I am just over half way through my course, with just Units 4 & 5 to complete. My background to-date is predominantly HR in the city of London, but I am pleased to say that I have recently secured a role as a Legal Secretary locally in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire with a firm of solicitors that specialise in conveyancing and wills & probate, so I had better get a move on with my studying!

It goes to show that you are never too late or too old to change careers once you reach your 40s!

Thank you once again, as I couldn't have achieved this without studying your Legal Secretaries and PAs course.

Lynn Stevens, Hertfordshire

I'd just like to say I thought the court tour was very interesting, useful and well worth a day off work. I enjoyed being shown the Temple area as I'm sure I've walked around there before but I never knew that was where all the Barristers worked. If I had not been on the court tour and later had reason to go to the court, then just the look of the building would have made me nervous and inside I wouldn't have known where to go or who I should ask to help me, but now I've been there I wouldn't mind, everyone was very helpful and polite and after walking around so much to do the assignments I'd probably recognise a lot of it - and it never feels so bad if you know where you are even if you didn't know where you need to go!

Thank you for arranging for me to be on the court tour and thanks to Amanda for being very friendly and speaking to the ones she didn't recognise at the start, introducing us to each other.

Anna Draper, Hertfordshire

Just a note to say how much I enjoyed the course. It covered the main areas of legal secretarial work in the right balance. Land Law was challenging, being a more detailed unit. Personal favourites were the 'Outline of the English Legal System' and 'Succession'. I cannot think of any area needing improvement - perhaps that I would have liked more of the latter two units! All in all, I found it a comprehensive course. Worthy of a mention is how the lessons are written. The style is engaging, and in parts witty. I felt talked to, not at, which made a difference in terms of dealing with a teacher I never actually 'saw'.

Now that it is over, I shall miss not having that little something extra to occupy my evenings! But it was a very worthwhile undertaking and I feel virtuous for having seen it through to the end. Thank you for the opportunity; I now look forward to whatever the future may hold regarding a career in law.

Just to say that I got my certificate in the post today and was thrilled to have received a 'Highly Commended' pass mark after all. It has truly made my efforts worthwhile and needless to say, I'm extremely proud. With many thanks!

Sharon Bloomfield, London

I have thoroughly enjoyed studying with the Institute of Legal Secretaries and Pas. The course material is easily accessible and very easy to understand and follow.

Support is always readily available and a paid response is always given no matter how big or small your problem may be.

The internet website is also very useful with plenty of information and the ability to talk to other students. Just reading others comments helped me to decide that I wanted to study with the Institute.

I would definitely recommend this course to anyone else who is thinking of taking up a career in Law. I have found it incredibly helpful and extremely insightful.

I now look forward to finding myself a position as a Legal Secretary which is a slightly scary but exciting process as once again I will have the help and support of the Institute which I am very grateful for.

I would like to thank everyone that has helped me to complete this course.

Zoe Calvert, Oxon

I would like to say a big thank you to Amanda for the tour around the High Courts in The Strand. I really did enjoy my day there and felt I came away with a lot more knowledge of the Court System (not that I really had any knowledge). Amanda was really informative with her information and very approachable. I felt she answered any questions asked with understandable information and in layman’s terms.

Jeanette Kuba, Yorkshire

I would like to take this opportunity to say how pleased I am with the course content. It manages to explain a complex legal system clearly and succinctly.

Sherrol Hartley, Cornwall

I would like to send a message of thanks to all at the Institute for your assistance and support (thanks Alisha) but especially to Amanda, my tutor on the legal secretarial diploma course. I found the course very interesting and especially enjoyable because of Amanda’s communication style which not only entertained and kept the subject matter fresh but she was also very clear and easy to understand. I only wish I had tutors likeAmanda when I was going to school many years ago. I applied for a legal secretarial position only last week and I am starting a three month contract straight away. The course gave me the confidence to pursue a legal secretarial position and I feel confident when I start working that my knowledge gained on the course will be of enormous benefit. Thanks again everyone.

Geraldine Hart, Surrey

Thanks for your advice, it worked very well, I got the job and start next month. Really excited and nervous at the same time. Can't wait to start my new career. Thanks for such a great course.

Jean McCreery AILS, Hampshire

I wanted to let you know that after completing the Legal Secretarial Diploma I am about to start my first legal secretarial job. I had an interview earlier this week and they have agreed to take me on for a fortnight's work trial, which I am delighted about. It is primarily a legal aid firm specialising in criminal work and I feel I can learn a lot there. It also has the advantage of only being a couple of bus rides away from where I live and I won't have to venture underground at any point!

Having completed the diploma I had the confidence to apply for the position, despite not having any experience in the field. I think having the diploma on my CV got me the interview, and showed them that I was serious about wanting a career in the legal field, as opposed to any old typing job. They also spoke about wanting somebody they could "develop", which could mean a paralegal career in the future.

Thank you so much for your support throughout the course. It really makes a difference knowing that there is a team behind you. I'd like to carry on with my membership of the Institute and would have no hesitation in recommending the course to other people.

Many thanks

Carole Sharkey, London

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your words of encouragement when I first made enquiries about the Legal Sec's course (a long time since I had been to college) but I loved every minute of it (how could you not love Amanda). I actually went on and did Amanda's paralegal course and enjoyed that also. Not bad for someone who was terrified of going back to college after raising her daughter! Anyway, Emma thank you again for your encouragement.

Ann Wright, London