Well, not literally, of course! However, what we eat and drink (and how) plays a significant part in our physical and mental health. It can improve or diminish our performance at work.

We are proud to present our new crest to you. It expresses some relevant meanings, encompassing the characteristics, work and role of Legal Secretaries and PAs.

The colours blue, white and maroon have been chosen to promote the attributes of truth, loyalty, sincerity and patience. These qualities will hold you in good stead throughout your career, ensuring that you are trusted and respected by your employers and colleagues.

The law surrounding the doctrine of doli incapax has always proven to be extremely controversial, and not just in England. No doubt every single country in the world has deliberated over the age at which a child should be presumed to know that he/she is culpable of wrongdoing to the same extent as an adult. However, where England is concerned, there are reasons that the Liberal Democrat Party is calling for the age of criminal responsibility to be raised.

Do your knees tremble and your hands shake when you have to make a speech in public? Would you rather do your filing than speak in front of a group?

Public speaking DOES NOT HAVE TO BE STRESSFUL! Even the best speakers have their critics. They too can make mistakes, get tongue-tied or forget whole segments of their speech. So here are the top 10 tips to help you overcome some of those fears:

Following a review by the Lord Justice Jackson, which was commissioned by the previous Labour administration, Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke has now announced that there will be a ban on what are known as ‘success fees’, where no-win, no-fee cases are concerned. This is in an effort to curb the ‘sue and be sued’ culture which many people believe is in operation in our society today.

Effectively, then, the ban on success fees will mean that the solicitor on the winning side will no longer be able to claim additional fees from the side that has lost the case. Instead, the solicitor will be entitled to claim only up to 25% of the resulting award of damages.

If you have completed studying the English Legal System on the Diploma Course, you will be aware that the two main branches of the legal profession are solicitors and barristers. These parts of the profession work together in some cases to ensure the best chance of success. When it is appropriate to use a barrister, the barrister is sent ‘Instructions' (when asked to give an opinion on a case) or a 'Brief' (if the barrister is to appear in court). Good instructions should give background on a case and will generally include the following:

Having left school at 16 with several “o” levels but no real direction other than that I wanted to work in an office, I started working in a small friendly commercial office doing general office work and reception duties.  It was devastating when I was made redundant after only seven months as I enjoyed my job and loved the people I worked with.  I immediately signed on with several recruitment agencies in my home town, had a short term temp job as a receptionist/typist in a very small legal office in the town centre and immediately got “the bug”.

Are you a perfectionist? Do you keep checking and rechecking documents? Or perhaps you ‘butterfly’ from task to task? Being a perfectionist or a butterfly will steal your valuable time unnecessarily. So here are the top 10 tips to help you overcome time obstacles.

It is well recognised that one of the best ways to focus the mind is to write things down. This can help you in your personal and working life. By writing we are not only using the conscious (thinking) brain but the subconscious (emotional) brain as well: the two parts of the brain working in harmony harnessing our rational thoughts and observations as well as tapping into our creativity.

An examination of the rule for settling civil claims – Part 36 of the Civil Procedure Rules

Recent announcements by the government have confirmed that later this year there will be major changes to parts of the Civil Procedural Rules (CPR). This month we will examine Part 36 of the CPR, which deals with how Claimants and Defendants can bring legal proceedings to an early conclusion. Although this can be a complex area of practice, the principles are rooted in common sense and the overriding objective of the CPR (legal proceedings should be quick, cost effective and just).