The New Year has arrived again, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank all our Students and Members for being part of ILSPA. 2020 may have been an unusual year, but it was also very productive here at the Institute. Along with many other achievements, we launched our Live Online Classes, which enabled more Students to have access to our classes from the comfort of their own homes. Our Legal Secretary Jobs Board has continued to be busy, and our CV team have been working closely with Graduates and Members to help them find their next roles. We have continued to strengthen the relationships with our Partners, which has enabled us to provide excellent resources, discounts and opportunities for the ILSPA community.
As the professional body for Legal Secretaries and PAs, ILSPA is here to support you at whatever stage you are in your career. Here are some of the great ways that we can help and support you throughout 2021.
ILSPA’s Membership Area
ILSPA Members receive professional status, professional development encouragement, career advice, guidance to secure employment, and updates on law and legal issues. You have access to an exclusive Membership Area that is full of resources and information. This area is designed to help Legal Secretaries continue to develop their skills and knowledge. Articles and links are hand-picked by our team. If you are hoping to make 2021 a successful and productive year, our Membership Area is an essential tool.
Guidance to Secure Employment
ILSPA’s CV help provides Members with a personalised CV review. We will look through your existing CV and give suggestions and advice on how to improve it, to ensure that you present a document that is attractive and effective in your job search. Your CV provides the first impression you make on a potential employer, so it is important that it meets a high standard, is tailored for a Legal Secretary position, and shows your full capabilities, skills and experience. ILSPA's Guide to Securing Employment will provide you with information on preparing yourself for your job search, where to look for vacancies, applying for jobs and interview techniques. Members can send their CV to cv@institutelegalsecretaries.com if they would like to benefit from this service.
Qualifications
ILSPA truly believes that Legal Secretaries and PAs should not only know the practicalities of their role, but also have knowledge of the law relating to the tasks they complete. This helps them to understand why they do the tasks they do, understand the full processes and see where they fit in to them. For this reason, our Legal Secretary qualifications are unique in that they teach not only the practical skills Legal Secretaries need to know but also the legal knowledge.
Our Legal Secretary Diploma Course covers various areas of law and is suitable for people with no legal background through to experienced Legal Secretaries and PAs. If you are passionate about a particular area of law, you can study a Single Subject Legal Course. Our foundation courses are perfect for those looking to learn to work as a Legal Secretary in one particular sector. If you have existing experience in a particular area, our advanced Diploma courses will allow you to gain an in-depth understanding of an area of law and acquire some Paralegal skills.
If this is the year you would like to add a recognised qualification to your CV, take part in some continual professional development or train in a new skill, then ILSPA’s qualifications are perfect for you.
Discounts
Student Members are able to purchase a TOTUM (previously NUS Extra) card and receive great discounts on fashion, food and drink, going out, health and beauty, travel, and accommodation. On average, Students save over £500 a year by using their card through places such as Amazon, Ticketmaster, National Express, easyJet, Ryman Stationers, Superdrug, PizzaExpress, Zizzi, Chessington World of Adventures, Tate Britain and many more companies.
Members are also eligible for discounts on specific courses so that they can further their secretarial or legal skills. Whether you need to advance your Microsoft Office skills or take the next step up the ladder and become a Paralegal, you can train at a reduced cost.
ILSPA’s Continuing Professional Development programme
ILSPA Members are encouraged to take part in our Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme. We believe that, similarly to Lawyers and Legal Executives, Legal Secretaries and PAs should also be continually learning and improving their skills. Our CPD programme encourages you to advance your knowledge and skills in order to enhance the quality of your work. We aim to recognise your progression throughout your career, and we support your accomplishments by awarding you an attractive CPD certificate each year. Now is the perfect time to look back over any CPD you have done in 2020 and send in your application to receive your CPD certificate. It is also the time to start thinking about what CPD you want to carry out in 2021.
ILSPA’s Legal Secretary Jobs Board
Our Jobs Board collects Legal Secretary and Legal PA roles from all over the UK. Combining feeds from the top legal job boards with vacancies posted directly by firms and recruiters, it is the only niche Legal Secretary Jobs Board in the UK. This means that it is an exceptional resource for people looking for Legal Secretary work. You can set your desired filters and see what roles are available in your area, sector or level of experience without having to visit multiple sites.
If 2021 is the year that you look for your first Legal Secretary role, or if it’s the year you decide to move on to your next Legal Secretary challenge, ILSPA’s Legal Secretary Jobs Board is the first place to look. The board is free to use and creating a Candidate profile takes just a couple of minutes.
If you are a recruiter or law firm and you are looking to hire a Legal Secretary, you can also post your vacancy for free. Simply register as a recruiter and create a profile. You will then be able to use the profile to upload vacancies and manage applications.
We look forward to continuing to bring legal recruiters and top-quality candidates together to help them achieve their goals this year.
Social Media
We would like to encourage you to follow ILSPA’s social media if you don’t already do so. You can find us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. We use our platforms to share news, information, articles and updates. It is a great way to keep yourself informed and find relevant information easily.
The Legal Secretary Journal
DEDICATED – The Legal Secretary Journal is in itself one of the greatest resources for Legal Secretaries and PAs. Its archive has all the articles that we have published ready to revisit whenever they are needed. It is great for CPD, refreshing knowledge and as a reference to look back through.
This year ILSPA looks to continue to source and write articles that are encouraging and informative for our Members and readers.
We hope that all our Members and Students will utilise our services and their Membership benefits this year to ensure that 2021 is a successful and productive year.
If you are not currently a Member of ILSPA, you can join here.