This month ILSPA has the pleasure of catching up with a former student of ours, Melinda Toth. Melinda enrolled for our Legal Secretaries Diploma course last year and after successfully completing her qualification in early 2018, went on to secure her very first Legal Secretary role not long after with MW Solicitors.

On 8 November, the 7th annual PA of the Year awards took place at the prestigious Ivy Restaurant in London. Hosted by SecsintheCity – the UK’s only job site dedicated to Personal and Executive Assistants – the ceremony recognises and champions the very best talent and achievements in the industry.

Chelsey Newsom, manager and specialist legal recruiter at Sellick Partnership, provides the inside scoop on how to make recruitment consultants love your CV.

Imagine receiving 100 applications for a job vacancy, and having to read the CV and cover letter attached to each. Sound exhausting? Welcome to the world of the legal recruiter!

As you progress your career as Legal PA and start to work with more senior fee earners, you may find yourself faced with the prospect of working for a Partner who is notorious for being “difficult”.

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

Legal Secretary – Stone King LLP   

Location: Bath

Salary: Competitive  

The Mountbatten Program has opportunities in New York for graduates and young professionals, beginning in March 2019.

Since starting her legal career as an Administrative Assistant at a well-known global law firm over 15 years ago, Michelle Clarke has progressed to the point where she is now working as a Fee Earner in her current firm, Land Law LLP.

Social media, with its ever-growing popularity, is fast becoming an important part of the job-hunting process for both job seekers and recruiters. Job seekers can use social media platforms to search for opportunities and to research companies they are interested in working for. Recruiters can use social media to track down suitable candidates and reach out to them.

This month we are examining the impact of a June 2018 ruling by the Supreme Court on the state of relationships in Britain. More to the point, we are considering how the ruling could lead to a change in the law on civil partnerships.

Deciding to embark on a career as a Legal Secretary can be a very exciting process, filled with myriad emotions. Alongside undeniable enthusiasm, it is perfectly normal to feel slight trepidation when writing out your first CV and coming to the conclusion that you have no experience in the position you are hoping to land.