When we are passionate about our careers we naturally look into ways of improving our practice. Continuing professional development is a process which encourages that improvement and is widely recognised as an integral part of professional progression. Through continuing professional development we can advance, refine and reflect on the work that we do, encouraging more effective practice and greater rewards in the future. It is a self-directed and ongoing process which allows the individual to become empowered to take charge of their career and steer it in the direction they want it to go.

Have you ever wished you could remember all the new names, faces, numbers, addresses, images and tasks that you come across every day of your life? Imagine the time saved and embarrassing moments spared if you could remember every detail of every day. Unfortunately, experts agree that a perfect photographic memory is a thing of fiction. This is not to say that you cannot allow yourself to have a brilliant memory, it just means that, like all things worth achieving, having a good memory will take a bit of practice.

Fortunately for us, people have been practicing methods for improving their memories since classical times, so we have a good 2,000 years of experience to guide us. These years of exploration have proven that in order to grow a good memory we need to create the right conditions, just like growing good vegetables! You can do this by practicing the following:

ILSPA’s Legal Secretary Jobs Board specialises in Legal Secretary jobs throughout the UK. The aim of the Jobs Board is to bring legal recruiters and top-quality candidates together, helping them to achieve their goals. ILSPA’s Members and Students are prime candidates for Legal Secretary and PA roles, as they have the knowledge, skills or experience employers are looking for. 

Whether you are new to the Jobs Board or are an existing candidate, it is vitally important that your profile contains up-to-date information. If certain information is missing, you may be prevented from securing employment or appearing within our candidate database for recruiters to search.

This month we are examining the impact of a recent Court of Appeal decision on the divorce petition of Mrs Tini Owens. The Court of Appeal have, in refusing Mrs Owens’ divorce petition, buried the possibility of a couple divorcing on a no fault basis.

England and Wales, unlike many other legal jurisdictions, require one party in a divorce to prove the other was at “fault”. When couples apply for a divorce, they must prove that the marriage has “irretrievably broken down” (Matrimonial Causes Act 1973). To show this breakdown, a party has to give one of five reasons: 

•    adultery
•    unreasonable behaviour
•    desertion 
•    separation of two years with consent
•    separation of five years without consent

Roman Law is the legal system invented by the Romans more than 2,000 years ago. Having undergone the process of transformation and reinterpretation, Roman Law continues to influence legal thinking and legal practice to this day.

England has not adopted Roman Law as the other countries in Europe have. In England, ancient Roman texts were never considered as rules having the force of law. However, Roman Law was taught at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge and had a considerable influence on the development of certain areas of law. Some substantive rules, and more importantly, concepts of reasoning based on the Roman legal tradition, influenced the English legal system.

As we progress through the technological age, different elements of our daily lives progress with it. Procedures that were once traditional and mechanical have become modified, reconstructed and updated, and processes that took days, even weeks, can happen in a matter of seconds. The world of employment has not been immune to this evolution and continues to be significantly affected by the ongoing expansion of the modern age. It is important that we, as members of the 21st century, keep up to date with any changes in communication that may affect us so that we don’t miss any valuable opportunities. Professionals seeking employment, making connections, initiating introductions and carrying out referrals is nothing new in business. However, with the advent of social networking, the methods we use to make these connections has changed. LinkedIn is a website that is part of that change.

If you are currently studying the Legal Secretaries Diploma course and have studied the Wills, Probate and Administration module, you will be familiar with the fact that inheritance tax is not currently payable on estates below the “nil rate band”. The nil rate band (NRB) is currently set at £325,000, meaning that for any estate over this figure, tax is payable on the difference at the rate of 40%. 

However, as of 6 April 2017, a change to this law has come into effect.

How Making a Small Change Can Make a Big Difference

Changing landscape

Gone are the days of the 1-to-1 or 1-to-3 ratio of Secretaries to Fee Earners. We’re now more likely to see 1-to-7 or even 1-to-10, and barely a week goes by without a firm announcing the centralisation of support resources, or support restructuring. 

The role of support services is constantly changing, as is often seen in drives for efficiency of back office support, specialist support teams, lower cost locations, outsourcing, in-sourcing, near-shoring … there’s a lot of change! 

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

Legal Secretaries – Setfords Solicitors
Location: Guildford, Surrey
Salary: £28,000 per annum

Setfords Solicitors are looking for Legal Secretaries to join their team in Guildford, Surrey.

The successful candidates will either be qualified Legal Secretaries or currently undertaking a Legal Secretary qualification. They will be hard working with a can do attitude.

Experience of working within a law firm would be a bonus but not essential as full training will be provided.

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

Legal Secretary – Clinical Negligence – Leigh Day
Location: London
Salary: Competitive

Leigh Day is seeking a Legal Secretary to assist a Partner and the team within their Clinical Negligence department. The successful applicant will hold a responsible position providing secretarial and litigation support to the Partner.

You will be reliable, organised and have fast and accurate typing skills together with excellent administrative skills. The ideal candidate will be computer literate with up-to-date word and excel skills, together with good standard of spoken and written English.