Technology Tips

Remote working, video meetings, online systems and digital appointments are now standard parts of the daily working lives of legal professionals. Due to the pandemic, people have had to turn to online and digital alternatives for many aspects of their work. This is also true for other areas of our professional lives. Networking, professional development and career progression are still required, even though conventional face-to-face events, interviews and conferences are on hold. One of the best online resources available in this respect is LinkedIn.

It is looking increasingly likely that many of us will be working from home until at least Spring 2021. What’s more, 93% of respondents who took part in our recent working from home survey agree that they would like the opportunity to regularly work remotely once office work resumes.

Although working from the sofa or in our bedrooms was great in the beginning, the novelty of this is rapidly wearing off. We’re starting to realise that we need a working set-up with more longevity in order to increase productivity, improve comfort and avoid injury when working from home. With remote working becoming the new norm, it’s time to look at how we can improve our home workspace in order to work more effectively from home.

Technology has long played a role in making the workplace more efficient — and artificial intelligence (AI) is no different. Capable of automating time-consuming and mundane tasks, AI is designed to make operations easier. In fact, it's already making positive changes in the legal profession, with the DoNotPay chatbots in London and New York being prime examples. Regarded as the world's 'first robot lawyer', the chatbots have helped over 160,000 people contest parking fines for free, and are now being trialled in small-claims courts.

As people continue to work from home, video meetings are now the new normal. Whether the calls are one-on-one or in a group, people can expect to be part of many more video meetings over the next few months. To help with this transition, ILSPA have set out their guidelines to good video meeting etiquette.

Preparation

Podcasts are a fantastic resource and so easy to listen to during your everyday life. Here are some of the best podcasts for Legal Secretaries and PAs:

The Assistant Room Podcast

Each episode presents Jess Gardiner, founder of The Assistant Room, talking to a different professional about their work, their career and their success stories in the PA sector. Starting life as an article feature on the site called ‘The PA Diaries’, this podcast is great for ambitious PAs. Not only is it inspiring and enjoyable, but it is also full of useful advice and tips.

Law Pod UK

One of ILSPA’s aims is to provide affordable training to Students and Members. We are delighted to work in partnership with Prodigy Learning to provide you with a fantastic 50% discount on Microsoft Office courses.

Microsoft Office provides courses in Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint. If you would like to improve your word processing skills, learn more about working with spreadsheets, become familiar with using Outlook for emails or know how to conduct a PowerPoint presentation, then you can now do so at half the cost.

It will come as no surprise to those reading this article that Legal Secretaries need to be good with technology. A Legal Secretary’s role is primarily computer-based. It is automatically expected that they will have skills such as fast and accurate typing, a good understanding of commonly used computer programs and knowledge of how to use standard office equipment. Technology is a big part of their day-to-day role, and the right technology can make the position a whole lot easier. But what is the top tech, or more particularly the top programs that a Legal Secretary should know? We spoke to working Legal Secretaries to see what their favourite programs and apps are, and to gain some insight into the main technology they rely on each day.

Microsoft Office

There are a number of skills which you will need whilst using Microsoft Office Excel. Spread sheets are a useful tool and used regularly by office staff including Legal Secretaries. Spread sheets are especially helpful in tracking the progress of different processes and make the information readily available in one place, rather than having to check databases or paper files separately. This article provides step-by-step instructions for some of the most commonly used tools so that you can master these skills.

Please note that the majority of law firms currently use Microsoft Office 2010. We have therefore based our advice on this version of the program. You may find that your version differs slightly, however the directions should be similar.

Formating cells

There are a number of skills which you will require regularly whilst using Microsoft Office Word, especially if you are studying our Legal Secretaries Diploma course or working as a Legal Secretary. This article provides step-by-step instructions for some of the most regularly used tools so that you can master these commonly used skills.

Please note that the majority of Law Firms currently use Microsoft Office 2010, we have therefore based our advice on this version of the program. You may find that your version differs slightly, however, the directions should be similar across most other versions.

Setting page margins

In this age of text-speak and abbreviations, it is quite common for emails to drift into an informal format. When messaging your friends or family, this is completely acceptable; however, it can easily lead to a lazy style of emailing when contacting organisations. This can infer that you don’t care, or be taken as rudeness, and you certainly do not want those connotations within your professional life. This article highlights the key things to remember when writing a professional email. If you follow these rules, you are less likely to make an error in an emailed job application, when contacting organisations, or when sending an email for work. Following the simple rules below will ensure that your emails always represent you in the most professional way.

Format