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Important Transferable Skills That Paralegals Gain In The Workplace

Posted on April 26, 2022 Written by Administrator

Training as a paralegal is a great way to start your career in the legal sector. But that’s far from all there is to gain from becoming a paralegal. Unlike other routes into the legal sector, paralegal work involves a lot more freedom and variety of experience, allowing you to focus on the skills, areas and clients that you want. So, what can kind of personal development can you hope to achieve as you work towards becoming, and indeed whilst working as, a paralegal?

1. Office skills

The skills needed in your work as a paralegal, i.e., source analysis, critical reading and writing and digital knowhow, are useful for any career. These office skills, essential for paralegal work, offer a promising outlook for climbing the ladder as a leading paralegal. However, lots of these skills, such as learning to use office software, writing a formal letter, organising your own time and workload, are useful skills to have navigating life in the 2020s.

2. Self-confidence

Lots of the day-to-day work of a paralegal requires working closely with other legal professionals and clients. It would be hard for a fresh paralegal to get far without picking up some useful interpersonal and communicative skills. The ideal paralegal will develop the self-confidence to assert themselves at work, pursue their clients’ interests and express themselves clearly.

3. Independence

As a qualified freelance paralegal, you’re free to take on as much, or as little, work as you like. If you would like to build your portfolio as a paralegal, you’re free to take on as many clients as you can handle. If you have other responsibilities, maybe you’re a parent or care-giver, the flexibility of freelance work allows you to pursue a high-powered profession while also keeping on top of your personal life. Besides the personal development provided by the job, the flexibility and freedom given to paralegals allows you to pursue any further personal development without having to choose between yourself and your career.

4. Formal personal development courses

Alongside the opportunities for personal development that come with the role, there are also plenty of training courses provided by licensing bodies and law offices. For example, at NALP we offer training courses alongside our paralegal qualifications to help you develop soft skills that are applicable in a variety of workplaces. The potential for progression in the legal industry is fantastic, and employers are usually happy to invest in upskilling their talent.

5. Network with people in the legal sector

Pursuing a career as a paralegal will expose you to a variety of people, from different backgrounds, destined for different places. The people you rub shoulders with as a paralegal could one day offer you a job, or help you find clients. More than just networking, meeting a variety of driven, capable people is a great way to make friends.

The opportunities for personal development and transferable skills afforded by a career as a paralegal are part of what make it such an appealing career choice. You won’t leave your first job without being able to navigate your way around a bustling office, deftly use various office software platforms and speak with confidence. But most of all, on every step of the journey, work as a paralegal offers you the freedom to pursue other ways of developing yourself personally and professionally. Freedom to train remotely and, once qualified, practice in a workplace that suits you: as part of a large law firm; as your own boss; as a freelancer. Whatever way you want to see yourself develop; the paralegal profession can help you achieve it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amanda Hamilton is Chief Executive of the National Association of Licenced Paralegals(NALP), a non-profit membership body and the only paralegal body that is recognised as an awarding organisation by Ofqual (the regulator of qualifications in England). Through its Centres around the country, accredited and recognised professional paralegal qualifications are offered for those looking for a career as a paralegal professional.

Web: http://www.nationalparalegals.co.uk

Twitter: @NALP_UK

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NationalAssocationsofLicensedParalegals/

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-hamilton-llb-hons-840a6a16/

Boost Your Business With A Spring Clean

Posted on April 15, 2022 Written by Administrator

Decluttering your business can feel like bursting open the windows to breathe in the fresh air of a whole new creative chapter for your business. Clearing out and letting go of what is no longer serving you and your business is a strong signal to your subconscious mind that you are upgrading. You are ready to welcome in the fresh new creative emergence and growth for you and your business.

CLEAR OUT YOUR MIND

Cut out the external noise in your environment causing irritation, overstimulation and stress to your mind.

Turn off social media, unfollow any people and groups you respond negatively to. Unsubscribe from expert newsletters letting you know daily the 5 mistakes you are making in your business. Petitions and campaign updates, turn them off. Turn off the news too.

Turn off phone notifications beeping, interrupting your focus and flow, pulling your attention away from what is truly important into time wasting apps. Delete all the apps and games from your phone that are distracting you; and remove yourself from any WhatsApp groups draining your creativity and lifeforce energy.

This doesn’t have to be forever. For now, turn down the volume (right down) on external stimuli so you can hear your own heart’s wisdom and inspiration leading and creating this fresh chapter of your business.

Get out into nature. Go to the water—rivers, lakes, oceans and seas—and clear your mind. For as Wallace J Nichols, author of Blue Mind, why we are happier, healthier and more connected by water, explains: “All the information your mind has to process in an office – computers whirring, conversations chattering, comings and goings, technology beeping – all this background noise falls away leaving only the sound of the waves and the views of the horizon. Now with less background noise for our minds to process we have much more bandwidth for inspiration.”

CLEAR OUT YOUR BODY

Cut out stimulants, such as caffeine and sugar habits that may have crept in, that give you false energy bursts and can amplify and exacerbate unwanted thoughts on repeat on your mind. If you can’t cut them out completely, reduce them a little each day and notice the difference.

You may like to dive in deeper into a full body detox cutting out alcohol, gluten, meat and dairy too, perhaps working with a nutritionist or you may like the ayurvedic approach.

CLEAR OUT YOUR ENERGY

Notice if there are any outstanding business relationships, commitments or ties, any beliefs and behaviours draining you of energy that are ready for a timely good-bye. Saying no to what is no longer in alignment, serving or relevant to you, your clients and customers might feel uncomfortable for a moment; but makes the space for what supports you, your business, your clients and customers to grow now.

CLEAR OUT YOUR OFFICE

Take a look around your office. How does it make you feel? Are you inspired or irritated? Do you feel clear and expansive or hemmed in and cluttered? What needs to go and be recycled, thrown out or given away? What needs to be organised more beautifully?

Go through your entire office. Start with the desk draws and cupboards and clear them all out. Organise any piles of filing, old receipts, contracts and agreements. Recycle, throw away and give away anything that no longer serves your business.

Find some lovely storage boxes to tidy up, straighten out, organise and brighten up a space that you love being in, a space that inspires you when you walk into it, a space that says you are ready for the new.

I once spent the day helping my neighbour, a spa designer and yoga teacher, clear out her office. She threw away 20 years of paperwork, courses and meditation CD’s she’d forgotten she’d created, health and beauty products she’d represented, old contracts and agreements, mood boards from past spa projects.

Over 20 bin bags later, she’d been reminded of her career success, skills and dedication, filling her with confidence. The following week she was offered a new position harnessing all these skills to design and develop a world-leading spa for a 5 star hotel in India. Clearing out the old, made space and invited in the new.

CLEAR OUT YOUR DIARY

Take a look at your diary for the coming week and month. What’s scheduled out of habit or obligation? Which meetings are time wasting? Are there meetings that can be delegated? What can be cancelled if you make and communicate a decision now?

Now schedule in your priority time in nature to listen to your heart’s wisdom and receive the inspiration that will guide the next evolution of your business. Make space for this fresh, new creative emergence.

CLEAR OUT YOUR EMAIL

Do you have 1000 unopened emails in your inbox? Take 2 minutes and scan for the one or two that are truly vital and important. Create an action mailbox folder and move these one or two into that. Delete the rest. Double delete by emptying the deleted or bin folder. How does that feel?

CLEAR OUT YOUR BUSINESS STRUCTURE

Lastly, time for some honest business reflection. What about the structure of your business is no longer working? Scan your purpose, audience, product, pricing, marketing and PR, financial structure of your business. Which areas need a clear out, a reboot and refresh to welcome in new life and creative energy?

Is there a product that has run its course or is crying out for the next evolution and relaunch? Does your value and pricing need an upgrade? Perhaps staying hidden away in the background needs to go as you listen to a calling to step up and be the creative, vibrant leader and spokesperson for your business that you are? If chasing financial goals or financial survival during the pandemic has left you burnt out, let it go and reconnect with your heart’s wisdom, purpose and reason for being in business. Be brave. Clear it out to make space to welcome in the fresh, new creative energy, lifeforce and success for you and your business to evolve and grow.

About Kat Byles

Kat Byles is the Founder of the True Business School, for creative leaders, entrepreneurs, teachers, artists and healers who want to do business differently. She works with people to find and align with their purpose and creativity to build a happy, healthy, wealthy business and world.

Web: www.KatByles.com & www.True-Business-School.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katbyles/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katbyles/

What have we learned from 2021 and how should you approach fundraising in 2022?

Posted on January 20, 2022 Written by Administrator

Despite all the issues during the last two years business have still managed to raise capital. This will continue in 2022 although the number of successful raises will still be fewer than it was in 2019.

Let’s review some 2021 stats for early-stage businesses, and then offer suggestions to help your next equity raise.

All data included here is based on UK headquartered companies who raised equity capital from 01 January to 01 December in comparative years. Data comes from Beauhurst.

Raises – business stage

In reviewing the raises in 2021 we’ve focused in on earlier rounds to give a picture of what is happening in this part of the market.

The number of rounds by broad business stage shows that seed stage companies accounted for nearly half of all the rounds in the year.

Excludes dead and exited businesses.

Raises – Round Size

Often businesses do a number of smaller rounds, and it’s possible that the same business is being counted twice in any category.

What do we see when we look at the data for the number of raises by round size? 70%+ of all rounds were under a million and 40% were under £250k.

Does this mean you should raise £250k or less because there seems to be more activity? Running multiple smaller rounds is worth considering. However, the strategy depends on which type of investor you’re targeting.

Remember that this data shows reported raises. No one reports unsuccessful raises, and a conservative estimate is that half of businesses fail to reach their target.

Given this how should those with early-stage businesses prepare for a successful fundraise?

A clear proposition and USP

Remember how competitive it is. We receive hundreds of applications each month and see the same business ideas over and over again. A good idea alone is never enough. Make sure the problem you’re solving and how you’re solving it are clear. Use simple language. Strip out the jargon, minimise the adjectives and provide a description that your least business savvy friend can understand. If no one can understand what you do, no one will want to invest.

Differentiation is also key. What makes you so special? Everyone has a competitor- even if that is the option of doing nothing. So, outline how you are unique, how this is sustainable and be sure to take an objective viewpoint. It’s easy to believe you are better than your competitors, but does anyone who doesn’t work for your business think that? If you don’t know, find out.

A standout team

Investors invest in people, and many would take a good idea with a great team over a great idea with a good team. So, make sure you have a standout team. That includes sector experience, a balanced management team in terms of functional experience and any previous exits are a bonus.

If you are light in one area, it’s good to seek an advisor or non-executive director as that can give confidence to potential investors. They’ll also provide valuable advice and contacts.

Showing traction

Coming armed with proof that you have product-market fit and sustained growth goes a long way. If you have any big brands as customers or partners, highlight this as it provides further validation for your business. This is especially important for consumer brands and marketplaces. We see a lot of businesses in these categories. Unless you have a growing customer base, your business is little more than an idea and therefore perceived as a big risk by investors.

Professional preparation

Getting investment ready requires a lot of work, including preparing numerous documents such the balance sheet, the subscription agreement, the cap table.

We always recommend companies work with an advisor to create their deal as it helps ensure all information is available, professionally presented and credible. There are short-cuts, such as downloading templates, but the risk of a poorly presented deal is just not worth taking.

Effective targeting of investors

Be clear on the types of investor you want to target, be it regional funds, angel investors, or VCs. Then develop a targeted list.

If possible, work with a network like Envestors, which has deep knowledge of the players in the space as well as pre-existing relationships with investors. This approach will take away the guess work of trying to engage with potential investors on your own.

The early-stage investment in 2022 is shaping up to be much like the past year. This means preparing well so you are ready for the competition for funds, and the amount of time your fundraising will take.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chantelle Arneaud is from Envestors. Envestors’ digital investment platform brings together entrepreneurs and investors across geographies, communities and sectors – creating the single marketplace for early-stage investment in the UK.

Envestors partners with accelerators, incubators and angel networks to provide a white-label platform empowering them to promote deals, engage investors and connect to other networks.

Founded in 2004, Envestors has helped more than 200 high growth businesses raise more than £100m through its own private investment club.

Envestors is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Web: https://www.envestors.co.uk/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/envestors-llp/

Twitter: @EnvestorsLondon