A PA in PI: My Career Journey and 5 Essential Tips

Sophie Mash – Executive Personal Assistant in the abuse department at Bolt Burdon Kemp

With seven years of experience as a legal secretary and personal assistant, I’ve created this blog to share lessons and tips I’ve learned along the way.

I completed a City & Guilds/CILEx Level 3 Diploma for Legal Secretaries and gained work experience at a law firm in London. After college, I worked for five years at a corporate law firm as an administrator, a Junior Legal Secretary and a Team Secretary in the corporate and energy departments. Later, I joined Bolt Burdon Kemp and although I was new to personal injury law, I was drawn to the meaningful role of supporting the Head of the Abuse Department, working on cases that make a positive impact on people’s lives.

Working as a Legal Personal Assistant in a personal injury firm has been an incredibly rewarding and eye-opening journey for me. My role has involved providing support, handling everyday tasks, and communicating with clients during difficult times. I’ve developed strong administrative skills while making sure everything runs smoothly, and I’ve picked up valuable lessons that have shaped the way I approach my work.

My five essential tips

In this blog, I’ll share lessons I’ve learned, both professionally and personally. Whether you’re a Personal Assistant or interested in the legal sector, I hope my experiences offer helpful tips for supporting a team.

1. Understanding the work style and priorities of your team

An assistant must understand their team’s work style. Your role involves multitasking, organising tasks, and managing expectations, so knowing how your team works is key to staying efficient. Make an effort to understand their work styles to make your job easier.

Here are some simple tips:

• Observe team dynamics: Pay attention to how team members communicate and their productivity times to tailor your support.
• Understand team goals: Know the team’s objectives and deadlines to align your work accordingly.
• Be flexible: Adapt to changing tasks or priorities and adjust your approach as needed.

2. Attending training sessions

It’s helpful to learn about your team’s work and get involved. I’ve found attending internal training on civil and personal injury law really beneficial, and it improves my work as an assistant. I also recommend attending events for Personal Assistants to connect with others, share ideas, and learn new tips.

Attending training sessions helps you:

• Gain a stronger sense of accountability
• Expand your knowledge and learn about recent developments in the industry
• Create further opportunities for personal development
• Network with other assistants

3. Utilising technology

As Assistants, it’s important to take responsibility for improving our skills. Take the time to learn and master the technology around you. I attended a great training session by Paul Pennant at Todays PA on how to make the most of Outlook for Assistants. I learned lots of tips and tricks that have made it much easier to manage my tasks and support my team. Don’t be afraid to try new programmes! It’s important for us to use the tools that work best for our teams.

Here are some tips:

• Categorising emails: Organise and group your emails to easily see what you need to action.
• Using Tasks: Move emails that need action into Tasks to separate them from regular emails. You can also categorise them within Tasks.
• Using shortcuts: As assistants, every second counts! Using shortcuts in Outlook is a great way to save time throughout the day. Click here to find helpful shortcuts.

4. Making the most of firm life!

It’s not all work! Get involved in what your firm offers to connect with others, especially if you have flexible hours and don’t see your colleagues often. I’ve benefited from joining activities like Film Club, Baking Club, and Knitting Club, where I met people from different departments. Attending work events shows your commitment to the firm and helps you get to know others.

Here are some tips to get involved:

• Ask your manager/HR about upcoming events
• Make the most of your internal intranet to see what is happening at your firm
• Speak to others and go to events together
• Sign up to external mailing lists for the latest event updates

5. Setting sights on career progress

As a Personal Assistant, there are many opportunities for career progression. By expanding your skills and taking on new responsibilities, you can move into more senior roles and even transition into different areas of your organisation.

Here are some helpful tips:

• Set clear goals
• Be patient and consistent
• Communicate your ambitions
• Get comfortable with change

I am grateful there has been so much opportunity for growth in my role, and by following these tips myself I have been able to progress my career and expand my knowledge and skills. Hopefully these tips are useful to others in a similar position.