Top London law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has been running a trainee Legal Secretary (TLS) scheme for over 10 years with a fantastic success rate. The last five years alone have seen 100% retention, with all the programme’s trainee Legal Secretaries securing permanent secretarial positions within the firm.

In front of an enthusiastic crowd of more than 200 attending the first national awards ceremony dedicated to legal services support staff, Angela Dyos from Clifford Chance was named 2012 Legal PA of the Year.

Angela, still a little dazed after receiving her award, said; I can't believe I have won. I have never done anything like this before. It has taken me out my comfort zone, as I have been with the same company for 18 years. It has been so rewarding.

The awards ceremony, organised by recruitment specialists Strictly Legal, took place at McQueen in London on Wednesday 14 November. Representatives from more than 30 law firms were eager to discover who, from the hundreds of entries received from across the UK, had won awards in the four categories.

A topic that has been in the news a lot recently is the question of whether prisoners should be allowed to vote in the UK. The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that preventing prisoners from voting essentially denies them their human rights and is therefore against the law. In our society, there is a variety of opinions on this matter, and while Prime Minister David Cameron is vehemently opposed to the idea, Parliament is set to debate this question and make a ruling. 

So, what is the answer to this question? Should all prisoners have a blanket right to vote, or should everyone in prison be equally denied the opportunity to vote? Or is there another solution, whereby the right to vote is dependent on the nature of the prison sentence, with certain prisoners – depending on their crime and sentence – given the right to vote? 

On Wednesday 14 November, ILSPA co-sponsored and attended the Legal PA of the Year Awards 2012, which was hosted by Strictly Legal – a globally operating recruitment agency based in London. The awards ceremony took place at McQueen in Shoreditch, which won an award itself for being London’s best bar in 2010. Representatives from more than 30 law firms attended the event, and there was a wonderful array of legal professionals eagerly anticipating who, from hundreds of entries across the UK, had won the awards.

The awards comprised of four categories – Legal PA of the Year, Up and Coming Legal PA of the Year, Secretarial/PA Manager of the Year and Document Production Operator of the Year. The atmosphere as the finalists and winners were announced by Paul Kelly, Director at Strictly Legal, was exciting and fun.  

Education does not lie outside society. One can learn from life experiences, whether you are learning physics, mathematics, music, art, the social sciences, law or any other subject. We live in a time when information is more accessible than ever before, and using this to your advantage is an important and useful study skill. 

When it comes to law, current affairs, news and social trends can be an extremely useful source of learning about the subject. You can learn a lot about current trends in legal practice simply by keeping your finger on the pulse of society and following news stories via different media sources. This can not only be a useful learning tool, but will enhance your Legal Secretary career. 

 “King’s letters could be musings of a mad man” read the headline in Monday’s Metro (19 November 2012). 

What followed was a story describing how scientists at the University of London will attempt to analyse the letters of King George III using technology to look for patterns of words that might give some indication as to his state of mind at the time of writing. The idea of looking for relationships between words struck me as a familiar one.

 “Making a will is something everyone should do. It is one of the most important actions that individuals take. We should be able to have confidence in those who advise and draft documents for us.” This advice came earlier this year from Mr David Edmonds, Chairman of the Legal Services Board (LSB). The LSB is the new ‘super regulator’ for all lawyers in England and Wales, including Solicitors,  so when its Chairman speaks, those in legal practice should listen. 

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.