When working as a Legal Secretary or PA, your daily role will involve you having to communicate with a wide range of different people. Whether you are taking instructions from your boss, giving information to clients or liaising with your colleagues to gain advice, you will need to be able to communicate effectively.

Good communication skills are a key part of being a successful Legal Secretary. They are also of great benefit to you in your personal life. So, why not think about taking a course to improve these skills? We could all do with learning how to communicate better in life.

If you are interested in enrolling on our next evening class which starts on Wednesday 24 October, we have an early bird discount available at the moment. To receive £100 off the course fee all you need to do is enrol before the 1 October. This means that the course fee will be £700 instead of £800. You can pay in full or by interest free instalments.

ILSPA's Legal Secretaries Diploma course is recognised by law firms and legal recruiters. It will provide you with the legal knowledge and practical skills you need to become a competent Legal Secretary. ...

In this month's edition of our Legal Secretary Journal, we published an article which provides advice to new Legal Secretaries and PAs. We spoke to a range of experienced Legal Secretaries/PAs and gained some excellent insights. One of the most interesting questions we posed to them was 'What is your favourite thing about your role?' We received some great answers like:

'I really enjoy working directly with clients to help and guide them through the legal system and to give support and understanding where required. I also enjoy drafting work and performing research for upcoming projects/events.' 

Karen Chirnside, Legal PA ...

There are many benefits of becoming a VA. One of the main benefits is being your own boss. Imagine being able to dictate your own workload and timetable, as well as have a better work/life balance!

If you are a competent Legal Secretary or PA, this is a career option you could seriously consider. Maybe you have a young child who you would like to spend more time with at home, or maybe you have had enough of working within an office environment. There are many resources out there which can help you achieve your goal and understand the ins and outs of being a Virtual Assistant.

Just a little reminder to submit a nomination for Legal PA of the Year as the deadline is approaching soon! If you’re a dedicated Legal PA or have a colleague who you think should be recognised for their hard work, please submit your nomination as soon as possible. Winning Legal PA of the Year is a fantastic accomplishment to achieve in your career.

Last year's PA of the Year winner was Lynn Lennox who is PA to a Director at The Law Society. The year before we are very proud to say that one of our graduates Georgie Theobald (pictured) won the title!

After studying the Legal Secretaries Diploma and gaining your qualification, you will be ready to start looking for work. There are a few steps you should take to ensure that you are successful in securing a job.

As well as creating a high quality CV which is tailored for a Legal Secretary role, you will need to prepare for interviews. It is natural to feel nervous when you are being interviewed for a position you want to have. You need to make a good impression by coming across as calm, confident and knowledgeable, although nerves can get on the way of this sometimes. We ...

If you would like to improve your word processing skills, learn more about working with spreadsheets, become familiar with using Outlook or know how to conduct a PowerPoint presentation, take a look at Prodigy Learning's self-start e-kits. They provide LearnKey Video Training for MOS which is self-paced and flexible, with a personal instructor right on your desktop. LearnKey's course design and skilled instructors ensure candidates learn exactly what is needed to achieve certification.

Earning a MOS Certification can help you differentiate yourself in today's competitive job market. It helps broaden your employment opportunities by proving that you have advanced skills in Microsoft ...

Here at ILSPA, we want to express how important the relationship is between a law firm's clients and their staff. Clients need to have the confidence that whoever deals with their work is competent to do it. Therefore, the relationship that exists between a Lawyer and client must also exist between a Legal Secretary and client.  

The Legal Secretary is an extension of the Lawyer and is often the person representing the firm - dealing with clients when they make an enquiry or when the Lawyer is otherwise engaged.  With the right attributes, Legal Secretaries can create a level of assurance to ...

Our next evening class is starting on Wednesday 6 September and is taking place at Regent's University in London. ILSPA has run our Legal Secretaries Diploma course at the University for over a decade. It is a wonderful place to study, amongst the beautiful surroundings of Regent's Park.   

The course is being taught by Seamus Ryan who is very popular with our Students due to his helpful and friendly approach. Seamus is a qualified Solicitor and has a passion for teaching law. His enthusiasm shines through in his classes as our Students provide fantastic feedback about their experience ...

This month, ILSPA is offering a 20% discount to law firms who enrol their staff on our Legal Secretaries Diploma course. If you work for a law firm, you may be aware that they are keen to train you or other Secretaries, so be sure to mention it to them.

The development of the Legal Secretary role is a key to business success in an increasingly competitive market. Law firms that help develop the full potential of the legal secretarial role optimise their overall performance.

We have received fantastic feedback from other law firms who have signed up to ...