As a Legal Secretary, you will be aware that confidentiality is essential in the legal field. Issues concerning confidentiality arise when information is disclosed by one person to another in a situation where it could be reasonably expected that that information would not be disclosed to anyone else. Confidentiality is protected as a fundamental human right and is expected to be observed in a very extensive range of circumstances.
When it comes to effective team working, are you an Efficient Emma, an Improving Imogen, a Not Bad Nora – or a Struggling Susan? These fun stereotypes have been created by specialist matter and case management software company Iken as part of its campaign to highlight and share best practice for team working, especially amongst in-house legal departments.
Iken’s 10-point checklist highlights the increasing challenges Legal Secretaries and PAs face as they work to co-ordinate team activities. The questionnaire, titled “Are your information management systems helping or hindering best practice in your in-house legal team?”, is available for free download here.
Iken business manager James Garland explained the thinking behind the questionnaire:
New powers have recently been handed over to a number of different local authorities – including the police, landlords of social housing, and town and district councils – to provide a new approach to anti-social behaviour. These new regulations have been introduced to try to empower victims and to make communities safer.
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
We are delighted to announce that Megan James has secured a permanent contract with the Institute of Legal Secretaries and PAs as our Senior Administrator. Megan started working for us in August 2014 in an administrative role. We have been very impressed by her performance and professionalism over the past six months. She has dealt with her duties and responsibilities with great efficiency and has an excellent work ethic. Within a short period of time, we could see she was a very competent member of the team and capable of taking on more responsibility in the company. Well done, Megan!
Megan has answered some questions about her background and told us about her experience working for ILSPA so far:
What attracted you to work for ILSPA?
Most jobs have been subject to changes over the past few decades as we race to keep up with constant advances in technology. Many technological developments have made life easier, but we need to be aware of how to work with them and stay vigilant.
Research performed by Search Flow predicts that there will be growth in conveyancing work this year. Last year, 75% of Conveyancers experienced at least a 10% growth in their work, and 41% of them saw a work increase of 25% or more.
Because of this, 52% of Conveyancers are looking to increase their workforce over the coming year. This is good news for Legal Secretaries Diploma graduates or experienced Legal Secretaries with Conveyancing skills.
Take a look at this interesting infographic about the future growth of Conveyancing which has been produced by Redbrick Solutions.
As of 4 December 2014, new stamp duty rates will be in place for anyone buying a house anywhere in the UK. These new rates have been introduced to reduce stamp duty for most people buying a home and to make the charges fairer for everyone. You will be affected by the new rates if you buy a residential property in the UK which costs you over £125,000.
Legal Secretaries are being invited to join a new social networking site for the legal services sector.
Mootis – mootis.co.uk – has been launched by award-winning silk Bill Braithwaite QC.
Commenting on the launch of Mootis, Chairman Bill Braithwaite QC said:
“Sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Facebook are hugely successful, but we feel the world of legal services is large enough to warrant its own bespoke platform.”
In terms of the legal sector, Braithwaite says Mootis will appeal to two audiences: those already registered with sites such as Twitter and LinkedIn, and those who are yet to engage with the world of social media.
“It’s got dual appeal,” he continued. “We believe existing social media users will welcome the benefits of a site focused entirely on legal services.
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