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

AI Tools to Transform Your Workflow

Date : 22 Apr 2025, 4:59 p.m.

As the legal industry evolves, so too does the technology that supports it. One of the most exciting advancements in recent years is Artificial Intelligence (AI). Far from replacing skilled professionals, AI is becoming an invaluable tool that can enhance the work of Legal Secretaries and PAs. In this article, we will explore how AI can support you in drafting legal documents and correspondence.

Speed and Efficiency

Legal Secretaries and PAs often face deadlines when preparing documents. AI-powered tools can automate repetitive tasks, such as formatting, structuring standard clauses, or converting notes into polished text. Tools like Chat GPT, Microsoft Word's …

ILSPA Announces Partnership with Your Excellency Limited

Date : 3 Apr 2025, 12:03 p.m.

ILSPA is proud to announce our new partnership with Your Excellency Limited, one of the world’s leading training providers for Executive Support professionals. This collaboration is set to enhance professional development opportunities for Legal Secretaries, Personal Assistants and administrative professionals, reinforcing both organisations’ commitment to empowering the profession.

Through this partnership, Your Excellency and ILSPA will provide access to high-quality training, resources, and qualifications designed to elevate the skills and capabilities of PAs and Legal Secretaries across the sector. The initiative aims to foster career progression, confidence, and excellence within the profession.

Lindsay Taylor, Co-Founder and Director of Your Excellency, expressed enthusiasm for …

Embracing Inclusion in the Legal Profession

Date : 20 Mar 2025, 5:11 p.m.

Neurodiversity Week is a time to celebrate and acknowledge the unique strengths and perspectives of individuals with neurodivergent conditions such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and others. In the legal profession, neurodiversity can bring immense value when properly understood and supported.

Neurodivergent individuals often possess distinct abilities that can be highly beneficial in a legal environment. For example, individuals with dyslexia may have exceptional verbal communication and problem-solving skills, while those with ADHD might thrive when multitasking and rapid responses are required. Autism can bring enhanced analytical skills, high attention to detail, and a methodical approach to tasks. These varied skills and attributes make neurodivergent individuals …

The SecsintheCity 2025 Salary Suvery is Now Live

Date : 6 Mar 2025, 10:42 a.m.

SecsintheCity, the UK’s only specialist job board for business support professionals, has launched their 2025 Salary Survey. Building on the success and invaluable insights garnered from previous surveys, SecsintheCity are reaching out for audience contributions.

2024 was a year characterised by resilience in both employers and employees alike. Responses from business support professionals allow SecsintheCity to garner crucial insights into office support employment, highlighting the current trends and challenges the administrative and secretarial sectors have been facing and what EAs, PAs, secretaries and receptionists are looking for in a new job.

This year, the Salary Survey will broaden the understanding …

ILSPA's Live Online Classes Now Available During the Day

Date : 3 Mar 2025, 2:31 p.m.

We are delighted to announce that our next live online classes for the Legal Secretaries Diploma will start on 21 May 2025. This time, the classes will be held during the day to better accommodate Students with various schedules and time zones.

The live online classes will run every Wednesday afternoon from 2.00pm - 5.00pm GMT, for 12 weeks via Zoom. This format offers an engaging and interactive way to learn, allowing you to dive into the intricacies of law and legal procedures. You’ll not only benefit from live interaction with your tutor but also get the chance to collaborate with fellow …

Why AI is Essential for Legal Secretaries and PAs

Date : 13 Feb 2025, 1:12 p.m.

The legal profession is changing, and so is the role of the Legal Secretary and PA. Artificial intelligence is transforming how legal work is managed, automating routine tasks, streamlining processes, and creating new opportunities for those who understand how to use it.

AI is not here to replace you. It is here to enhance your skills, increase your efficiency, and elevate your role. The most successful Legal Secretaries will be those who embrace AI as a tool to work smarter, freeing up their time for higher-value responsibilities that require human expertise, critical thinking, and strategic insight.

The Changing Expectations for …

The 2025 TotallyLegal Salary Survey is Now Live

Date : 5 Feb 2025, 12:46 p.m.

TotallyLegal, the UK’s leading legal job board, has launched its 2025 Salary Survey, and want to hear from you! Building on the success and invaluable insights garnered from previous surveys, TotallyLegal are reaching out for audience contributions.

By sharing your experience as a legal professional, you enable TotallyLegal to garner crucial insights into legal employment, highlighting the current trends and challenges the legal sector has been facing and what lawyers, paralegals and solicitors are looking for in a new job. 

2024 was a year characterised by resilience in both employers and employees alike. This year, the Salary Survey will broaden the …

Tips for Balancing Work and Education

Date : 27 Jan 2025, 3:14 p.m.

For many people, undertaking a remote education course provides a great opportunity to work while also learning new skills related to their chosen discipline. However, even online courses require a certain level of commitment, so maintaining a healthy balance between your work and education is essential.

Getting it right takes navigation, so to help make the transition as stress-free as possible, here’s how you can structure your time for a healthy work-study balance.

Know your hours
No matter how many hours you’re contracted to work – or how many hours you’re committing to your studies – it’s important to have …

How to Develop a Career Plan

Date : 22 Jan 2025, 6:30 p.m.

As we step into 2025, it’s natural to start reflecting on what the year ahead might hold for you and your career. Perhaps you’ve already set specific goals, or maybe you simply feel it’s time for a change. Whatever your aspirations, creating a career plan can be a powerful way to clarify your thoughts and chart a path forward. By defining clear short-term and long-term objectives and outlining a strategy for your professional growth, a well-structured plan can help you make the most of your time and unlock your full potential.

As a Legal Secretary, there are many routes of …

Why Becoming a Paralegal Could be the Next Stage of Your Career

Date : 14 Jan 2025, 1:03 p.m.

There was a time that the role of paralegal was thought of as no more than a stepping stone – a way to gain some experience before moving on to qualify as a solicitor. However, this is not the case today. 

People currently entering the sector, many of them having been legal secretaries, are choosing to become professional paralegal practitioners. Making their ambition not to qualify as a solicitor, but instead, to specialise in one or two areas of law and offer their specialist services to solicitors, in-house legal departments, or to the public. This can add value to a law firm, …