The Paralegal’s Greatest Asset is the Legal Secretary
When a paralegal first joins a firm, it is natural for the paralegal to look up to the lawyer as the mentor. After a few days, the paralegal soon learns that the nearest and most accessible mentor is his secretary.
Because the secretary is hidden behind the computer with a dangly headset, sandwiched between the file cabinets, do not think that this person is a mechanic. Not true. Given a few years’ experience, the legal secretary probably knows more about what goes on around the office than anyone else. Ask any lawyer. The legal secretary is the core of the law firm and not easily impressed by the briefcase-toting paralegal. Many offices are fortunate to have secretaries with ten or more years’ experience. Paralegals will learn from the legal secretary’s valuable expertise if they are smart.

There are very few jobs that are as interesting and varied as working in criminal law. Whether this is by way of working as a Legal Secretary who specialises in this area of law or as a defending Solicitor or through The Crown Prosecution Service, there are many avenues allowing one to follow criminal law as a career path. If you have never studied law before or have but wish to pursue this branch of the legal system more intently, this article may well be for you.
Branding, according to Scott Bedbury, is the sum total of everything a company does, including the good, the bad and even the off strategy, that creates a context or an identity in a consumer’s mind. Personal branding is therefore the creation of an asset that pertains to a particular person or individual, including but not limited to the body, clothing, appearance and knowledge contained within, leading to an indelible impression that is uniquely distinguishable. This ultimately means that a brand is not a product but a promise and mark of trust
In recent times, I have read with rapt attention scores of articles on the title mania sweeping across professions today. Whilst many are feeling very uncomfortable being addressed as Secretaries, Legal Secretaries or Personal Assistants, many have since changed their job titles to Executive Assistant, Legal Assistant, Administrative Assistant, Corporate Assistant, Administrative Executive, etc. Ironically, this is not limited to the Secretarial profession; top management staff in some organisations, globally, now prefer to go by titles such as Executive Chairman, Group Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Executive Director, Chief Financial Controller, etc., even when such titles sometimes do not match the holders’ job functions. Also, government officials/politicians, e.g.
As a Secretary with the European Institutions you can pursue a fascinating future and help them make a difference for 500 million European citizens. Working alongside colleagues of every nationality in the heart of Europe, you will be vital to everything they do and you can expect a challenging international work environment and a career full of opportunities.
We spend a large proportion of our weekday lives working, but how much time do we spend on checking that our job and office environment is working for us? Here are some of the basics. You might find it useful to run an audit to check whether you can make or influence any improvements.
You have days when there just seems no point to what you’re doing – where it all feels futile or meaningless. Your motivation is low, yet the work still needs to be done.
We’re all guilty of either saying or thinking this once or twice in our careers (present company included). The boss asks us to perform a task that we feel is a bit ‘beneath’ us and the phrase magically pops into our brain. However, what happens when the thought becomes an attitude, and how much truth is there in the comment in the first place?
The ILSPA Legal Secretary Jobs Board is the UK’s largest niche recruitment site for Legal Secretaries and PAs. It was specifically designed to help our Members and Students secure employment by aggregating Legal Secretary jobs from across the web as well as enabling law firms and recruitment agencies to post jobs directly. If you are presently looking for a Legal Secretary job, register on our jobs board to gain access to around 2,000 vacancies across the UK.
If you are working as a Legal PA and would like access to another good resource to help you in your career, look no further than http://www.personal-assistant-tips.com. This informative website includes tips and advice for junior and senior PAs alike. There are many beneficial articles on checklists for meetings, managing your boss, event planning, minute taking, business writing and more.