Student Resources

Developing good study skills is part of what the Institute tries to help every student learn when completing ILSPA’s Legal Secretaries Diploma course. Law students know that being able to study effectively is the only way to get the best possible results. In addition, if you can master good study skills you will be more efficient in the workplace and, of course, you will have more free time to pursue other activities. Legal study skills do not normally come naturally. For the vast majority of students, it takes time and experience to become fully competent. Here are a few practical tips to help you enhance your study of the law. 

The crucial skills

When I was a kid, it took me longer than I would have liked to learn how to ride a bike. I kept using a bike with training wheels and I didn’t practice much, so of course I didn’t learn how to balance.

One day I observed that my sister (younger than me by two and a half years) was getting close to figuring out how to ride a bike. She wasn’t quite there yet, but she was clearly much closer to balancing than I was. I couldn’t let her beat me to it!

So I grabbed my bike, pushed it out to the street and decided that I was going to learn how to ride it then and there. I hopped on — sans training wheels — and swerved all over the place like an out-of-control maniac. When I could muster some degree of control, I tried to stay near the grass so when I fell, I’d hopefully crash onto the lawn instead of the street or sidewalk.

Deciding to pursue a course in law really can prove to be a challenge at times. Every now and again you might feel distracted when your family needs you or your friends are enjoying active social lives. At these times, a question that may spring to mind is “Why am I doing this?”

The Benefits of Study

You become an achiever by achieving your goals. If you achieve your goals, you’re an achiever. If you don’t achieve your goals, you’re not an achiever.

This is a simple, binary way to think about achievement. To achieve means to reach, attain or accomplish. What you choose to reach, attain or accomplish is up to you.

The difference between an achiever and a non-achiever is largely a matter of attention. Non-achievers give their goals little attention, if they bother to set goals at all. Non-achievers reach, attain or accomplish something other than their goals — and quite often that is someone else’s goals, without consciously making those goals their own.

ILSPA’s Legal Secretaries Diploma course contains a conveyancing unit which is based on residential conveyancing. This article will look at some of the differences in the procedure if you are working for a Commercial Property Lawyer.

Commercial properties can be bought and sold just like domestic properties, but they are also commonly occupied by commercial tenants under a lease. Indeed, most commercial property transactions will involve leasehold property; however, some are freehold.

There are several skills you need to have when studying ILSPA’s Legal Secretaries Diploma course. Firstly, you do not need to have any previous experience in law to enrol. ILSPA’s Diploma will give you an understanding of the most important and most commonly practiced areas of law. Once qualified, you will be able to secure employment as a Legal Secretary and advance your knowledge on the job.

Our Legal Secretaries Diploma unit relating to Wills, Intestacy and Family Provision explains why it is important to make a Will. In the course assessments, Students learn how to produce a Will.

However, it is possible to make a Will without professional assistance; in fact, it is possible to pick up a draft Will with basic instructions on how to complete the same from a High Street stationery retailer. Whilst this can produce a valid Will, it is also very easy to make a mistake when writing the will or signing it, which can render it invalid or ambiguous. 

Countries throughout the world have very different systems in place for making and updating laws. The two main systems are common law, which is based on cases, and civil law, which is based on government legislation. A third system is called sharia law.

Common Law

It is not uncommon for law students to complain that they struggle to remember all the case names and Acts of Parliament that make up the legal rules in the UK. There are lots of different kinds of memory techniques that you can try, and we have set out below a few for you to consider using.

Don’t worry if you find that a technique does not work for you, as this is a personal skill and you need to find out what suits your own individual learning style.

Make memory cards

Reading and writing skills may seem a topic more suited to school children, but foundation skills like these are so important that you should always consider if there is room for improvement.

Let’s start with writing skills. Whether you are preparing a document for your portfolio or making a job application, a quick review of your basic English skills can avoid simple mistakes in spelling, punctuation and grammar.

A misplaced apostrophe or poorly spelt word can mean the difference between failure and success. It is easy to avoid errors by rereading what you have written. Even better, if you are preparing something like a job application, where you only have one chance to get it right, get someone else to look over it first.

Remember these three main areas where small changes can make a big difference:

Spelling