Week 6 Blog Post – BSBLED503 Maintain and Enhance Professional Practice

In my personal life I have to apply professional practice on a daily basis whilst I am at work. My role of a paralegal working in the legal property department of a international company demands that I observe both the processes and procedures that the organisation has in place, but to also ensure that the work I complete abides by the different legislation which is dependant on the location of the store that we are working for.

Professional practice is also about mannerisms and presentation. Each and every day I ensure I am well groomed and dressed appropriately, and that my appearance is of a professional nature. I ensure my desk is tidy, and my work is always neat and fully completed before submitting it for review. When communicating with colleagues or external clients via email, phone, or in person, I assume a calm and competent manner and ensure my language is professional.

I ensure that from every angle I project professionalism and competency within my role. To my colleaugues and clients, this creates the impression that I am more than capable of the tasks assigned to me within my professional practice.

Week 5 Blog Post – BSBLED503 Maintain and Enhance Professional Practice

Often the fastest way to access information is via an organisations website. These websites, however, can vary greatly across different types of organisations with the information they provide and how it is delivered. A comparison between three types of legal services and their websites provided us with varying website content however there were also a lot of similarities.

Legal Aid Queensland is funded by the Queensland Government to ‘give legal help to financially disadvantaged people about criminal, family and civil law matters.’ Their website provides information on legal information, getting legal help, finding a lawyer and provides factsheets and guides. They have easily accessible contact information, news and information, and details on who and how they are able to assist. The most important point of difference between this and other websites is the ‘listen or translate’ function which assists those with a visual or hearing impediment to navigate the website.

Logan Law is a high profile and well known private law firm that predominantly takes on matters such as injury and disability claims or workplace harassment. Their website is bright and flashy, and has their slogans sprawled across every page. The website is easy to navigate, and the contact details are a standout feature on every page. Their website contains information on the services provided, their mission statement, information about their team and news listed on their blog.

Donovan Knapp Lawyers is a local law firm providing services in family business, dispute resolution and litigation, will and estate planning, and property law and conveyancing. The website is a simple design, however easy to navigate. The essential information such as contact details, services, and information about the organisation is easily accessible.

All three websites had their contact details easily accessible and outlined their purpose and the services theu offered. The greatest difference across the three websites was their advertising method. The high profile law firm was flashy and bold, compared to the humble and sophisticated websites of the local law firm, and the government legal service.

References

Donovan Knapp Lawyers, viewed 28 February 2019, www.donovanknapp.com.au/contact-us/

Legal Aid Queensland, Legal Aid Queensland, viewed 28 February 2019, www.legalaid.qld.gov.au/About-us/Our-organisation/Legal-Aid-Queensland

Logan Law, viewed 28 February 2019, www.loganlaw.com.au/

Week 4 Blog Post – BSBLED503 Maintain and Enhance Professional Practice

Each individual person learns and retains information differently. According to Adult Learning Australia, ‘the three most cited learning styles are visual learners who prefer images, pictures, diagrams, films and videos or demonstrations; auditory learners who learn best through the process of listening and talking; and kinesthetic learners who learn by doing.’

My own learning style is a combination of both visual and kinesthetic. To understand the ‘bigger picture’ and the overall process of a task I need to be shown and walked through from start to finish so I can have an understanding of the task as a whole. Once I have processed this, I can start to break down the task into smaller steps where I can physically complete the role myself. While I am doing the task, I like to document the process with notes and screenshots so I can refer to them later.

My role as a Paralegal is very administrative heavy which is perfect for my combination of learning style. Often I will be shown a process, then it is up to me to repeat the task alone and refine it to make it more efficient. By combining these learning styles, I find that this is the best way for me to learn and retain information.

References:

Learning styles, Adult Learning Australia, viewed 01 February 2019, www.ala.asn.au/learning-styles/

Week 3 Blog Post – BSBLED503 Maintain and Enhance Professional Practice

There are many professional industries that require Continuing Professional Development (CPD) such as lawyers, doctors, engineers, teachers and accountants. Each industry has different CPD requirements to complete in order to maintain and ensure their knowledge is relevant in their profession.

According to Queensland Law Society, ‘practitioners are required to complete a minimum of 10 CPD points each year to maintain their practising certificate, stay up to date with legislative changes and the evolution of the ‘business of law’ in their practices.’ Queensland practitioners must earn a minimum of 1 legal CPD unit in each of Practical Legal Ethics, Practice Management and Business Skills and Professional Skills.

The CPD points can be obtained by ‘attending seminars and conferences, preparing for presenting at seminars or conferences, viewing on-demand recordings of conferences or seminars, publishing articles in law journals and other legal publications such as Proctor or becoming a member of a Queensland Law Society (QLS) section or committee.’

According to Law CPD, ‘under the Law Society QLD continuing legal education scheme, practitioners must maintain a record of their legal CLE activities.’ These records can be randomly audited to ensure they are complying with the legal education scheme.

References:

Continuing professional development (CPD), Queensland Law Society, viewed 25 January 2019, www.qls.com.au/For_the_profession/Your_legal_career/Continuing_professional_development_CPD

CPD Requirements for Queensland lawyers, LawCPD, viewed 25 Janaury 2019, www.lawcpd.com.au/cpd-requirements-queensland-lawyers

Week 2 Blog Post – BSBLED503 Maintain and Enhance Professional Practice

I am currently studying to enhance my career and to open doors to more exciting opportunities with bigger responsibilities in the future. With my background in real estate, my goal is to work within the property law industry so I have started to look at what career paths I have available to me. The most attractive option to me at the moment is the role of a conveyancer or commercial leasing as these roles combine my experience and skill set.

In preparation for my career progression after I finish my study, I have begun to look into opportunities and plan my path. I have done some research on Seek and found a job that seemed to fit what I aspire to do (The job can be found at this link (www.seek.com.au/job/38120296?searchrequesttoken=74a682ed-90b4-4b55-b55e-be07c4ff7b54&type=promoted).

In order to have a chance in attaining this position, I will need to finish my studies and gain more experience in the conveyancing industry. This can be done through study and research, and first hand experience. I currently work as a paralegal with an international company, so this involvement is crucial to my development and to give me the opportunity to expand my skills.

Week 1 Blog Post – BSBLED503 Maintain and Enhance Professional Practice

A business or organisation should always have a goal or a vision – this can be as complex as a mission statement or as simple as a goal to work towards. A mission statement helps determine the organisations direction and values for employees, and showcases to clients the primary purpose for being in business.

The Mission Statement of Hatzis Lawyers can be found on their webite as follows:

“Our values are uncompromising. We strive to exceed our clients’ expectations by providing:

• efficiency,
• empathy,
• integrity,
• dedication, and
• practicality

in all services provided by us in every area of the law.”

My own values align very well with this company’s goals due to my own personal standards. Whenever I do anything in either my professional or personal life, these are very similar to the values that I try to uphold. My work experience compliments these values due to my experience in administration, customer service and and in the legal industry, including my current role as a paralegal for an international company.

From my personal and professional experiences, I have found myself to be a dedicated employee with an eye for detail, who is willing to go above and beyond in the role. I have always worked alongside other people and try to be empathetic to everyones situation.

There is always room to improve, and in order to meet this organisations needs I would require more experience and to finalise my education to ensure I am knowledgeable about their areas of law.

References:

Vision & Mission Statement, Hatzis Laywers viewed 23 January 2019, www.hatzislawyers.com.au/vision-mission-statement/

A practical blog to provide tools and advice for those working in professional industries such as Law, Business and Economics.

No law or ordinance is mightier than understanding.

– Plato