ILSPA's Legal Secretary Blog - Discover the latest legal insights, receive expert career advice and elevate your professional skills

Full Programme Announced for Lawcare's Inaugural Conference

Date : 8 Sep 2022, 11:12 a.m.

Learn more about how to improve the culture in the law and how to make your legal organisation a happy and healthy place to work

Legal mental health charity LawCare has announced the full line up of speakers for its online conference ‘Building a Better Life in the Law’ which takes place on Wednesday 28th September.

The conference will feature leaders across the profession who are pioneering new ways of working. They will share their experiences of improving the culture in law through an interactive programme of plenaries, panel discussions, workshops and breakout sessions. There are three tracks; Starting out …

Nominate Your Legal PA of the Year 2022

Date : 2 Aug 2022, 3:48 p.m.

Winning the Legal PA of the Year Award is the ultimate recognition of your hard work, dedication, and achievements. If you are a Legal PA who goes above and beyond every day, PA of the Year want to hear from you.

Nominations are now open for the 2022 PA of the Year Awards, an annual celebration of the outstanding talent, skills, support, and achievements.

Susanna Tait, PA of the Year Awards judge and Chief Executive of event sponsor Tay Associates, highlights that the aim of the Awards “is to acknowledge the significant contributions that PAs and EAs make to the organisations they …

Loneliness in the Workplace

Date : 9 Jun 2022, 11:05 a.m.

Humans are hard-wired to connect - we are tribal and social animals. We are biologically programmed to need other humans, and a feeling of belonging and connection drives our happiness. Despite this many of us will know what it’s like to be lonely, especially after living through two years of reduced social interaction.

Loneliness arises from either a lack of social relationships or a lack of close emotional bonds with those we have relationships with. It can occur because we work from home and don’t interact with colleagues often or have the time to pursue a social connection, we live …

Public Sector Legal Staff Would Change Roles for Better Flexibility, New Survey Reveals

Date : 20 May 2022, 12:48 p.m.

The majority of public sector legal professionals would consider moving to a new role that offered more flexible working conditions and better career progression, a new survey has shown.

The results revealed that 70% of solicitors, lawyers and legal executives working in the public sector would move jobs for the prospect of better career progression. In addition to that, nearly half of those polled (45%) feel they are unable to advance in their current role.

The survey also showed that public sector legal staff are increasingly motivated by a desire for flexibility and control over their own hours. …

Mental Health Awareness Week 2022

Date : 6 May 2022, 11:33 a.m.

Humans are hard-wired to connect - we are tribal and social animals. We are biologically programmed to need other humans, and a feeling of belonging and connection drives our happiness. Despite this many of us will know what it’s like to be lonely, especially after living through two years of reduced social interaction.

Loneliness arises from either a lack of social relationships or a lack of close emotional bonds with those we have relationships with. It can occur because we work from home and don’t interact with colleagues often or have the time to pursue social connection, we live alone …

How to Build Your Confidence According to 5 Assistants

Date : 22 Mar 2022, 11:09 a.m.

Building confidence is one of the main focuses of every Personal and Executive Assistant and cited by almost everyone who joins The Assistant Room membership as a skill they want help in developing.

When reading this you may wonder how your confidence levels can increase and how you will ever become as self assured and as confident as some of your colleagues. In an industry where being behind the scenes is part of the business support role, being front and centre isn’t something that necessarily comes naturally or feels right.

According to Robert Kiyosaki ”Confidence comes from discipline and training.” …

The 2022 SecsintheCity Salary Survey Is Here – Are You Being Paid Enough?

Date : 17 Feb 2022, 1:02 p.m.

Has the pandemic continued to affect pay and employment opportunities? How have business support responsibilities and expectations evolved during the last 12 months?

To help answer these questions, SecsintheCity, the UK’s only specialist job site for PAs, EAs, and business support professionals, are asking business support professionals from every experience level to complete their confidential survey.

The survey will explore salary shifts and working experiences from the last year, in addition to other key themes from previous SecsintheCity audience surveys. The salary information we collect will allow you to see where you stand in comparison with your …

5 Tips to Prepare For a Law Interview

Date : 16 Dec 2021, 9:52 a.m.

Is 2022 the year that you would like to take the plunge and find that new role? Then take a look at Simply Law's article on how to prepare for your next law interview. 

Preparing for your legal interview might seem terrifying but it’s actually not that complicated. The first rule is, be confident! And the rest will follow. “But I am confident and I’m still nervous,” you might think.

In that case, you might not know exactly what you need to do to get your step in the door. Legal interviews can be challenging if you’re not prepared, so here’s …

You're Invited to Legalex 2021!

Date : 13 Oct 2021, 2:37 p.m.

ILSPA has partnered up with LegalEx as it makes its much-anticipated return as a live event next month.

LegalEx 2021, taking place on November 10-11 at ExCeL London, is the must-attend event to meet industry thought leaders, regulators at the forefront of legislation and code of conduct changes, and experts in client success, technology and business development.

Your FREE registration gives you access to two days of educational seminars from some of the world’s top legal experts, innovators and forward-thinking speakers. It is the perfect opportunity for Legal Secretaries to network, expand their knowledge about the legal industry and …

Stand Out By Becoming Officially Certified as a Microsoft Office Specialist!

Date : 28 Sep 2021, 2:36 p.m.

Earn official Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification to differentiate yourself in today's competitive job market. Broaden your employment opportunities by proving you have advanced skills in Microsoft Office. After gaining MOS certification, you will have immediate access to a Digital Badge and Transcript, as well as the MOS logo to put on your CV.

For the 2019 version, the exam is more helpful, with individual tasks and comprehensive, project-based testing. This live-in-the-application environment confirms that certified individuals have demonstrated the ability to complete a realistic project in Word, Excel or Powerpoint.  Push yourself further to gain the Expert level in …