and look at what some lawyers have done to improve how they communicate. 

Let us start with a quote from a Professor of Law, Joseph Kimble, about why complicated writing persists in the modern legal profession: 

“Legalese persists for a lot of bad reasons – habit, inertia, fear of change, the overwhelming influence of poorly written opinions and forms, false notions of prestige, and any number of myths about plain language...” 

The New Year has arrived again, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank all our Students and Members for being part of ILSPA. 2020 may have been an unusual year, but it was also very productive here at the Institute. Along with many other achievements, we launched our Live Online Classes, which enabled more Students to have access to our classes from the comfort of their own homes. Our Legal Secretary Jobs Board has continued to be busy, and our CV team have been working closely with Graduates and Members to help them find their next roles. We have continued to strengthen the relationships with our Partners, which has enabled us to provide excellent resources, discounts and opportunities for the ILSPA community. 

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

Legal Secretary – Private Client – ENL

Location: West Midlands

Salary: £19,000 - £23,000

ENL is currently seeking an experienced Legal Secretary to join a busy and thriving, Lexcel law firm. The successful Legal Secretary, will be working as part of a successful and growing private client department. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who has experience working within wills, trust and probate and wants to join a friendly and well-established team.

View the full job description here:           

https://www.institutelegalsecretaries.com/jobs/candidate/job/174188/

It is looking increasingly likely that many of us will be working from home until at least Spring 2021. What’s more, 93% of respondents who took part in our recent working from home survey agree that they would like the opportunity to regularly work remotely once office work resumes.

Although working from the sofa or in our bedrooms was great in the beginning, the novelty of this is rapidly wearing off. We’re starting to realise that we need a working set-up with more longevity in order to increase productivity, improve comfort and avoid injury when working from home. With remote working becoming the new norm, it’s time to look at how we can improve our home workspace in order to work more effectively from home.

If you regularly read our journal, you will have probably heard us use the term study schedule before. The benefits of organising your study time so that you stay on track are pretty obvious. Study schedules help you stay on top of your workload, avoid stress and help you meet targets. They also help you fit studying around your other commitments and allow you to have regular down-time to recharge, without falling behind. These things are all important to ensure that you study effectively and do the best you possibly can in your qualification. 

But how do you create a study schedule? Here are some steps for creating a schedule that will work for you. 

Work backwards

If you are not sure where to start your learning journey, then I suggest you ask yourself what role you want to be in three to five years’ time. What industry do you see yourself in? What new responsibilities would you like? What does your future role look like?  It could be that you are in the same role, but you want to be more confident and be operating at a higher level.  Having an idea of what you want your career to look like in the future will help shape a career plan and focus your learning to achieve these objectives. 

There are two main areas where you may want to focus your learning and development:

Legal mental health charity LawCare has announced a new groundbreaking research study “Life in the Law”.  

On Thursday 12 November 2020, SecsintheCity, the UK’s only dedicated job site for business support professionals, hosted its annual PA of the Year Awards. Now in its ninth consecutive year, the Awards are an iconic celebration of the essential role that Personal Assistants, Executive Assistants and Office Managers provide to the companies and individuals they work for. 

Sarah EL-Doori, Marketing Director of Reach Work and PA of the Year Awards judge, explains that “the aim of the Awards is to champion the profession and acknowledge the significant contribution that PAs and EAs make, especially in these immensely challenging times.” 

As the professional body for Legal Secretaries and PAs in the UK, ILSPA provides courses which are based on the English Legal System. However, one of the fascinating things about law and the legal sector in general is the variation between different legal systems and how they operate around the world. 

ILSPA’s partner, Simply Law Jobs, recently caught up with Russell Michelson from Jezic & Moyse to discover the five critical differences between the legal systems in the USA and the UK:

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

Legal Secretary – Wills & Probate – Campbell Hooper & Co LLP

Location: Sunningdale, Berkshire

Salary: Competitive

An opportunity has arisen for an experienced legal secretary, with a background in wills and probate, to join a friendly and flexible firm on the Berkshire/Surrey borders.

The position would involve supporting and assisting the wills, probate and conveyancing partner in all aspects of their work including wills, powers of attorney, probate, administration of estates and conveyancing.

View the full job description here: