Telephone interviews continue to grow in popularity within the recruitment process, particularly for urgent roles that need filling fast or first-stage interviews. However, these can be daunting for candidates who may not have experienced one before.

During a telephone interview an employer can efficiently gain a technical understanding of your experience without having to set up a lot of time-consuming formal interviews. Thus, the employer can shorten the hiring cycle. It is therefore crucial that you make a strong first impression to ensure you are shortlisted for a formal interview and make it through to the next stage of the hiring process.

A key feature of ILSPA’s Legal Secretaries Diploma course is the exposure that it gives Students to different areas of legal practice. Each unit integrates the teaching of legal concepts (sometimes referred to as black letter law) with their application in the real world. This approach has employability at its heart and this month we will give you the lowdown about what it is really like to work in some key areas of legal practice. Because there are so many areas of specialisation there is not enough time to consider them all, but we will illustrate some of the close links that exist between legal specialisms. 

One of the great things about ILSPA’s Legal Secretaries Diploma is that it is not assessed through closed book exams. The focus is put on your understanding of the course material, rather than how well you can memorise it. Law and procedure can require in-depth study and a lot of concentration. Students who are able to train their brains to retain information will find it easier to process and move through the learning material with confidence.

Here are eight quick and easy tips to help you retain information: 

1. Repetition

Here is a selection of vacancies from our Legal Secretary Jobs Board this month:

Legal Secretary – Heathcare – Owen Reed

Location: Greater London

Salary: £34,000-£36,000

The Legal Secretary will provide support with all administrative tasks including management of client files, management of billing and financial activities, client relationship and business development coordination, diary and travel management.

View the full job description here:           

https://www.institutelegalsecretaries.com/jobs/candidate/job/173375/

Legal PA - 4 Days a Week – Law Choice

Location: Guildford

Salary: £25,000 + Excellent Benefits

A Legal Secretary needs to be dedicated, efficient and highly organised in order for a law firm or business to run effectively.

Therefore, when interviewing for a Legal Secretary position, employers are looking for much more than good administration skills. Legal Secretaries need to demonstrate a genuine interest in the law, as well as excellent customer service skills and adaptability.

You might be interviewing for your first Legal Secretary job, or you could be an experienced candidate looking to make the move to a major law firm. Whatever your experience, we have put together some helpful tips on how to answer common Legal Secretary interview questions to reflect the best of your abilities.  

The past few months have been a time of unprecedented change and disruption for many of us in our normal day-to-day lives. While for some this has led to additional time at home to dedicate to things such as courses and self-care, for others it will have led to the opposite. With work, family and schoolwork all needing to be squeezed in at home, there is little time left for other responsibilities such as studying.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected a lot of aspects of our lives, including buying houses. During the midst of the lockdown no viewings were taking place, causing stagnation in the housing market. As the rules have relaxed, people are now able to view properties they are interested in buying, but they must keep to the social distancing measures that have been put in place.

The government has advised house buyers to try to avoid viewing properties in person by doing it virtually where possible, but how does this balance with the legal risks of taking this approach?

Dealing with change is undoubtedly the most stressful thing for humans to have to endure. No, allow me to rephrase that. Stress isn’t caused by change – change becomes stressful when we don’t adapt or roll with the punches. There are times when life throws you a barrage of many small, new – or even just slightly different – situations, people, rules, restrictions and routines, such as moving house or changing jobs. Then there’s the sucker punch of change that you don’t even see coming, the one that leads to an avalanche of sudden difficult decisions – think divorce or losing a loved one. And sometimes life tries to knock you out entirely with a combination of both: a global pandemic that changes absolutely everything, for everyone.

SecsintheCity is looking for exceptional Legal PAs, EAs and Office Managers to be nominated for the PA of the Year Awards 2020. Could you be a winner?

Now in its ninth consecutive year, the PA of the Year Awards has become an iconic celebration of the essential support that Personal and Executive Assistants provide to the companies and individuals for whom they work.

The awards are hosted by SecsintheCity, the UK’s only job board dedicated to PAs, EAs and other office support professionals. The nominations are open from now until 14 September, after which an esteemed judging panel faces the challenge of choosing a winner in each of the following categories:

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