If you have been following this section over the past year or so, you will have noticed how there has been a concerted effort to report on the issues of employment law that are being affected by the economic difficulties being faced within the country. In fact, some previous articles have gone so far as to make predictions on what might be expected in this regard; alas, it would seem that many of these assertions are now coming to fruition.

At a time when most small and medium-sized businesses are really struggling to keep their heads above water, it cannot be helpful that changes in employment law see these hard-pushed employers having to dip even deeper into their pockets to cover escalating financial obligations: anything from paternity/maternity pay to an extra bank holiday this year - leading to a very unproductive three-day week.

With spring here in full force and Earth Day having just passed, I thought it would be a good time to share some simple ideas to help take some pressure off the environment.  Our membership of the WWF helps remind us and our Members that there are many ways that we can protect the planet.

Composting

Every day we toss out the kitchen scraps with barely a thought for where those vegetables came from and ultimately where they end up after being sealed in a bin liner and taken away by the bin men.

We all pride ourselves in living in a country that enjoys one of the oldest and most advanced legal systems in the world today. In fact, we may even go so far as to purport the fact that we live in one of the most tolerant and accepting societies in the developed world. However, why does the English legal system still insist on dragging its heels where the definite right to privacy is concerned?

Compared with most other countries in the West, it is completely fair to assert that the right to privacy is lacking in England. Although the United Kingdom has a duty to respect Article 8.1 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), for decades now, nevertheless, it has been commonly accepted that there is a distinct lack of clear law in this area.

I have been an Executive PA for over 15 years now and I felt I needed a career change.  I have always wanted to study law, but because of the cost involved and finding the time out of working hours to do so, it proved next to impossible.  Then one day whilst paging through a magazine, I came across an advertisement on ILSPA's Legal Secretaries Diploma course.  I went on to their website and was impressed with their professionalism and most importantly the various topics covered in the course.  This combined with the convenience of distance learning and the affordable repayment terms made it very attractive.  Without any hesitation, I signed up immediately and have not regretted it since.

‘Seek first to understand, then to be understood.’ This is just one of the habits of highly effective people taken from Stephen R Covey’s book. We primarily ask questions to get information, but questions are also a powerful communication tool to show that we are interested in the other person; that we care about what’s important to them; and that we are trying to understand their situation. So here are the top 10 types of questions and how to use them.

Many people have a tendency to procrastinate. This could be because the task is complicated, you’re unfamiliar with it, there’s a prospect of conflict or you simply prefer to socialise rather than work! But motivating yourself to ‘do’ rather than ‘avoid’ some tasks will result in higher levels of achievement, satisfaction, and increased self-belief and self-esteem. So here are the top 10 tips to help you do that:

As part of an ongoing series of articles focusing on Civil Litigation, this month we are considering the growing importance of mediation. There has been a lot of effort over the last few years to reform the civil justice system. One of the key reasons for this has been the high cost of bringing claims to court.

A recent proposal aimed at reducing legal costs was made by the Conservative Secretary to the Ministry of Justice, Jonathan Djanogly. He has suggested that mediation should be compulsory in some civil cases. The aim of the proposal would be to keep more cases out of the court system.

Many of us are sometimes unaware of our body language, especially at times when we are under stress. Body language has a large part to play in situations where we want to feel confident and to come over as such to others. So, it can be helpful to spend a little time being curious about our own tendencies and what messages we may be giving out. Sometimes the messages can be quite the reverse of what we want to convey in a particular situation.

It is widely accepted that 93% of communication is non verbal. So, our body language is a really important part of how we come over to others. The actual words we use are important, of course, but unless the other non verbal messages we are giving are consistent with the words, the words simply won’t register as we intend.

The main non verbal indicators for confidence are:

Attending court as a Legal Secretary must easily rank as one of the most rewarding and exciting aspects of the career. This is where the Legal Secretary will really start to feel that they are an integral part of the legal system, as a whole, and will gain a full appreciation of how the court system works and the wheels of justice turn within our country

In a previous role of employment, I have represented my own clients in court hearings and can therefore really empathise with what you could expect to gain from attending court as a legal secretary yourself. Physically leaving your law firm for a while, to undertake this nature of work, is highly motivating and interesting and a side to the role of a legal secretary that surpasses all others.

There are very few jobs that are as interesting and varied as working in criminal law. Whether this is by way of working as a Legal Secretary who specialises in this area of law or as a defending Solicitor or through The Crown Prosecution Service, there are many avenues allowing one to follow criminal law as a career path. If you have never studied law before or have but wish to pursue this branch of the legal system more intently, this article may well be for you.