Personal Development

Personal development skills training, courses and seminars from Kaplan Hawksmere, the UK’s leading legal CPD training company.

Would you like to offer any of the following courses or seminars in-house? You can save on employee travel costs and time away from the office with high-quality management development training on your premises.

Kaplan Hawksmere’s in-house capability is built on a solid foundation of over 20 years experience in the training consultancy, public course and conference industries. We serve over 60,000 customers each year. Organisations seeking in-house and bespoke training solutions know they can trust Kaplan Hawksmere for results-oriented, practical delivery. To speak with a member of our dedicated in house services team, please contact us on 0845 076 0679 (at local rates) or e-mail incompany@hawksmere.co.uk.

• 'The 5 day MBA!' - Developing the high performance manager

  This Fast-track, senior management development programme is a must attend course designed for high performance managers who must drive profit and success in difficult times.

  
  

• Achieving results through effective time management

  This course shows how to use a simple results-driven approach to focus yourself and the people around you to produce better results every day, whilst at the same time reducing stress and 'overwhelm'.

  
  

• Achieving results through emotional intelligence

  This one day interactive seminar will help you to explore and manage your own emotional intelligence, and will provide the tools for enhancing the performance of both yourself and your teams.

  
  

• Assertiveness for maximum impact

  This seminar will give you the skills and techniques needed to increase your personal effectiveness. Spend one day learning how to stand your ground, stake your claim and gain what's owed to you, in all types of situation and in a constructive way.

  
  

• Building client relationships

  This workshop uses a model of relationships to consider where you could improve both in technical or product messages or in engagement with the people at your client. There will be a number of ideas and tips offered and the sessions will look to discuss a number of subjects where there can be a range of answers. The key principle applied being ‘Know the person as well as the business’.

  
  

• Building Rapport with Clients

  This course will help you develop the skills necessary to build a rapport with your clients that will be the foundation of your relationship with them.

  
  

• Clearly showing financial information

  If you fear that your documents are a bit uninviting, if you want them to have more clarity and impact, this seminar is for you. Learn the tips and principles for structuring words and numbers so people can better absorb them.

  
  

• Commercial Awareness

  The most successful lawyers are those who combine technical ability with an understanding of their client’s business. This course will help lawyers give commercial advice in context.

  
  

• Drafting and enforcing R&D contracts

  A day of practical information and guidance from a highly experienced team of R&D specialists

  
  

• Effective Business Writing

  This course adopts a modern and progressive approach to business writing. It will help delegates write to clients and colleagues using simple, concise and effective language.

  
  

• Effective Client Interviewing

  This interactive course will enable delegates to hold effective client interviews. It will help them understand how to prepare for an interview and how to structure them. It will also examine the key questioning and listening skills required in interviews as well as looking at how to build rapport with clients in these situations.

  
  

• Effective Meetings

  The course will help delegates hold effective client and internal meetings. It will highlight the importance of preparation, look at how to structure and control meetings; and examine the key questioning and listening techniques which are an integral part of successful meetings.

  
  

• Effective writing skills for business

  Letters to customers, memos to staff, communications to suppliers, reports to the board - even messages to motivate and inspire. This one-day seminar will enable you to portray yourself as professional, friendly, considerate and capable in every business communication you write.

  
  

• Essential Coaching Skills

  The course will introduce delegates to business coaching and familiarise them with the most essential skills involved.

  
  

• Handling Difficult People

  In any job, we are at certain times all faced with difficult situations and/or people whom we perceive are being awkward, whether they are colleagues, other lawyers, suppliers or clients. This course will help you develop the skills necessary to deal with these circumstances effectively and achieve outcomes that you did not think were possible.

  
  

• How to Bill Clients Effectively

  This seminar will introduce you to the options for billing your clients and consider how to bill well yet still retain satisfied clients.

  
  

• Influencing and negotiation skills for finance professionals

  This course will give you insights and practical tools to use in your negotiations, providing a structure for the negotiation process with tools and techniques for use at each stage.

  
  

• Introduction to Business Development & Networking

  
  

• Introduction to general management

  This specially developed two-day seminar caters for the needs of both prospective managers soon to make the transition to management and those already in management, but still 'new' to it!

  
  

• Introduction to Presenting

  This course will help you become more confident and proficient in making presentations to a range of audiences and in various situations

  
  

• Leading and managing an effective in-house legal department

  An interactive two-day seminar designed to give an insight into how to improve the management of your in-house legal service and develop your leadership skills and style.

  
  

• Making Appraisals Work

  This interactive session will give participants an overview of the appraisal process and help them understand the objectives and benefits of performance reviews. It will enable them to prepare for, and effectively conduct, appraisals.

  
  

• Mastering your personal effectiveness

  This interactive two-day seminar aims to take the frustration out of your daily life by enabling you to refocus on your priorities and develop a strategy to get your work and personal life back into perspective.

  
  

• MCS 1

  All solicitors have to attend this course before the end of their 3rd full CPD year after admission. The course will bring you the very latest practice management thinking and techniques. It will equip you to make the maximum contribution to your firm, both as a fee earner and as a future partner.

  
  

• MCS 1 - In-house Lawyers

  All solicitors must attend Management Course Stage One between their date of admission and 31st October at the end of their third CPD year – and this programme meets the needs of in-house lawyers whether in the public sector or industry.

  
  

• MCS 2

  This programme builds on the mandatory Management Course Stage One and explores the subject in more depth providing delegates with information to become a more effective manager and help them meet the requirements of the Code.

  
  

• Negotiation skills

  This training seminar will introduce you to a range of tools and techniques to increase your effectiveness in any negotiation situation.

  
  

• Negotiation Skills for Lawyers

  This practical workshop is for lawyers of all disciplines. It is particularly suitable for less experienced negotiators. The aim of the course is to ensure that you will feel more confident going into any negotiation and that you understand and develop the skills necessary to achieve the best possible results for your clients.

  
  

• Perfect presentations

  This highly practical seminar enables presenters to develop their skills in handling demanding presentation situations. The emphasis is on the use of structured techniques and the development of self confidence.

  
  

• Persuasion and influencing skills

  A thought-provoking two days that will help both sales and non-sales people understand how persuasion and influence works.

  
  

• Planning, forecasting and budgeting

  A concentrated day of practical advice and guidance on how to improve your planning, forecasting and budgeting processes - for better financial control and performance.

  
  

• Recruitment Interviewing Skills

  Created especially, but not exclusively, for lawyers; this course will enable delegates to develop the skills needed to conduct effective recruitment interviews for employees at all levels.

  
  

• Supervising Trainee Solicitors

  This interactive course provides guidance and understanding to the principal and ensures the transition from student to solicitor. Whilst this course will touch on the SRA’s guidelines for supervising trainees, it is primarily a skills-based course.

  
  

• The essential management skills for the senior secretary and PA

  This up-to-the-minute seminar has been designed with you in mind - giving you the tools and techniques to succeed in the ever-changing role you occupy.

  
  

• The Future of Legal Services

  This course, aimed at junior fee-earners and support staff, looks at changes currently faced by lawyers with a particular emphasis on the legal services Act 2007 including, how these affect their work practices and how to introduce and implement change successfully.

  
  

• Time & Stress Management for Lawyers

  This one day course tackles two of the key issues that affect everyone’s ability to function effectively and happily at work. Led by inspirational international speaker, Rob Parsons, this remains one of our most popular seminars. As our lives face greater and more demanding challenges we struggle to find time and face the concept of stress this inspirational course will guide us through this potentially debilitating state of affairs.

  
  

• Train the trainer

  For training to be successful it needs to be business focused and deliver real results back to the organisation. It also needs to be designed with learning in mind. This two-day seminar will cover the fundamentals of training design and delivery, will help you strengthen your skills as a training facilitator and will focus on building your confidence as a trainer.

  
  

• WEBINAR - Achieving results through effective time management

  This webinar will provide you with tools and tips to help you take better control of your time and manage those around you.

  
  

• WEBINAR - Negotiation Skills - making the pie bigger

  This webinar will look at the three stages of the negotiation process – Planning, the Conversation and Follow up – and present tools, tips and techniques to consider at each stage. There will also be a brief consideration of personal styles and the impact of emotion on the negotiation process.

  
  

• WEBINAR - Perfect grammar and punctuation

  This is a reminder of what it means to write well. It includes some essential basic elements for effective written communication; with some hints and tips for you to use.

  
  

• Women in management

  A dynamic and practical interactive seminar for women managers who are, or will soon be, amongst the most senior decision makers at their organisation and who are looking for ways to take on their next challenge.

  
  

• Workplace mediation

  This practical and participative workshop will equip you to undertake 'pre-emptive conflict management' with confidence in your workplace.