ILSPA has put together some guidance to help you adapt to the current situation you might be in. If you are working from home, you will find some suggestions on how to work effectively during this time.

Staying Productive

As this may be the first time that you have had to schedule your working day from home, start with getting ready for the day like you would if you were going into the office. Set a morning routine of getting dressed, making your breakfast at a set time and doing whatever else you need to do to be ready for the day ahead.

Confidence in the workplace is a combination of what you know, what you’re willing to learn, and your own internal belief. Focus on developing yourself in all three areas and you will be well on your way to feeling and acting as the confident and dependable professional you know you are. Do it correctly and it can lead to promotions, salary increases, access to new projects, and a better work/life balance.

So how do you do you build your confidence in the workplace? Take a look at our six tips to get you on the right track.

SELF DEVELOPMENT

Ten years ago, the role of a personal assistant was heavily centred around administrative skills – typing, minute taking, diary management and so on. Now, as we enter a new decade, it is safe to say that the role of the PA has evolved along with technology and a shift in working practices.

Today, the duties of a Personal Assistant stretch far beyond admin – they are now taking on more and more responsibility in the lives of their bosses, clients and the companies they work for.

The role of a modern PA is constantly changing, and no one knows it better than PAs themselves. In this article, we highlight some key skills and top tips that will help you excel as a PA in 2020.

Project Management

This month, we will consider how you can go about conducting your own legal research and the approach taken by some lawyers for this common legal task.

Where to research the law

There are two main categories of materials you can consider when researching a legal question:

1. Primary sources of the law

2. Secondary sources

Legal case management systems (CMS) are software programs that are designed to help lawyers and law firms manage their cases. They provide the firm with one central location to store and track all client data. This includes things such as contact information, case notes and documents, appointment scheduling and history, client communications, and billing.

If you are a Legal Secretary working in a law firm, you may find a large part of your work is associated with one of these programs. Programs will differ from firm to firm depending on the company’s specific needs, so rarely are two programs exactly the same, although there will be similarities.

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

Team Secretary – Sherrards

Location: St Albans

Salary: Up to £28,000

Sherrards are looking for a full-time Property Team Secretary to join the team in their St Albans office.

This is an excellent opportunity to join a collaborative team, supporting Partners and Heads of Departments.

View the full job description here:          

https://www.institutelegalsecretaries.com/jobs/candidate/job/171257/

Legal Secretary Immigration – David T Wade & Co 

Location: London

Salary: £18,000

As the cost of the services of a talented Solicitor or Barrister skyrockets, and a reduction in legal aid continues, fewer consumers are finding that they can afford costly legal services. They are searching for an alternative.

Paralegals are emerging as that alternative, but the profession still remains an unknown quantity to all but the professional Paralegals themselves, particularly in the eyes of qualified lawyers, who believe Paralegals are simply “would-be Solicitors”.

ILSPA Members are now eligible to receive a 20% discount on our Advanced Single Subject Legal Courses. This was previously available only to our Legal Secretaries Diploma graduates.

Many of ILSPA’s Members work in specific legal departments such as litigation or family law. Being able to advance your knowledge and skills in the area you work in will not only help you perform better in your role, but it will also show your employers that you are dedicated to your job.

If you are working in a certain area of law at the moment and you would like a change, that’s another good reason to study one of our advanced-level courses. You can acquire the knowledge and skills you need to make the move to another department or firm.

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

Corporate Commercial Legal Secretary – Blue Pelican

Location: Kent

Salary: £23,000 - £25,000

Blue Pelican are looking to recruit a Legal Secretary with experience in the corporate or commercial sectors. The firm are really striving to find someone who is forward thinking and who is a problem solver.

View the full job description here:           

https://www.institutelegalsecretaries.com/jobs/candidate/job/168574/

Part Time Legal Secretary – Sacco Mann 

Location: Leeds

Salary: £20,000 - £23,000 FTE

This month we will review what information a property seller should disclose as part of a conveyancing transaction and consider a recent case where a seller has been accused of misleading a buyer by saying nothing.

The starting point in any sale of land is to apply the contractual principle of caveat emptor or buyer beware. However, in practice it is rarely this simple. As part of a normal conveyancing transaction, a seller would complete a property information form in order to give a buyer detailed information about a property. The form has several versions, which cover sales of freeholds, leaseholds and new build residential properties. All of these forms have been designed by the Law Society as part of the national conveyancing protocol used in the majority of transactions in England and Wales.