Taking Control in Litigation: A Review of Legal Costs

Taking control in LitigationWe last considered the subject of costs in an article published in November 2007. At that time, we considered what requirements had to be followed by a firm to ensure that they were complying with the (then new) Solicitors’ Code of Conduct 2007. The most important part of the Code for costs is the rules that require clients to be given clear and accurate cost quotes and estimates. Most law-firm staff will have come to grips with the Code long ago, but new changes are pending that will further regulate this area of legal costs.   These changes are based on the recommendations of Lord Justice Jackson, who has spent more than a year creating a weighty, 663 page report

Rapid and Effective Reading

How many times have you had to reread the last page or so to catch what you didn’t take in? The best way to learn the skills and to practise them in timed sessions is on our very successful half-day course. You will see amazing results!

In the meantime, and so you don’t just go through the motions", here are ten tips to help you read more quickly and effectively.

How to Find Meaning in Your Work

You have days when there just seems no point to what you’re doing – where it all feels futile or meaningless. Your motivation is low, yet the work still needs to be done.

Whatever your situation, here’s how to find meaning in your work, and to get your motivation back.

Think about your values

What’s truly important to you? Maybe it’s your family, your health, or your career. Maybe it’s simply having the time to enjoy yourself and do things that you love.

Using To-Do List Applications

To Do ListsTo-do lists are a great way of increasing productivity. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the tasks we have to do during the course of a week, but we can eliminate stress by creating achievable goals. If you take the time to write down the tasks you need to complete, you will find that the list will help you to put your workload in perspective and keep the end in sight.

Here are some tips on creating to-do lists to make your workload more manageable:

1. Be realistic. Set achievable outcomes for each day and don’t put too much on your list.

Speak Volumes Silently

Speak Volumes SilentlyHave you ever been told you can be ‘read like a book’? Are you aware when your body language is ‘leaking’, or giving you away? Words are only a very small part of communication: while you are saying the words, your body is speaking volumes! Sometimes, you don’t even have to say anything: your face or body language will have said it for you! So, if you want to make sure you send all your messages in the way you intend them, here are the top ten tips to help you:

Writing Understandable Minutes

Writing MinutesMost people do not read minutes particularly carefully. They were either at the meeting and so only need a quick reminder of the discussions and action points or they were not there and therefore just need an overview and, once again, action points. So it is essential that the minutes can be skim-read and understood at first reading. Here are the top 10 tips to make your minutes understandable:

Succeed With Your Studies

Excellent.jpgThere are times when it can be hard to focus on your studies. Sometimes the subject material might be particularly challenging, or sometimes there are unwelcome distractions or activities which appear to be more appealing than studying. It could be that it is simply not easy to concentrate at times. But you want to complete the course and do well, and you want to be able to look back after completing the course and know with a sense of satisfaction that you have achieved your best. So how can you best build and maintain that focus?

Have a really clear goal and remind yourself of it

Register on Our Legal Secretary Jobs Board

Legal Secretary Jobs BoardThe ILSPA Legal Secretary Jobs Board is the UK’s largest niche recruitment site for Legal Secretaries and PAs. It was specifically designed to help our Members and Students secure employment by aggregating Legal Secretary jobs from across the web as well as enabling law firms and recruitment agencies to post jobs directly. If you are presently looking for a Legal Secretary job, register on our jobs board to gain access to around 2,000 vacancies across the UK. 

Registering on the jobs board will allow you to: