Michelle Gager from Career Legal had the opportunity to gain valuable insight into the world of job sharing at global law firm Allen & Overy. She interviewed Jane Templeman and Joanne Mackay, who started their careers as Legal PAs and now job share as Group Managers in Litigation & Tax. Jane and Joanne are a great inspiration to ILSPA’s Students and Members. When Jane started at Allen & Overy as a Legal PA, she did not have any previous legal experience and learnt on the job. Joanne started the firm as a junior Legal PA and worked her way up.

Jane Templeman – Group Manager in Litigation and Tax at Allen & Overy

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

Corporate Transaction Documentation Support - Scribestar
Location: London/Remote working
Salary: £12 - £14 per hour

Scribestar Limited is recruiting a number of skilled Legal Secretaries on a flexible basis.

The successful candidates will be highly proficient in using word processing packages, be 100% reliable and have excellent written and spoken communication skills. They will also be able to work under pressure, be willing to learn a new processing platform and ideally have document production skills. Candidates must either have experience working within law firms or other corporate environments.

Career advancement is simple to achieve if you put your mind to it and have the right attitude. You need to make sure you stand out from the crowd and are recognised for your worth.

Ensure you’re noticed and credited for work

First and foremost, ensure that you take the credit for any great work you have achieved. Never be shy or humble in this respect or let others take the glory. There are sometimes people who are standing by who will do exactly that! Bring your successes to the attention of your bosses and claim that credit in your next appraisal. Prove to your boss that you actually go above and beyond your standard job description; however, be careful to find the right balance here. No-one likes overtly ambitious employees, as this can come across as arrogance when it is not sufficiently contained.

Advance your knowledge and skills

“Citius, Altius, Fortius”

Dealing with clients can be one of the most challenging aspects of legal practice. Some clients can be patient and appreciative of your work, whilst others can be very hard to satisfy, demanding, stressful and upsetting. Clients may even not pay their fees, complain to the Law Society or sue for negligence if they feel that they have been treated unfairly. 

As a Legal Secretary, part of your job is to make sure that your firm’s clients feel looked after and that they are receiving a good service. There are many different types of clients whom you will come across in your career. Here are a few tips which can help you deal with them.

Understand your role

Almost everybody at some point in their lives has procrastinated in order to avoid doing their work or a task in the vain hope that it might complete itself, or maybe even disappear. Unfortunately for you and me, it never disappears; in fact, it normally gets more and more urgent or difficult to do. The best way out of this cycle is probably not to get into it in the first place.

This month, we are reviewing key aspects of English land law. Students often find land law a difficult subject to study. Part of the reason for this may be because ownership of land in England has its roots in the feudal system established by William the Conqueror after 1066. The modern source of land law is derived from common law, equity, and legislation such as the Law of Property Act 1925 and the Land Registration Act 2002. 

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

Executive Assistant - Owen Reed
Location: London
Salary: £40,000

Owen Reed is recruiting an Executive Assistant for a Magic Circle Law firm in London.

The successful candidate for this role will have experience of working in a similar role at an international Law firm or in professional services role, preferably in a partnership environment. You will also have excellent IT skills, particularly MS Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint, as well as the ability to work under pressure and at times to very tight deadlines with a calm and approachable manner.

In today’s job market, the use of technology is increasingly taking over. Positions that were traditionally held by human beings are being replaced by computers and other forms of technology in the name of efficiency. But this is not true of every position. In fact, the advancement of technology has strengthened some job titles. One of those positions is that of the Legal Secretary. 

When we think of what the role of a Legal Secretary entails, we tend to think of a female in front of a typewriter, transcribing in shorthand. We think about typical secretarial tasks – many of which could easily be replaced with various forms of technology. Interestingly, the ever-advancing technology has made the Legal Secretary a more desirable and in-demand position.

The Professional Paralegal Register (PPR) is proud to announce that the second Paralegal Conference will take place on Thursday, 22 June at Wyboston Lakes, near Bedford. After the success of last year’s conference, this year the conference is entitled “Future-Proofing the Profession” and will hear from an expert panel of speakers as well as the guest keynote speaker, Chief Legal Ombudsman Kathryn Stone. 

This year’s event will cover a range of Paralegal topics that will allow you to receive the most current information within the Paralegal sector and enable you to think more strategically about future-proofing the profession.

As well as a range of guest speakers and a panel session, there are also opportunities to obtain Continuing Professional Development by attending two of the following eight workshops: