As a law degree student at the University of Sussex, Evelina Tarabuta has a keen interest and in-depth knowledge of law. When seeing how competitive the job market was for law graduates, she realised that she needed something to give her some practical experience, and make her stand out in the crowd. So, after some research, Evelina chose to study ILSPA’s Legal Secretaries Diploma. Her career has gone from strength to strength since qualifying. She has started her own business and now offers legal services to a range of clients.

We spoke to Evelina about her company, her pro-bono work and her future plans.

What were you doing before studying with ILSPA?

How many emails do you have in your inbox right now? 20? 50? More than 100? If your number is anything higher than zero, I have some tips for you!

For most admins, email is a major pain point. In the time it takes you to read one email, three more pop up. Add that to all your other administrative duties, and the thought of a clean inbox seems almost laughable. But these simple strategies can make inbox zero a reality!

Change your mindset

Think of your inbox as a processing facility rather than a warehouse. The “package” (the email, in this case) is sent to the “facility” (your inbox) to be dealt with, not stored indefinitely.

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

Legal PA – French Speaking – Tay Associates Limited

Location: City of London

Salary: £43,000-£45,000

If you are a French speaking Legal PA looking for an enjoyable and collaborative working environment, this is the role for you. A well-respected, full service, legal firm in The City of London are looking for a French speaking Legal PA to support a new Partner.

View the full job description here:           

https://www.institutelegalsecretaries.com/jobs/candidate/job/185131/

Legal Secretary – LR Legal  

Location: Guildford

Salary: £28,000  

Whether you are studying one of ILSPA's courses or working in a law firm, note taking is a significant part of a Legal Secretary’s role whatever stage you are at in your career. Efficient note taking can save you time, help your understanding and memory, and keep you organised.

Here are ILSPA’s top 10 tips for note taking.

1. Find the format that works for you when taking notes so that it becomes natural and easy, whether it’s bullet points, annotations around text, short sentences, colour-coding or creating mind maps. Having your notes in a clear and relatable format will speed up your note taking and also help you find information again when you need to return to it.

If you tend to procrastinate on certain projects, one reason could be that you haven’t created a victory in your mind first.

When you think about a project that isn’t advancing very well, consider these questions:

• Do you have a clear vision of what success for this project looks like?

• Can you see your desired end result clearly in your mind’s eye, like you’re recalling a vivid memory?

• Is the path forward relatively clear, from start to finish?

• Can you visualise the key action steps to bring the project to completion?

• Have you firmly decided to do the project now (as in this week, this month or this quarter)?

There are many reasons why someone should write a Will, but one of the less obvious is to ensure that digital (as well as physical) assets are dealt with correctly.

This year, the UK is hosting the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26). It is taking place from 31 October to 12 November in Glasgow. The conference will bring together world leaders, climate experts, activists and campaigners through talks on climate change. Agreements will be made between different parties as to how to tackle the escalating crises. Hopefully positive ones!

The goals of COP26 are to:

Reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050

Countries must aim to significantly reduce their carbon emissions by 2030 and then reduce them further to net zero by 2050. This can be done by:

• Phasing out coal

• Stopping deforestation

• Switching to electric vehicles

As an ILSPA Member, you have the opportunity to be recognised for the professional development that you undertake in your career. One of our aims is to provide our members with professional recognition for the quality of their knowledge and skills, therefore we actively encourage professional development through our CPD programme and our Legal Secretary Journal. ILSPA believes that it is essential for Legal Secretaries and PAs to develop their professional expertise in order to be successful in their roles.

Lay-offs happen. Executives leave companies and can’t take their admins. Companies reorganise.

All these situations may sound like nightmares to an admin. But they don’t have to be career killers. If you’re in between jobs, companies or even careers, these five things can help you stay relevant to the admin profession.

1. Temp

One of the best things you can do if you’re out of work is to go to a temporary staffing agency. Temping helps you keep your skills active and develop new ones, too. Think of it as a paid job interview – the people you’re working with get to see what your skills are and you get to try out the company to see if it’s a good fit.

2. Take classes

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

Private Client Secretarial Assistant – Neves Solicitors LLP

Location: Harpenden, Hertfordshire

Salary: £24,000-£26,000 (DOE)

Neves Solicitors LLP is looking to recruit a Secretarial Assistant for their Private Client team. It is a busy role providing support and assistance to a team of three Private Client solicitors, so this role requires a highly organised individual with the ability to multi-task, prioritise duties and remain calm under pressure.

View the full job description here:           

https://www.institutelegalsecretaries.com/jobs/candidate/job/181900/