Career Experiences

When Leah Taylor decided to finally pursue her goal of becoming a Legal Secretary, the first thing she did was enrol on ILSPA’s Legal Secretaries Diploma course. Upon completion of her qualification, Leah secured a fantastic role at Clifford Chance. We caught up with her to find out all about her new position; how she secured the job and how she is using the knowledge and skills gained through the Diploma in her work.  

What did you do prior to studying to become a Legal Secretary? 

I worked for a business travel management company. My main role was to provide administrative assistance, but I also carried out a few other duties including covering reception and PA assistance for the Managing Director. 

When Gillian Roberts enrolled for ILSPA’s Legal Secretaries Diploma Course in 2018, it wasn’t her first foray into a legal education. She had previously completed an LLB law degree but had not continued into the sector after graduation. It is very common for law graduates to study our Legal Secretaries Diploma as an alternative route into their chosen industry. We wanted to speak to Gillian about her decision to return to the legal profession, why she felt the Legal Secretaries Diploma Course was a good step to aid her return and what the future holds for her. She also provided us with some fantastic advice for recent graduates looking to start their job search.    

What is your background and how did you become interested in working as a Legal Secretary?

Coming from a completely non-legal background, Hollie Nixon was unsure of the best way to start her career as a Legal Secretary. Upon hearing about ILSPA through a fellow student on her Open University degree, she decided to take the plunge and enrol for our Diploma. Now, less than a year later, Hollie has secured her first Legal Secretary position. We caught up with her to find out why she believes her Diploma was so important during her job search, and what advice she would give to other people looking to start working in the profession.

How did you hear about ILSPA?

Craig Harris is a multi-award winning Executive Assistant, who currently works for Shelter UK. Some of his recent awards include our trusted partner SecsintheCity’s Social Media PA of the Year 2018 and Pitman’s Super Achiever PA of the Year 2017. Having forged an impressive and successful career as an Assistant, Craig is now working to promote inclusion and diversity within the profession.

In January 2018 he co-founded the LGBT Admin and Assistant Network, and dedicates much of his time to speaking publicly about his aim to be a role model for all Assistants, especially aspiring male Assistants considering making the leap to the profession.

Jemina Blake studied ILSPA’s Legal Secretaries Diploma back in 2012. After graduating she worked for one of the leading law firms in the South East and continued to study. She completed a Level 4 Diploma in Paralegal Studies with NALP and a Level 5 Diploma in Business Management. Now Jemina has used her impressive experience and qualifications to start her own business, My Legal Transcription. ILSPA spoke with Jemina about what initially interested her about the law, why she chose to become a Legal Secretary and how she turned that into a business of her own.

How did you become interested in working within the legal profession?

On the 8th November 2018, the 7th annual PA of the Year awards took place at the prestigious Ivy Restaurant in London. Hosted by SecsintheCity – the UK’s only job site dedicated to Personal and Executive Assistants – the ceremony recognises and champions the very best talent and achievements in the industry.

We asked Amy Franklyn, Legal EA at Bird & Bird LLP and winner of the Legal PA of the Year award, to give us a rundown of her career thus far and tell all about the glamorous awards ceremony.

Q: How did you become an EA?

This month ILSPA has the pleasure of catching up with a former student of ours, Melinda Toth. Melinda enrolled for our Legal Secretaries Diploma course last year and after successfully completing her qualification in early 2018, went on to secure her very first Legal Secretary role not long after with MW Solicitors. We had a few questions for Melinda about how she found her qualification, and what advice she would give to recent graduates of the course when starting their Legal Secretary job search.  

What was the reason you decided to train to become a Legal Secretary?

Since starting her legal career as an Administrative Assistant at a well-known global law firm over 15 years ago, Michelle Clarke has progressed to the point where she is now working as a Fee Earner in her current firm, Land Law LLP. Along the way, she studied ILSPA’s Legal Secretaries Diploma and went on to study ILSPA’s Civil Litigation Advanced Diploma. Michelle kindly spoke to ILSPA about her career, her studies and the exciting new opportunity as a Fee Earner.

How did you come to work in the legal profession?

Karen is a highly accomplished Legal Secretary/PA with over 32 years’ experience in the legal profession. She has been a Member of the Institute of Legal Secretaries and PAs since 2009 and was awarded the status of Lifelong Fellow of the Institute in 2016. Karen currently works as a Legal Assistant/PA for Roche Legal, an acclaimed boutique firm of private client solicitors based in York.

We recently spoke to Karen about her career, current position and what advice she would give to other Legal Secretaries just starting out in the field.

What does your role involve at Roche Legal?

This year marks the 100th anniversary of women gaining the vote in the UK. A year after this was granted, the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act was passed, and women could become qualified lawyers for the first time. To celebrate the progress made in women’s rights, we’ll be taking a look at five inspirational women who have made their mark in the legal industry over the past century.

Gwyneth Bebb

1889 – 1921