The term “Paralegal” is used in most jurisdictions to describe a professional who assists qualified lawyers. This is the case in the US. However, in England and Wales the profession has yet to agree on a definition, and thus much confusion has existed in this area. The term, introduced in the UK in 1987 by the National Association of Licensed Paralegals, defines a “Paralegal” as a person who is qualified through education and training to perform substantive legal work; who requires knowledge of the law; and who is not a qualified Solicitor, Barrister or Legal Executive.

One of our Associate Members, Clint Diesto from the Philippines, has written an article on the importance of Paralegals in small claims cases. The fundamental question is, when should Paralegals appear in order to assist a litigant?

Imagine yourself at a collection suit hearing in a tribunal or court where you have to appear before a Judge. Although you have been informed that this is an informal hearing and you have to raise a point of inquiry before the Judge, you cannot express it confidently because you are afraid you will be misquoted by the court.

Another instance would be as follows: You are supposed to present your bargaining terms with the other party, yet you cannot formally present it even with the court’s assistance, because you cannot lay down “legal and formal” terms and conditions.

The Law Commission¹ recommended at the beginning of this month that more than 800 old laws be removed from the statute books. The recommendations cover laws on poor relief, lotteries, turnpikes and Indian railways. The oldest legislation dates back to 1322 (Statutes of the Exchequer), and the most recent is part of a Taxation Act from 2010. This is the largest of the Law Commission’s reports (there have been 18 others to date) on removing outdated laws. It is likely that their recommended Statutory Law (Repeal) Bill will be accepted by Parliament this summer as (another!) law on the statute books. 

The subject of House of Lords reforms has been continually discussed for more than 100 years. Many of us have come to believe that the possibility of any real reform is a myth. For some, the House of Lords itself is like an archaic myth – do they really refer to one another as ‘noble lord’ and ‘noble baroness’? And what work do they really do? Now the current coalition Government has decided that it wants to have another crack at reform.

After months of determination your hard work has paid off, and you have now qualified as a Legal Secretary. Some of you may wish to further your qualifications and strive for a career as a Paralegal or even as a Solicitor or Barrister. Whilst others are satisfied that they have an excellent qualification to be proud of, does this mean it is the end of developing your knowledge and skills?

We all carry around a fair amount of emotional baggage – things which have annoyed or worried us, whether they are to do with work, home or our social life. These things can create emotional clutter in the mind unless we develop healthy ways to clear them out so we can concentrate better on what is good for us.

Words are only a very small part of communication.  While you are saying the words, your body may well be saying something else.  Or even if you don’t say anything, your body language will still have said it for you!  So here are the top ten tips to help you get your message across in the way you intend:

The typical work life of Legal Secretaries or Legal PAs, especially those working with top executives, is very challenging, time constraining and full of trying relationships often resulting from conflicts of interest.  Universally, it is believed that ineffective communication, unhealthy competition, personality clashes, conflicting interests, jealousy, time constraints and unclarified assumptions are the major causes of conflict.  Oftentimes, when conflict is not well managed, our emotions are negatively affected, as it leads to confusion, frustration and demotivation.  Conversely, where it is constructive and properly managed, it becomes a healthy tool for achieving greater performance, creativity and higher productivity.

As a course assessor for ILSPA, I am often asked by students studying for the Legal Secretaries Diploma what the best way to study is when they are finding a particular concept difficult to grasp.  I always respond that there is no set answer, as people study and retain information differently.

Spring is a great time to see the process of renewal in the natural world and is a great time to take stock of our lives – what is working well for us, what is not working so well and seeing what changes we can make or influence.

We often spend a lot of time on automatic pilot: busy getting things done as well as thinking about what needs to be done next, as well as experiencing distractions of one sort or another. We often feel that there is little time to spare outside everything that is going on. However, there might just be spaces which we haven’t fully recognised or put to best use and perhaps we can also create some new spaces in order to build in time for something which nourishes us – this might simply be some peace or quiet.