On 1 October 2017 we saw the long-awaited pre-action protocol for debt claims come into force. A pre-action protocol is a set of steps contained in the Civil Procedural Rules that parties must follow before a claim is made. The idea behind having a protocol is to promote early settlement of claims and reduce legal costs. If a party ignores a protocol, then he or she may be subject to a penalty in legal costs allowed by the Court.

Do you ever feel you should be further along on your goals and projects, given how much time you’ve been spending in your workspace?

To enter a state of high productivity, we know that it’s important to avoid distractions and really concentrate deeply on a task or project. You want to enter the state that Cal Newport refers to as “deep work”, and it’s best if you can maintain this state for at least a few hours at a stretch. If you can do three to five sessions of deep work per week, you’ll often achieve stronger results than you would with 40-plus hours of busywork. You’ve probably observed this pattern in your own life already. But of course the challenge is to enter this flow state consistently and to stick with it for extended periods.

Sometimes life can be overwhelming with work, family, friends and the activities we are involved in. Many of us can feel disorganised, stressed and not in control of our lives. We never seem to have the time to do everything we want.

The first step to avoid being overwhelmed is to understand that it would be impossible to do everything we would like to do and to accept the fact that we may never be able to do everything we wish. It is important, therefore, to prioritise the things that are most important to us. We need to regularly reassess our values, goals and tasks. 

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

Legal Secretary – Bowers
Location: Golders Green, London
Salary: Competitive

Bowers is a niche law firm in Golders Green which specializes in, amongst other things, Disability and Equality Law. 

They are looking for a full-time secretary to assist their expanding Disability Law department.

View the full job description here: 
https://www.institutelegalsecretaries.com/jobs/candidate/job/98970

Property Legal Secretary – Owen Reed
Location: Canary Wharf, London
Salary: £26,200 - £28,000

We tend to place a lot of trust in the legal system. These services are enlisted when our own abilities to negotiate have been dried up, when a significant wrongdoing has been brought against us or even leading up to achieving a milestone (homeownership, launching a new business, etc.). It’s also during times of distress that legal services are required, which makes it even more important to have representatives who can be trusted. But who regulates these professions? This article will outline the regulatory bodies within the legal profession. 

Legal Services Board (LSB)

The LSB is the overarching regulatory board for all regulatory boards that oversee the legal system in the United Kingdom. These regulatory boards will be listed in the proceeding sections, but they refer to any legal regulators. 

Places are selling out fast for a development conference which offers training and support to key office staff.

The event is being staged in Bristol, by the Exeter PA Network. It offers training, development and networking for Executive Assistants, Personal Assistants, Secretaries and Administrators, and is open to attendees from across the country. It follows the success of the network’s inaugural conference last year, which was run in partnership with the Bristol and Cardiff PA Networks.

It takes place on Friday, 13 October, at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Bradley Stoke, Bristol, which is easily accessible whether travelling by train or car. 

Kim Glover, founder of the Exeter PA Network, says, “We have seen delegate numbers grow this year, which is fantastic. I think this is a reflection of the quality of the event produced last year.

The job-seeking process can be a nerve-wracking time for anyone. These nerves can be further exacerbated if you’ve had a recent interview with the company of your dreams and have yet to hear back from them. Stay positive; it is important to remember that the process of job seeking doesn’t necessarily end at the interview. When looking for a new job opportunity, you should keep in mind that each step of the recruitment process is a time to be proactive and maintain interaction with the employer. Remember that companies want to hire an individual who has an ongoing interest in the position, and is both passionate and forthcoming in their communication. Following up on a job interview can have extremely advantageous results. In fact, some companies have actually cited the candidate’s incentive to send them a follow-up as being the reason that they made the decision to hire that candidate.

When most people think of paying a visit to a court, it is usually either associated with a wrongdoing, for example, criminal activity – or, perhaps, as part of an educational field trip. Yet, the recent announcement from tourist review site TripAdvisor, recognising the UK Supreme Court with an Award of Excellence, is encouraging those outside these typical visitors to enjoy a day at the courts. There are also great reviews about the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand.

In August, we considered the Law Commissions’ consultation on how Wills are made in England and Wales. That article reviewed four of eight key proposals, including: 

•    The courts being given greater flexibility
•    Online Wills being allowed
•    The age of testamentary capacity being reduced 
•    How the tests of capacity could be improved 

This month we are looking at four further proposals, namely: 

•    Amendments to the rules of ademption
•    Extending the protection of testators from undue influence
•    Clarifying the rules on revocation of Wills and marriage 
•    Reviewing the rules on deathbed gifts  

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

Junior Legal Secretary – Real Estate – Owen Reed
Location: London
Salary: £25,000 

Owen Reed are recruiting a Junior Legal Secretary to join a top law firm in London.   

The successful candidate will be a proactive, positive professional who is comfortable working both independently and collaborating as part of a high performing team.

View the full job description here: 
https://www.institutelegalsecretaries.com/jobs/candidate/job/96278/