Legal Secretaries help Lawyers with their work and are an integral part of a team of legal professionals. One of the most important relationships Lawyers develop in their professional working lives is with their Secretary, so it is beneficial to be of as much assistance as possible to optimise their performance.

Legal Secretaries must have knowledge of law and legal procedures. You must understand not only how to perform certain tasks but also the reason for doing them. When entering the profession it is essential to have studied a course such as ILSPA’s Legal Secretaries Diploma, or if you are an experienced Legal Secretary, it is important to undertake professional development so that you are continually advancing your knowledge and skills.

A question that we are commonly asked here at ILSPA is how much time is needed to complete one of our courses. People want – or, probably more accurately, need – to know the study time required for their desired course before they embark on it. That way they know they are able to commit to the work needed to gain their qualification. However, establishing the time required is just the first step. Here is our guide to finding the time to manage your course along with your other commitments.

Set yourself a time frame and create a timetable

Traditionally the beating heart of the legal sector, London was once seen as the number one location when looking for a top legal job. But with steep rents and the increase in regional demand across the country, London isn’t the centre of the legal universe anymore.

As recently as five years ago, the vast majority of employers were based in the capital, with only smaller, independent firms having a physical presence in the wider regions of this country. So why has this shift taken place?

The cost

SecsintheCity have just launched their 7th annual PA of the Year Awards, championing the business-critical contribution that PAs and EAs make to the organisations they work for.

If you’re a talented PA or EA, or work with someone who you think should be recognised, submit your nomination today.

Click here to nominate yourself or a colleague.

Why enter?

Winning Legal PA of the Year is recognition of your hard work and a career highlight not to be missed.

There are fantastic prizes to be won, and the winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at The Ivy, London, on Thursday 8th November.

By Maudie Powell-Tuck and Becky Kells, AllAboutLaw

Where should I begin?

A good start is deciding what kind of work experience you actually want to get. There are thousands of law firms and legal organisations in the UK, so you’ve got to figure out which ones interest you. 

Perhaps the best way to do this is to decide on an area of law to explore. You could pick a specialist firm or organisation, or alternatively, you could go for a place that practises law more generally.

The Law Society has a really useful tool which lets you search for solicitors by geographical location and area of law. This is an invaluable way of finding out about the firms near you that have practices in areas of law that interest you.

It may sound innocent enough, but the interview question about salary expectations is a loaded one. Talking about money is awkward at the best of times, but in an interview situation it can be particularly tricky.

In a nutshell, while honesty is important, it’s better to avoid giving a specific figure. Give one that’s too high and you’ll quote yourself out of the role, too low and you’ll shoot yourself in the foot.

To navigate the question successfully and minimise embarrassment all round, there are a few steps you can take in advance of the interview.

Understand the question

Firstly, you need to know the multitude of reasons interviewers ask this question. The obvious one is “to know the amount they’ll need to pay you”, but it’s not as straightforward as that.

Kathleen Riordan won Legal PA of the Year at SecsintheCity’s PA of the Year Awards 2017. The judges praised Kathleen, as one of her nominations said: she’s “the embodiment of team first, self second, Kathleen works conscientiously and tirelessly, often without recognition, to get the job done.” In this interview, we’ll find out how Kathleen became a Legal PA and what drives her to succeed in the role.

How did you become a PA?

After finishing university and working as a Senior Sales Administrator, I felt that I needed a change and started temping as a PA/secretary. During this time I realised how different and interesting PA roles could be, and I gained a lot of experience during this time which led me to my career as a PA.

If you have studied ILSPA’s Criminal Law Diploma course, you will remember how many obstacles prosecution lawyers must overcome in order to secure a conviction against a defendant. Different offences have varying conditions to satisfy, and this article looks at the test for dishonesty, which is most often applied to cases involving theft and fraud.

The National Association of Licensed Paralegals (NALP) is happy to announce that it is offering ILSPA Legal Secretaries Diploma graduates a 10% discount on enrolments for their Level 4 Diploma in Paralegal Studies.

ILSPA’s Legal Secretaries Diploma course provides Students with a great significant foundation in law and legal procedures. It is a great starting point for a successful legal career, and with the right training, you can go on to work as a Paralegal.

What is the Forfeiture Rule all about? How did it come about? It is based on the fact that it is against the policies of public law to allow convicted murderers to claim an inheritance. The Forfeiture Rule also applies to gifts that have been left in a will for the “criminal” under intestacy rules, as well as to any property belonging to a surviving descendant, and also the benefits of life insurance. The law is designed to stop murderers from benefiting from their crimes – this is known as the Forfeiture Rule.

How did this rule come about?

The Forfeiture Rule comes from the wider Estates of Deceased Persons (Forfeiture Rule and Law of Succession) Act 2011 and impacts children of murderers.