It may sound innocent enough, but the interview question about salary expectations is a loaded one. Talking about money is awkward at the best of times, but in an interview situation it can be particularly tricky.

In a nutshell, while honesty is important, it’s better to avoid giving a specific figure. Give one that’s too high and you’ll quote yourself out of the role, too low and you’ll shoot yourself in the foot.

To navigate the question successfully and minimise embarrassment all round, there are a few steps you can take in advance of the interview.

Understand the question

Firstly, you need to know the multitude of reasons interviewers ask this question. The obvious one is “to know the amount they’ll need to pay you”, but it’s not as straightforward as that.

Kathleen Riordan won Legal PA of the Year at SecsintheCity’s PA of the Year Awards 2017. The judges praised Kathleen, as one of her nominations said: she’s “the embodiment of team first, self second, Kathleen works conscientiously and tirelessly, often without recognition, to get the job done.” In this interview, we’ll find out how Kathleen became a Legal PA and what drives her to succeed in the role.

How did you become a PA?

After finishing university and working as a Senior Sales Administrator, I felt that I needed a change and started temping as a PA/secretary. During this time I realised how different and interesting PA roles could be, and I gained a lot of experience during this time which led me to my career as a PA.

If you have studied ILSPA’s Criminal Law Diploma course, you will remember how many obstacles prosecution lawyers must overcome in order to secure a conviction against a defendant. Different offences have varying conditions to satisfy, and this article looks at the test for dishonesty, which is most often applied to cases involving theft and fraud.

The National Association of Licensed Paralegals (NALP) is happy to announce that it is offering ILSPA Legal Secretaries Diploma graduates a 10% discount on enrolments for their Level 4 Diploma in Paralegal Studies.

ILSPA’s Legal Secretaries Diploma course provides Students with a great significant foundation in law and legal procedures. It is a great starting point for a successful legal career, and with the right training, you can go on to work as a Paralegal.

What is the Forfeiture Rule all about? How did it come about? It is based on the fact that it is against the policies of public law to allow convicted murderers to claim an inheritance. The Forfeiture Rule also applies to gifts that have been left in a will for the “criminal” under intestacy rules, as well as to any property belonging to a surviving descendant, and also the benefits of life insurance. The law is designed to stop murderers from benefiting from their crimes – this is known as the Forfeiture Rule.

How did this rule come about?

The Forfeiture Rule comes from the wider Estates of Deceased Persons (Forfeiture Rule and Law of Succession) Act 2011 and impacts children of murderers.

Are you unwittingly scaring off potential employers because of basic social media mistakes?

Social media is a fantastic tool for connecting with people and finding work. It’s no secret that many prospective employers check the social media platforms of potential candidates before offering them interviews. However, it’s all too easy to let yourself down and jeopardise your chances of securing that dream career with a careless status update.

While this seems obvious for professional sites like LinkedIn, the content on your other profiles can also affect your career progression. We’ve put together some social media mistakes to avoid to help boost your chances of getting that next big job.

Choose an appropriate photo

What is the duty of care that a police force owes to the citizens they protect? Should the police be liable if they fail to detect a crime? What if the police fail to act and this causes an injury? Do the police have a duty to protect victims or witnesses of crime? What if the police give a firearm to an officer who is unstable? The answer to all these questions for the most part has been that the police have no duty of care. In other words, any of these failures could happen and it would be difficult or impossible to bring a claim for compensation. That has been the case up to now, but change seems likely to follow after a Supreme Court judgment in February. The law that has changed relates to policy factors and when it is fair, just and reasonable for a duty of care to be owed.

We are delighted to announce that one of our Students recently passed the Legal Secretaries Diploma course with a Distinction of 99%. Alison Carter lives in Dorset and studied the course online through distance learning. Not only did she achieve a fantastic result, but she also showed great commitment and completed the course in just 10 weeks.

Alison gained an excellent understanding of the law and proved that she has great attention to detail and a high level of accuracy when producing legal documentation. It is no easy feat to achieve such a high score for the course and it shows that Alison has particular aptitude in the field.

After a painstaking job search, you’ve enjoyed a run of positive interviews with prospective employers. Finally, you receive a job offer! Before you’ve even had time to consider it, you receive another. Most would agree that this scenario presents the most desirable dilemma of them all: in a competitive jobs market, you’ve managed to garner the interest of not one but two firms. Now all you have to do is choose one. It seems simple on the surface, but the more you weigh up your options, the further away from a decision you feel.

If you’re currently deliberating between two job offers, the following tips should help to guide you towards the right decision.

Determine your priorities

Criminal Law is extremely interesting and as with many areas of law, it continually evolves to reflect the morals and ethical standards of society.