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How to Become a Legal Secretary in the UK

Published

5 years ago

June 4, 2019

Are you interested in the law but you don’t have the legal qualifications to become a lawyer? There are a lot of other options you could choose from. One of these is becoming a legal secretary. As a legal secretary, you would be responsible for the smooth running of any law firm. But what qualifications do you need to become a legal secretary in the UK? Here’s everything you need to know about a legal secretary starting with what the position entails.

What is a Legal Secretary?

A legal secretary’s main role is to assist a lawyer and other support staff in a law firm with the day to day running of the firm. Some of the support they provide include administrative support including handling dictation, answering phone calls, typing letters and photocopying. They are also trained to help produce legal documents that can be presented in court. Some of the legal documents a legal secretary can be responsible for producing include motions and summonses. To do that effectively he/she needs to be familiar with legal jargon.

What Skills Do You Need for this Role?

A legal secretary must be able to work under pressure and multitask. Working at a law can be very stressful and it is important that you are efficient, reliable and dependable. Some of the other skills you should have include the following;

You must have excellent verbal and written communication skills
You must be able to work well with others
Be friendly but maintain professionalism above all
Be detail oriented and have great proofreading skills
You must also be IT literate since most legal secretarial work involves technology

But perhaps the most important quality you need to have is versatility. Working at a law firm is rarely predictable and no two days are the same. You need to be prepared but also easily adapt to any situation.

What Level of Experience Do You Need to become a Legal Secretary?

It is not impossible to get a legal secretarial job without any prior experience, but most employers will require at least previous administrative experience perhaps in another secretarial role. There is usually a lot of competition for this kinds of jobs, so if you don’t have the necessary experience, make sure you have something else that makes up for it in terms of transferrable skills.

What Office Hours Should You Expect?

Legal secretaries will general work normal office hours Monday to Friday although this will vary depending on the law firm you work for. Larger law firms often expect employees to work longer hours and a law office with fewer staff may sometimes extend your office hours.

Where Can You Find Work?

You can find work across the UK in different law firms of varied sizes. Bigger cities will obviously have more opportunities, especially if you are looking to work in a specific area of law. Bigger firms will also be far likely to offer you better wages and improved benefits packages. But at the same time, they will need an individual with more experience. Starting salaries will vary, depending on the size of the firm.

If you’ve made up your mind you’re first step is to get a CPD-accredited legal secretary qualification like a Legal Secretarial Diploma and start there. Here’s some great legal secretary courses in London.

Blog

6 Reasons to Try Cannabis Edibles

Published

1 year ago

February 21, 2023

Jimmy Lerner

Are you looking for a reason to try cannabis edibles? If you’re wondering if there are benefits to edibles that you can’t get with other forms of cannabis, the answer is yes. Here are some of the best reasons to try cannabis edibles.

Some edibles are boosted

When you smoke cannabis flower, you’re only getting cannabis. That’s not a bad thing, but there are brands that sell edibles that have been boosted with other ingredients. For instance, you’ve probably seen capsules with added herbs to help you sleep – the same is true for edibles.

One of the newer enhanced cannabis edibles are the Bits adaptogen-boosted edibles. These new cannabis edibles contain just 5mg of THC per Bit so you don’t overdo anything. Each flavor is packed with a unique blend of adaptogens like ashwagandha, reishi, elderflower, lemon balm, ginseng, guarana, and rose hip.

Why adaptogens? Adaptogens have been proven to have a positive impact on the central nervous system by decreasing sensitivity to stressors. In other words, adaptogens reduce stress and anxiety and contribute to an overall sense of wellbeing. When you consume cannabis edibles boosted by adaptogens, you’re going to feel more relaxed.

Edibles provide precise and consistent dosing

One of the best reasons to try edibles is for precise and consistent dosing. When edibles are made, the cannabis is thoroughly and evenly mixed in, so each serving has the intended dosage when the final product is made. In addition, premium cannabis brands like Verano lab test each batch to ensure quality and consistency with all of their products, including cannabis edibles.

When you smoke flower, you won’t always get the same amount of THC. It’s nearly impossible to know how much THC or CBD you’re getting from smoking flower. Even when you smoke the same strain in the same amount, the THC and other cannabinoids are distributed unevenly throughout each bud.

If precise and consistent dosing is important to you, then edibles are going to be your favorite cannabis delivery method.

Edibles are tasty

Edibles taste good, so why not try them? It’s just like eating a snack or a treat, but with a purpose. If you’ve avoided trying cannabis tinctures or oil because you don’t like the flavor, that’s understandable. Edibles are different because the taste of cannabis itself can be easily masked.

Brands go out of their way to come up with recipes that taste good because they know some people don’t like the strong flavor of cannabis. Edibles like brownies, cookies, and chocolate bars usually just taste like any other cookie, brownie, or chocolate bar. Premium cannabis brands will also use quality ingredients to produce the best cannabis-infused gummies, hard candies, and baked goods.

Edibles are easy to carry

If you want to carry your cannabis around discreetly, that’s easiest with edibles. They usually come in smaller packages that you can fit into a pocket or bag, and edibles are easy to eat without anyone suspecting you’re consuming cannabis.

When carrying edibles, be smart about where you bring them. Make sure you know where you can and can’t have them. If you’re headed to the airport of a government building, for example, you’ll want to leave your edibles at home.

The effects of edibles last for a long time

Smoking flower is great when you need relief quickly, but when you want the effects to last a long time, edibles are your best option. When you ingest cannabis, it takes longer for the effects to kick in, but those effects will last for a much longer time. You also don’t need to consume as much cannabis to get these long-lasting effects.

Everyone is different, and the timing depends on a multitude of factors like our metabolism and whether you’ve eaten or have an empty stomach. However, in general, it takes between 30 minutes and 4 hours to start feeling the effects of edibles. From there, the effects can last a few hours or even up to twelve hours. This is why many people take edibles before going to bed – getting that full impact while they sleep makes them wake up feeling incredibly rested.

Edibles are a great alternative to smoking

Although smoking cannabis is probably the most popular consumption method, it’s not for everyone. Edibles won’t expose you to the potentially harmful effects of smoking. If you’ve been avoiding trying cannabis because you thought you had to smoke it, edibles are the perfect opportunity for you to try cannabis.

Already familiar with edibles? Try something new

If you’ve been consuming cannabis edibles for a while, maybe it’s time to try something new. If you’ve always been into baked goods, branch out and try some beverages, chocolate bars, or even an adaptogen-boosted cannabis gummy for example. There are plenty of edibles to choose from so you can be sure you’ll find something new that you can enjoy.