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

You are invited to Legalex 2019

Date : 8 Feb 2019, 12:20 p.m.

We are very excited to announce our partnership with Legalex. On the 27th & 28th March 2019, London’s ExCeL will play host to Legalex, Europe’s most comprehensive and all-encompassing trade show for legal professionals and the business behind the solicitor.

Over 3,000 legal professionals will come together at ExCeL to discover the latest tools, products, services, resources and innovations that are changing the game in legal business growth and data security. Aside from the 200 industry leading exhibitors, visitors will also benefit from the expert-led seminar schedule, and the sophistication of the keynote line that gets better every year. …

Legal Secretary Salaries Are Rising

Date : 7 Feb 2019, 9:28 a.m.

Simply Law Jobs have released figures that show that the average salary of a Legal Secretary has risen by an astonishing 7.59% (year on year). The niche legal job board released the figures this week in its 2017-18 annual report, alongside data surrounding jobseekers in the industry. The report includes job hotpoints, gender insight, job category information, top growth areas and more surrounding law professionals and their preferences for a new job.

Other legal support roles that have benefited from a rise in pay since the 2016-2017 annual report include Legal Administrators, Legal Assistants and Firm Office Managers.

With positive reports such as this one …

ILSPA's Legal Secretary Journal - February 2019

Date : 4 Feb 2019, 10:52 a.m.

February's edition of our Legal Secretary Journal has been published and we have some great contributions this month.

Our lead article focuses on asking for help at work. Whatever stage we are at in our careers, it is important to feel like we can approach our colleagues or boss for assistance or clarification. This follows on from an article we published last month about asking for help as a Student.

Whether you are working as a Legal Secretary or PA, or you are currently studying to achieve your career goal, you can find some really helpful advice. Legal PA …

The UK VA Conference 2019

Date : 31 Jan 2019, 12:13 p.m.

The PA Show 2019 (formerly Office* Show) will once again play host to the UK VA Conference. The show will take place at the Olympia exhibition centre in London on ‘VA Day’ - 27th February 2019. The UK VA Conference 2019 has compiled a fantastic agenda that will appeal to a whole range of Virtual Assistants and their skill levels – from start-up newcomers to established and successful Virtual Assistants. The conference will include talks, expert panels and of course multiple opportunities to network with fellow VAs.

For the seventh year, VA Day will be kick-started by the popular …

How to Improve Your Typing Skills

Date : 28 Jan 2019, 10:11 a.m.

To work as a Legal Secretary, you need to have good typing skills. This means that you should be able to type at least 50 words per minute and have a high level of accuracy. Some firms will expect you to be able to type 60-80 words per minute but others may not feel that a fast typing speed is necessary. It all depends on the individual firm's needs and these will be set out in the job description when they advertise a vacancy.

We advise our Students to have a minimum typing speed of 50 wpm. If you would like …

Can Men be Legal Secretaries?

Date : 25 Jan 2019, 11:26 a.m.

We have written a few posts about how women can excel in the legal industry, but just as importantly we would like to talk about men.

Becoming a Legal Secretary is a great way of getting your foot in the door and working your way up the ladder, however men can be cautious about taking on a job title that is usually associated with women. We would like to reassure you that both men and women can work as Legal Secretaries/Assistants/PAs. In today's world, people should not feel like the odd one out or be discriminated against for their sex, race or …

ILSPA's New Partnership

Date : 21 Jan 2019, 11:52 a.m.

ILSPA is pleased to announce that it has formed a partnership with pa-assist.com

Pa-assist.com is the No.1 website for Office Professionals. It provides resources, services and information to help you make your tasks and challenges easier. You can find courses and training providers to advance your learning and development, networking and events related to your profession, and directory listings for sourcing suppliers. PA Assist also have a LinkedIn group where you can share your tips or opinions, and chat to other professionals. 

By registering and becoming a member of pa.assist.com, you can enjoy their newsletter and other benefits for FREE!

209 Women Exhibition

Date : 14 Jan 2019, 10:51 a.m.

An exhibition called '209 Women' has been set up to mark 100 years since women have been able to be elected into UK parliament. The exhibition features beautiful photographic portraits of the women who are currently MPs. Please read more about the exhibition through Positive News.

Positive News is an online platform and magazine which focuses on all the good things which are happening in the world. They believe that the mainstream media tends to be negative and so they have become pioneers for constructive journalism where progress, possibility and solutions are at the forefront of their reports.

ILSPA thoroughly …

Salaries for Legal Professionals

Date : 10 Jan 2019, 11:56 a.m.

Simply Law Jobs have recently published data which outlines the average salaries for legal professionals here. The data is based on the job adverts which were posted on their job site in 2017-18.

You will see that there has been an increase in salaries for Legal Secretaries of 7.59% which is great news. Whilst the average salary for a Legal Secretary is listed as £22,347.46, keep in mind that Simply Law Jobs advertise vacancies throughout the UK with low income areas reducing the overall figure. Starting salaries in London tend to be around £18,000-£20,000 a year and Legal Secretaries with lots of experience can …

Next Evening Class in London

Date : 7 Jan 2019, 11:04 a.m.

ILSPA's next Legal Secretaries Diploma evening class is starting at the end of the month on Tuesday 29 January. As usual it is being held at Regent's University in Regent's Park, London. The class will be taking place one evening per week for fourteen weeks from 6.30pm - 9.30pm.

Regent's University is situated just inside the entrance to the park and it is well lit up at night. As the days get lighter, Students will be able to benefit from the beautiful surroundings. There is a lovely view of the river from York bridge where Students cross over on the way to …