If you find yourself falling behind in your studies through the Institute of Legal Secretaries and PAs, or with any other courses for that matter, the first and most important thing to do is avoid panicking! Almost every Student who has ever attempted a course of study has fallen behind at some point, so it is quite normal. If you need that little something extra to catch up with your studies, here are some tips that can help:
It is quite common to find yourself getting more interested in some parts of a course and struggling with certain other areas. Even if the course seems perfect for you, there may be some parts of the syllabus that you simply do not find as interesting as some other aspects of the course material. For instance, with the Legal Secretaries Diploma, you may find yourself more interested in specific areas of the law and less able to focus on other areas of study.
There are no specific qualifications or experiences that can prepare a person to study law. For school-leavers, A-level studies in subjects that are similar to law such as economics or politics may be beneficial but are not essential.
However, there are a number of skills which would be beneficial to individuals who are interested in studying law:
Strong Understanding and Use of Oral and Written Language
Language is the most important tool for anybody studying or practicing in law. Students and practitioners need to be able to communicate with clients and colleagues, and language is the basic communication tool by which to get a point across, as the law, by its very nature, needs to be accurate and clear.
The school years may be a distant memory for some, but study and work habits that ground us in later life (while often taken for granted) are often set in place during this formative phase in our lives. This is not to say that one cannot change one’s study habits, but if good practices are put in place during the school years, studying as an adult will be that much easier. Learning how to study and how to memorise at work can be extremely difficult and may seem very frustrating, but there are things you can do to help yourself improve.
There are many people who believe that the life of a Student is an easy and carefree one. But this is not necessarily true. The practises and habits that you set in place when you are a Student will often remain with you for the rest of your life and lead to your success. So it is important to realise that you have both strong points and weak points, and to then do what you can to improve yourself.
Have you recently decided to return to studying after a long break? Perhaps it has been many years since you last found yourself in such a position, and now that you have enrolled on one of the Institute’s courses, you are hoping that you will feel enthusiastic right through to the end. Enthusiasm is a common emotion to feel at the start of a course of study, although it is sometimes difficult to maintain. Rest assured that there are ways in which you can control such emotions, and ensure that you remain steadfastly committed and enthused by the course.
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.
Why does anyone want to become anything? When I was a child, a frequent question was 'What do you want to be or do when you grow up?'. I can't remember my answer now but I'm sure I may have qualified it (as many children do) with a reason such as 'Because it helps people'.
Now when I think what I want to achieve in a job or why I would choose a particular job, and I'm sure it's top of many people's list, it's nearly always to do with job satisfaction - to make a difference.
How do I make a difference? And how do I achieve this by becoming a Legal Secretary?
Once a month, Students have the opportunity to attend a tour of the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand, commonly known as the ‘Law Courts’. The building houses the Court of Appeal and the High Court. As you may have learnt from the English Legal System unit of the Legal Secretaries Diploma course, the Court of Appeal has two divisions – the Civil division, which hears appeals from the High Court, and the Criminal division, which hears appeals from the Crown Court. The High Court has three divisions – the Queen’s Bench division, the Chancery division and the Family division – and accommodates the Administrative Court. The building, breathtaking with its Gothic style and lavish interior, was opened by Queen Victoria in 1882.
Having left school at 16 with several “o” levels but no real direction other than that I wanted to work in an office, I started working in a small friendly commercial office doing general office work and reception duties. It was devastating when I was made redundant after only seven months as I enjoyed my job and loved the people I worked with. I immediately signed on with several recruitment agencies in my home town, had a short term temp job as a receptionist/typist in a very small legal office in the town centre and immediately got “the bug”.