2007

It is not unusual these days for people to use “bad” language, personal insults and belittling phrases when they are frustrated, under pressure themselves, or don’t feel things are being done quickly enough. This especially happens at the telephone where a caller’s verbal attack can be highly offensive and may overstep acceptable and manageable boundaries of anger. So here are the top ten tips for handling verbal aggression on the telephone:

If you are intending to do more than just browse through the job adverts in the paper or the employment agencies’ websites and you really feel motivated to find a new job, then you need an effective plan and ten top tips for success in your job search.

Review of the recent changes to Inheritance Tax and granting of Powers of Attorney

This Autumn has brought two major changes to the area of Wills and Probate.

The Couples Allowance

The New Year will shortly be upon us, bringing with it the chance to make some great resolutions and to not break them for once. It always seems to happen, you come up with a great list:

The importance of good client care in helping to ensure your firm’s bills are paid.

“Anybody who thinks talk is cheap should get some legal advice” - Franklin P. Jones

Investing in and developing yourself

One of e-mail’s greatest benefits is that you can communicate quickly and easily with just about anybody. However, one of its biggest challenges is that we think we can write quickly and easily without checking. As a result, our e-mail is often badly composed, too long or too brief, contains spelling and grammatical errors and even goes to the wrong person if we pressed the wrong button too quickly!

How to build a productive and mutually beneficial relationship with your manager

Your manager is the single biggest factor in determining whether your working life is a joy or a misery. It is often said that people do not quit organisations, they quit bosses.

Witnessing and Execution of Wills - How to avoid disappointing the beneficiaries

In the second of a series of articles which look at best practice tips we will consider how simple administrative errors in the witnessing and execution of Wills can give rise to negligence claims against legal practices.

Witnessing a Will

The ever-increasing rate of technological advances means that we can access information and communicate with each other at the touch of a button, 24 hours a day. This round-theclock and remote or online access opens up a world of possibilities for those of us involved in a full-time career, who perhaps want to expand our skill set, enhance our ability to perform in a current role or are thinking of starting our own business.

In a perfect world, people would judge us by results and the quality of our work. However, life isn't perfect. People who work hard and are loyal can be overlooked for promotion or pay rises – while those doing a good PR job on themselves tend to be thanked and appreciated more often.

So here are the top ten tips to get yourself noticed:

The secretarial role is constantly evolving and will continue to do so. Ratios are changing fast, while technology and PC-literate managers are making in-roads into the traditional tasks of a secretary. Keeping up to date with technology is vital although it is probably the easy bit. The harder part is developing the role so that you are more valuable: this requires thought, determination and planning. So here are the top ten tips to help you do this:

We all have things that we want from our work. It maybe a promotion, more job satisfaction or just getting on better with the person at the next desk. Some people achieve job satisfaction without seeming to put in much effort. Their secret is that they have developed several key personal skills that help them to get what they want. In this article we will consider two of the most important skills that will help you to manage your career.

We have probably answered the telephone hundreds, or even thousands, of times so far in our working lives and this may mean we have adopted many bad habits, even answering the telephone on "autopilot". (If you have ever answered your home telephone as if you were at work, you're on autopilot!) So review your behaviour against the following top ten tips, and resolve to change any of your inappropriate habits.

1. Breathe before you answer. This may sound obvious perhaps, but you'd be surprised at how many people answer their telephone in a rush and so create a negative first impression.

From heated discussions with your partner about whose turn it is to do the washing up, to salary reviews with your employer the ability to negotiate is a skill relevant to most areas of our lives. Negotiation is the process of bargaining to reach a deal, but what makes a good negotiator? Often we are so closely involved in day-to-day negotiations that we can not see the wood for the trees.

Key skills of a good negotiator

Family heirlooms - How to avoid disappointing the beneficiaries

Your CV is the first chance you get to make a good impression on a potential employer. A top-quality CV will considerably boost your chance of getting a face-to-face interview, so it is worth spending time and effort on the content and presentation. It will make all the difference in obtaining the position you want. You must therefore highlight your skills, expertise and value.

Whatever stage you are at in your career it is essential to be aware of your potential in order to live your dreams and have a fulfilling life.

I have worked in offices for quite a number of years, starting in the 1960's! I have seen quite a number of changes over the years, particularly with machinery.... now this will really show my age!

Then

Typewriter
Stencil Machine
Telex Machine
Hand Delivery or Royal Mail Post

Now

The long awaited reform of company law was finally ushered in when the Company Law Reform Bill received Royal assent on 8 November 2006 becoming The Companies Act 2006. At 1300 sections it can boast of being the largest Act that Parliament has ever passed!

A blow for clarity within the criminal law has finally been struck by the Fraud Act 2006. This came into force on January 15 2007, heralding sweeping reform of offences that previously stood under The Theft Act’s 1968 and 1978.