SecsintheCity have just launched their 7th annual PA of the Year Awards, championing the business-critical contribution that PAs and EAs make to the organisations they work for.

If you’re a talented PA or EA, or work with someone who you think should be recognised, submit your nomination today.

Click here to nominate yourself or a colleague.

Why enter?

Winning Legal PA of the Year is recognition of your hard work and a career highlight not to be missed.

There are fantastic prizes to be won, and the winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at The Ivy, London, on Thursday 8th November.

The University of Westminster is delighted to invite ILSPA’s Students and Members to their Legal Skills Academy: Shaping the Next Generation. The evening cocktail event will bring together alumni, professionals in the legal sector and friends of the Law School.

Date: Thursday 14 June 2018

Time: 6.30pm - 8.00pm

Location: Portland Hall, Little Titchfield Street campus, 4-12 Little Titchfield Street, London W1W 7BY

RSVP: Please register your place online before Monday 11 June

By Maudie Powell-Tuck and Becky Kells, AllAboutLaw

Where should I begin?

A good start is deciding what kind of work experience you actually want to get. There are thousands of law firms and legal organisations in the UK, so you’ve got to figure out which ones interest you. 

Perhaps the best way to do this is to decide on an area of law to explore. You could pick a specialist firm or organisation, or alternatively, you could go for a place that practises law more generally.

The Law Society has a really useful tool which lets you search for solicitors by geographical location and area of law. This is an invaluable way of finding out about the firms near you that have practices in areas of law that interest you.

It may sound innocent enough, but the interview question about salary expectations is a loaded one. Talking about money is awkward at the best of times, but in an interview situation it can be particularly tricky.

In a nutshell, while honesty is important, it’s better to avoid giving a specific figure. Give one that’s too high and you’ll quote yourself out of the role, too low and you’ll shoot yourself in the foot.

To navigate the question successfully and minimise embarrassment all round, there are a few steps you can take in advance of the interview.

Understand the question

Firstly, you need to know the multitude of reasons interviewers ask this question. The obvious one is “to know the amount they’ll need to pay you”, but it’s not as straightforward as that.

Kathleen Riordan won Legal PA of the Year at SecsintheCity’s PA of the Year Awards 2017. The judges praised Kathleen, as one of her nominations said: she’s “the embodiment of team first, self second, Kathleen works conscientiously and tirelessly, often without recognition, to get the job done.” In this interview, we’ll find out how Kathleen became a Legal PA and what drives her to succeed in the role.

How did you become a PA?

After finishing university and working as a Senior Sales Administrator, I felt that I needed a change and started temping as a PA/secretary. During this time I realised how different and interesting PA roles could be, and I gained a lot of experience during this time which led me to my career as a PA.

If you have studied ILSPA’s Criminal Law Diploma course, you will remember how many obstacles prosecution lawyers must overcome in order to secure a conviction against a defendant. Different offences have varying conditions to satisfy, and this article looks at the test for dishonesty, which is most often applied to cases involving theft and fraud.

The National Association of Licensed Paralegals (NALP) is happy to announce that it is offering ILSPA Legal Secretaries Diploma graduates a 10% discount on enrolments for their Level 4 Diploma in Paralegal Studies.

ILSPA’s Legal Secretaries Diploma course provides Students with a great significant foundation in law and legal procedures. It is a great starting point for a successful legal career, and with the right training, you can go on to work as a Paralegal.

What is the Forfeiture Rule all about? How did it come about? It is based on the fact that it is against the policies of public law to allow convicted murderers to claim an inheritance. The Forfeiture Rule also applies to gifts that have been left in a will for the “criminal” under intestacy rules, as well as to any property belonging to a surviving descendant, and also the benefits of life insurance. The law is designed to stop murderers from benefiting from their crimes – this is known as the Forfeiture Rule.

How did this rule come about?

The Forfeiture Rule comes from the wider Estates of Deceased Persons (Forfeiture Rule and Law of Succession) Act 2011 and impacts children of murderers.

Are you unwittingly scaring off potential employers because of basic social media mistakes?

Social media is a fantastic tool for connecting with people and finding work. It’s no secret that many prospective employers check the social media platforms of potential candidates before offering them interviews. However, it’s all too easy to let yourself down and jeopardise your chances of securing that dream career with a careless status update.

While this seems obvious for professional sites like LinkedIn, the content on your other profiles can also affect your career progression. We’ve put together some social media mistakes to avoid to help boost your chances of getting that next big job.

Choose an appropriate photo

What is the duty of care that a police force owes to the citizens they protect? Should the police be liable if they fail to detect a crime? What if the police fail to act and this causes an injury? Do the police have a duty to protect victims or witnesses of crime? What if the police give a firearm to an officer who is unstable? The answer to all these questions for the most part has been that the police have no duty of care. In other words, any of these failures could happen and it would be difficult or impossible to bring a claim for compensation. That has been the case up to now, but change seems likely to follow after a Supreme Court judgment in February. The law that has changed relates to policy factors and when it is fair, just and reasonable for a duty of care to be owed.