Former ILSPA Student Kimberley Evans was working as a teacher when she decided to take the plunge and go for a career in law. An encounter with a family law Solicitor prompted Kimberley to study ILSPA’s Legal Secretaries Diploma course. Since she completed the course at the end of 2018, Kimberley’s career has gone from strength to strength. She is using her current role as a Legal Secretary for the Qualifying Work Experience needed to become a Solicitor and hopes to cross-qualify as a Barrister in the future.

Whether you want to be a Legal Secretary, a Paralegal or a Lawyer, the law industry can be very competitive. Because of this, it’s crucial that you do everything in your power to boost your CV. 

This is particularly important in the legal industry because lots of law graduates and professionals will have similar qualifications. Therefore, you need to work that bit harder to stand out from the crowd.

By demonstrating your passion for the industry, as well as the role you’re applying for, you could give yourself a competitive edge over other candidates. But how do you go about doing this?

Well, our partner Simply Law have put together a few suggestions for ways in which you can show employers how passionate you are about law. 

In one of our recent journal articles, it was reported that bugs in the digital divorce system had caused a delay in the introduction of no-fault divorces. Despite these setbacks, the digital divorce service is still set to replace the traditional paper D8 form from 13 September 2021. After this date, the Court Service will expect divorce applications to be made using the digital divorce process. There is a short transition period finishing on 4 October, but after this date, the paper D8 form will no longer be accepted. There are a few limited exceptions to the use of the online process, and paper applications will still be used for civil partnerships, judicial separation and applications for petitions of nullity.

Clutter: The collection of “stuff” lying around that creates disorganisation in your workplace. It sabotages your productivity and can adversely affect your mental health day in and day out.

It’s time to get it under control!

Research has shown that cluttered spaces have negative effects on stress and anxiety levels, the ability to focus, eating choices and even sleep. It also creates a poor first impression of your perceived skills and abilities at the office when someone stops by your desk.

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

Legal Secretary – Ruth Taylor Family Law

Location: Northampton

Salary: £20,000-£23,000

Ruth Taylor is a very busy family law practice.  They consist of one full time solicitor, Ruth.  She is assisted by her full time experienced Legal Secretary Sally and currently with a part time Secretary.  They are looking for another full time experienced Legal Secretary to work with them.

View the full job description here:           

https://www.institutelegalsecretaries.com/jobs/candidate/job/178141/

Legal Secretary – Jones & Co

Location: Bawtry

The PA Show is the largest gathering of Executive Support Professionals in the UK, bringing together 1,000s+ of the community under one roof.

Whether you’re a PA, Executive Assistant, Legal Secretary, Office Manager, Virtual Assistant or involved in office support in any way, The PA Show offers you the chance to enhance your skills and knowledge, grow your network of contacts and source premium global suppliers to support you in your role.

The PA Show offers unique access to a wealth of CPD-accredited training designed to help support functional professionals excel at every stage of their career.

The introduction of “no-fault” divorce this October has suffered a setback as it will now not be introduced until 6 April 2022 at the earliest. The reason for the delay is that the online divorce system has not been fully developed and tested. This is particularly disappointing, as the changes have not only been anticipated for several years but became a certainty in 2020 with the passing of the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act. This act brought in a much-welcomed change to the 50-year-old fault-based system which a person must for the time being still rely on to get divorced.

Every week, we carefully take time to sort out our household waste and put it in the recycling bins. We believe we’re doing our bit for the environment and we don’t give it another thought after it is taken away. We trust that it is going to be recycled.

After a recent investigation performed by Greenpeace, it was discovered that over half of our plastic waste is being shipped to countries like Turkey to be disposed of. Rather than being recycled, it is often dumped or burned on the roadside. Some of it even ends up in waterways and floats into the ocean. This has a very harmful effect on wildlife, sea life and people. Locals have reported serious health issues and haven’t been able to breathe properly due to intoxicating fumes.

As an administrative professional, you understand just how much structure and organisation come into play on a daily basis. You probably have multiple systems and procedures that allow you to create order and inspire productivity. But with so many people and processes to manage, even the best of us can get overwhelmed when we look at our files, binders and calendars.

One of the easiest ways to add structure and organisation to your workspace, files and more is to use colour-coding. According to research by neuroscientists, our brains are hard-wired to process colour before virtually anything else, improving comprehension and helping us process information more quickly, as well as retaining it longer.

There are various drivers forcing law firms to embrace a more diverse workforce and to attract, promote and retain talent from all backgrounds, regardless of gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, age and socio-economic class (to name but a few).

Not only is the pressure on to have employees who reflect the society in which we live, but there is an increasing recognition that diversity leads to better decision making and increased profitability.

What are companies doing?

Some clients now require law firms to attest to their Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) policies and progress in pitches.