Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.
This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.
Week 6 Professional Practice
This is the final blog to this assignment in my legal studies. Week 6 we are looking at professional practice and how I apply this in the workforce.
I currently work in a correctional centre in Queensland. My current role in administration revolves around following the Custodial Operations Practice Directives (COPD). The COPD states specific requirements for every role. For my role I need to ensure time frames for prisoners to receive mail, what can and can’t be opened, what photos and property are allowed and what needs extra approval. All correctional centre’s in Queensland need to ensure professional practice is adhered to as often we are audited by Queensland Corrective Services to ensure our procedures are correct.
Within our small office we often have a chat and a laugh, however always remember our environment. We have regular professional visitors including police and lawyers so it’s important ensure professional practice is adhered to at all times.
Week 5 Cyber Legal Firms
This week i will analyse three different law firms based on the website they offer. I will look at the layout and services they each provide and suggest small improvements.
South East Legal Services
The first law firm I researched was South East Legal Services, a community law firm. I found the website to have a lot of blue squares that changed colour once the mouse hovered over them making it rather distracting and difficult to read. South East Legal Services specialise in enforcement hearings, debt recovery and general legal support. there are four tabs at the top, home, about us, blog and contact. I found the site very vague and in comparison to the other sites researched.
sels.com.au (accessed 17/01/2020)
Logan Law
Logan Law are a no win no fee firm specialising in injury claims. The website is orange and blue with five tabs at the top. The about us tab has very nice portraits of the staff, however the tacky orange and blue cover page takes away the professionalism of the website. There is a big request a call back box under the legal services tab that isn’t necessary. If people want to contact you they will, without waiting the 24 hours they claim on the site.
http://www.loganlaw.com.au (accessed 17/01/2020)
Just Us Lawyers
The third law firm is a small boutique firm located in Kelvin Grove called Just Us Lawyers. Their website was easy to read ranging from conveyancing to criminal law. This firm offers the convenience of being close enough to the city without the hefty parking fees. I found the website to have an authentic rustic feel that was inviting. The information was easily found under the tabs at the top of the page. The only change i would suggest would be the photo of a random lady on the cover page, perhaps a team photo would work better.
Https://justuslaw.com (accessed 17/01/2020)
Week 4 Learning Styles.
This week’s focus is on learning styles and how i best learn new skills. I had a good idea of my learning style but decided to take a test on howtolearn.com to confirm.
My learning style is visual. This means that I learn best when things are written down or physically shown to me. My current role has given me the privilege of self managing by having a manager in a different building trusting my judgement. This has escalated by ability to make decisions and make the role my own. Being a visual learner has been to my advantage in the sense that i keep record of everything i do incase i ever need to refer to it.
Leaning a new role escalates my anxiety and often i hear things but don’t process them. It is best for me to take notes to later refect on to teach myself.
When teaching new people my role, i have an in-depth folder with how to notes on every aspect of the role with a print out of the legislation related.
Reference
learning styles self assesment visit 11/01/20 19:20
Week 3 Continuing Professional Development
This week the task is to analyse two professions that require Continuing professional development.
I have chosen Corrections as an industry that requires regular training. Entry level Correctional Officer’s are required to do an initial ten week course followed by completion of a certificate III in Corrections within the first twelve months of employment. Officer’s also have the option to complete a Certificate IIII in Corrections to progress their career to a supervisor level. Staff within a correctional facility have weekly training varying face to face training to online development courses. These forms of training vary from Case Noting to fire training, Suicide Prevention to CPR and First Aid. It is mandatory that all officers are reviewed on control and restraint every twelve months, failing this requirement will end your career as an officer. It is paramount for the good order of the centre that all staff are adequately trained. This prepares staff for uneasy situations that may arrise and ensures professional standards are adhered to.
The profession of a “Lawyer requires 10 CDP points per year to maintain their practising certificate” according to the Queensland Law Society. “Lawyers can gain the points required by attending seminars, publishing articules in law journals or by viewing on demand recordings of conferences and seminars”.
References
Queensland Law Society CDP viewed 02.01.20
https://www.qls.com.au/For_the_profession/Your_legal_career/Continuing_professional_development_CPD
Week 1 Organisational goals and objectives
I decided to do this blog on a boutique law firm in Brisbane called Cooper Grace Ward.
Cooper Grace Ward value sustainably within the environment by having an active partnership with the community. The law firm focus on involving all staff in workshops to review purpose and values. This training ensures that clients obtain the best resultion to their case. Each Cooper Grace Ward office has an artwork that all employees sign onto as a reminder of the teams values. The team values mutual respect, outstanding service, honesty, curiosity and team spirit.
I offer ten years customer service, with extensive training on dealing with difficult people/situations. I am honest and respectful with five years experience in both a male and female correctional facility. I work with people from difficult pasts ensuring that respect and empathy is given.
I am an introvert, it can take a while for me to be comfortable in a new environment with new people. Often i will go with other peoples ideas instead of offering my own. This is something i am working on, with hope that more knowledge in the field will help me have the confidence to speak up.
Reference
Www.cgl.com.au
Week 2 new position for you BSBLED503
I have been looking to progress my career for about 5 years and find that with every role there is always an older person who offers more experience than i possibly could given my age. I often find this a put off from applying. I am hoping that with a Diploma in Legal Services i may find an employer willing to give me a chance to do great things.
Below i have found a position that is of interest to me within the Legal field. This position is for a Legal Personal Assisitant, this role would give me the opportunity to work closely with clients and assist lawyers when required.
While this position is of interest to me and in the direction i would like my career path to veer, i don’t have the previous experience to obtain an interview.
I come from an administrative role in a correctional facility. While i have great communication and computer skills, i don’t posess the skills in wills or family law to obtain the role.
I have considered the option of offering to volunteer at a local legal firm in order to gain experience within the Legal field or potentially offering my own time within the sentence management team within the correctional facility.
reference
Www.seek.com.au
Introduce Yourself (Example Post)
This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.
You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.
Why do this?
- Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
- Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.
The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.
To help you get started, here are a few questions:
- Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
- What topics do you think you’ll write about?
- Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
- If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?
You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.
Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.
When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.
Organisational goals and objectives 