Professional Development

At the end of last year, SecsintheCity published a motivational piece entitled “5 Key Attributes of a Great PA”. This article showed what qualities PAs have and gave readers an idea of what skills and characteristics they need to excel in the role. Based on the success of this piece, in collaboration with The Institute of Legal Secretaries and PAs, their sister site, TotallyLegal wanted to expand on this topic further and talk about the key attributes of a Legal PA.

Whether you know it or not, you have a preference in regards to managing your time. It’s no different than liking pineapple on your pizza or preferring period dramas to sitcoms. It’s just part of who you are.

Those who struggle with time management often either don’t understand their time style preferences or actively try to work against it because they think the way they’re doing it is wrong.

In a previous article we considered four “basic” skills that any legal secretary should have – communication, discretion, organisational and I.T. This month we will highlight some further skills and consider how to create a development plan to fill any gaps you may have.

Document management

The New Year is a common time for people to decide to make positive changes in their lives and set new goals. We often start a new year thinking about what we want to achieve and how best to make those achievements a reality.

Setting goals is essential for both our personal growth and our career progression. It doesn’t matter how big or small your goal is, it has the capability of improving your life in some way. Have a think about what you would like to achieve this year. You may want to complete a course and secure your dream job or maybe you would like to improve your relationships with your colleagues at work. Whatever your goals, you need to be clear about them, how they will benefit you and what you need to do to achieve them.

Everyone in the legal profession is confronted with a degree of administration duties. As a legal secretary this is an area you are expected to lead on. You may have years of “admin” experience and already consider yourself an expert, but it can be very beneficial to take an assessment of your current skill level from time to time. You may also just be starting in the legal profession, so we will start with the basics before considering what kinds of advanced skills would help you achieve expert status.

Personal and professional growth comes from acting in ways that support our health, values, and goals. Turning our awareness towards what we really want from life and doing things that make us happy enables us to live more authentically and in alignment with ourselves.

You may have developed unhealthy habits or have responsibilities which are holding you back. A great way to break free of these and develop a more positive way of being is to create a code of conduct for yourself. You can do this by making a list of directives you would like to follow. At first you can brainstorm anything which comes to mind, then you can go through your list and refine it, focusing on the things that really matter.

Here are some examples of directives for you:

Some people choose a certain career path in life, as they feel that it is their calling. They are naturally gifted in their field and have a passion for what they do. In psychology, this is referred to as self-actualisation. Self-actualised people strive to achieve their highest potential and find meaning in their work. They love what they do and experience great joy in performing their roles. In respect of ILSPA’s Members, they can find their work interesting and rewarding and recognise that they make a significant contribution to their legal departments.

What if you don’t feel like this though? What if your heart is not in it and you don’t know what to do? One solution is to find a new job, of course, but there are ways in which you can change your mindset to feel more positive about your role.

As an administrative professional, you’re used to working behind the scenes. However, to keep your career moving forward, you need to practice some self-promotion.

There’s a big difference between bragging and subtle self-promotion. Bragging is implying that you’re somehow better than others. For instance, “I was just promoted to team lead and got a big raise because I’m the best admin ever!”

Self-promotion can be just simply stating a fact. For example, “After five years with my company, I finally got the promotion I’ve been working towards. It feels rewarding to have accomplished my goal.”

Why You Should Share Your Accomplishments

Sharing your accomplishments is a necessary part of your career development. Here’s why:

We all know the phrases ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’ or ‘it’s good to talk’ but the benefits in talking about how you are feeling go far beyond this. When we are in a difficult situation, we lose our problem-solving abilities. It can be impossible to focus and it can seem overwhelming to choose what action to take. Sometimes a listening ear and a nudge in the right direction is all we need to move on. Social and emotional support and the role of individuals, families and communities in delivering this are vital to managing wellbeing. We all need someone to talk to about personal matters without judgement and in confidence. To listen to us and offer help when things get on top of us.

The legal sector has long been fast-paced and high-pressure. For some, the number of deadlines to fulfil and the amount of information to remember might become overwhelming. Like many professionals, people in the legal sector have had to adjust to the ‘new normal' created by the COVID-19 pandemic, adding to their existing responsibility.

There's nothing wrong with feeling a little stressed out; it helps us perform better when juggling multiple tasks or responsibilities that require focus (and yes, I'm looking directly at you, solicitors). However, if it prevents you from properly functioning, it is best to take action.