Professional Development

It is common in January for people to start thinking about what skills they would like to learn in the coming year, or what areas they would like to improve in. So this month ILSPA wanted to consider not only how best to set and achieve your chosen 2019 goals but also the best mind-set to allow yourself to succeed and progress too. 

The genius zone idea is popular among many friends of mine. The idea is that we should spend more time doing what we do amazingly well, and delegate or eliminate everything else that we can.

The new year is traditionally a time for reflection and resolutions. Many of us will be looking back at the previous year and thinking about which areas of our personal and professional lives we would like to improve in the coming one. And why not? The new year can be a fantastic excuse to revaluate our goals and consider how we would like to work on our skillset.

As you progress your career as Legal PA and start to work with more senior fee earners, you may find yourself faced with the prospect of working for a Partner who is notorious for being “difficult”.

We’ve all heard horror stories of Secretaries and PAs leaving the office in tears, but has the fear of this happening to you ever put you off from taking that step up you have always dreamed of? Or perhaps you have recently been assigned a new Partner and it’s just not working?

If so, here are some tips on how to overcome these fears and crack a difficult boss.

Have an open mind

Navigating social etiquette whilst trying to get ahead in business can be a minefield. One of the main concerns for an individual trying to make it in their field can be the desire to assert themselves professionally without seeming aggressive. Many of us find it difficult to express ourselves confidently without becoming overwhelmed by emotion or thinking we are overstepping the line. Whether it comes to applying for a new job, aspiring towards a promotion or pay rise, resolving conflict within the workplace, or pushing ideas forward in a team, learning how to communicate in an assertive manner can provide you with considerable benefits.

A question we often get asked at ILSPA is “How can I improve my typing skills?” Many of our Students have acquired these skills through their work experience or college/university studies. However, some Students have not had the experience in this area that they need.

If you are one of these Students, fear not! Improving your typing skills is something you can easily do at home. You can even do it alongside your studies for ILSPA so that when you achieve our qualification, you are all set to go and will have the required skills for securing employment.

Legal Secretaries help Lawyers with their work and are an integral part of a team of legal professionals. One of the most important relationships Lawyers develop in their professional working lives is with their Secretary, so it is beneficial to be of as much assistance as possible to optimise their performance.

Legal Secretaries must have knowledge of law and legal procedures. You must understand not only how to perform certain tasks but also the reason for doing them. When entering the profession it is essential to have studied a course such as ILSPA’s Legal Secretaries Diploma, or if you are an experienced Legal Secretary, it is important to undertake professional development so that you are continually advancing your knowledge and skills.

The National Association of Licensed Paralegals (NALP) is happy to announce that it is offering ILSPA Legal Secretaries Diploma graduates a 10% discount on enrolments for their Level 4 Diploma in Paralegal Studies.

ILSPA’s Legal Secretaries Diploma course provides Students with a great significant foundation in law and legal procedures. It is a great starting point for a successful legal career, and with the right training, you can go on to work as a Paralegal.

Are you studying a Legal Secretary course and need to improve your everyday secretarial skills? Or maybe you are qualified as a Legal Secretary but feel you need to improve your everyday secretarial skills on the latest software?

Lewis College provides a range of distance learning courses for secretaries, and the Institute of Legal Secretaries and PAs has kindly asked us to discuss some of the courses we offer.

You’ve got the job you’ve been working towards for a long time. The sense of achievement is a great feeling and well deserved. But why stop there?

It can be easy to rest on your laurels, especially once years of study, training and experience have come together to get you where you are. But you should always set yourself new goals, so you have a target and something to work towards. Otherwise, things can become a bit stale and the wrong questions start to be asked.

Self-development is important to all of us, and we can work on this in the workplace. But if you really want to fast-track your career, continuing to educate yourself is key for a number of reasons, and here’s why;.

A few thousand years ago, around the time we learned to cook with fire, human life was quite different. Still, in the 21st century our priorities are much the same, except that if we want something to eat these days, we go to a supermarket and pick it from a shelf. Back in the Stone Age we would sharpen some poles, step into the cold and walk for days until we found a herd of mammoths. If we didn’t get eaten by sabre-toothed tigers along the way, when we eventually found our dinner we would have to slay the giant beast with our sharp sticks and then be burdened with the task of dragging it home.