Another newbie guest writer on the Legal-Island blog this short week (as we're off on Good Friday for Easter)!!

Congratulations to all involved with the conferences last week, the feedback was excellent.

On Monday, Jayne and Donna are meeting with Schraeder to show them round our Island House Training Centre.

Tuesday sees the continuation of our popular breakfast seminars - it's Absence from Work and Holiday Entitlement this week with Ciara Dooris from Tughans Solicitors.

This week is quite quiet in terms of networking - Barry is meeting Hannah Carney, a performance coach on Wednesday and Stella Gilmartin on Thursday from Gilmartin Consulting.

Scott will be attending the breakfast seminar on Tuesday 30 March and will be facilitating the training sessions at the ‘Discipline & Underperformance’ workshop on Thursday 1 April. No fooling.

Rumour has it that Barry is getting a new car, so the picture is for the memory of the old one...

Here's to a happy Easter and another busy week aboard the 'island!

Monday 22nd March - Guest Writer Ainsley

Welcome to another busy week at the Island and my first appearance as guest writer, having joined the company just three weeks ago.

A quick look at last week's activities prompted an update on Kerry and Heather's volunteer day as 'saints' for Antrim Primary School. They had a great day with the children and look pleased as punch with their souvenir t-shirts.

This week is another busy one, with three events in Dublin covering Employment Law in the Education Sector, Mastering the HR Function (which has now sold out) and Health & Safety in the Workplace. We also have a seminar on Preparing for an Industrial Tribunal in the North.

This week Barry is travelling to Dublin on Monday for the education conference and is back in action in Northern Ireland on Wednesday, meeting David McAvery from Serious PR, Gill Fairley from Jenkinson Consulting and Mike Nangle from DNT. On Friday he's in London on business.

Scott is also in Dublin this week, meeting speakers Kieran Doran, Brid Deering, Valerie Daunt and Killian O'Reilly on Wednesday. On Thursday and Friday, he will be undertaking a training course - High Impact Presentations - with Dale Carnegie Training, also in Dublin.

Jayne is in Dublin on Tuesday for the education conference and on Thursday, she will be attending the Leadership and Management Skills Conference at La Mon House.

Next week sees the continuation of our popular Breakfast Seminar series, with 'Absence from work and holiday entitlement,' presented by Ciara Dooris of Tughans Solicitors.

Here's to another great week.

Monday 15th March - Guest Writer Kerry

I feel privileged with this being my first time writing
the company blog after my six month sabbatical to Oz.

It still feels strange sometimes being back home in sunny Antrim and not diving the reef somewhere off East Coast Australia (left). Now looking at the picture I was lucky not to lose that thumb as shark bait..........streeeewth!

We have another busy and diligent week planned on the Island.

We start with our breakfast seminar tomorrow: Twitter & Understanding its Networking Value presented by Dawn Baird a very knowledgeable speaker on the subject from Sensei. For further titles in the series go to Breakfast Seminars NI.

I am networking at a Citigolf/Cheltenham Corporate event hosted by O'Reilly Stewart Solicitors on Tuesday afternoon. And both Heather and I are off to 'be a saint' at Antrim Primary school on Friday through a volunteer day organised by BITC. A bit of painting, gardening and reading to 30 five year olds never did anyone any harm. Or did it?

Barry is meeting Letitia Fitzpatrick on Thursday as well as Michela McAleer from the Office of Northern Ireland Ombudsman. He’s also meeting George Hynds from the BMA that day too. On Friday he’s off to Dublin to meet some solicitors.

This week is Michelle's last week before she heads off on maternity. We wish her a found farewell and all the best with the exciting times to come.

Next week we will see the second in our very popular series of Educational Law Seminars in Dublin and Preparing for an Industrial Tribunal in the North.

Wishing everyone a wonderful St Patricks Day and remember 'Never iron a four-leaf clover, because you don't want to press your luck........'

(Guest blogger this week is Scott Alexander, seen here with Judith Gillespie, deputy Chief Constable, Orlagh O'Neill, Head of the employment Team at Carson McDowell, and Pauline Shepherd, Director of HR at NI Water, at the launch of the 2010 Northern Ireland HR Conference, which will take place on 22 April.)

The week before St. Patrick's Day is always busy - we have to get things finalised before people go on holiday. Quite a few of our speakers and customers take part of all of the week off.

Scott will be holding a coaching session with a manager from a local firm on Monday. Tuesday sees him chair the local Antrim/Ballymena HR forum, where the guest speaker will be Mark McAllister from the LRA. On Wednesday he is at the Hilton hotel in Belfast to meet speakers at our 'Essentials of Employment Law' course. He's back again on Thursday - this time he'll be facilitating the 'Discipline and Underperformance' workshop. On Friday he will be a guest at A & L Goodbody's Update of Legal Developments Seminar that they are holding for their clients.
Barry Phillips is meeting Gillian Esquivel from 30-40-30; Amanda Leith, Sunnymeade Nursing Home, Armagh; and Charlotte Richardson and Paul McErlean from MCEPR.

Heather Stewart, our Conference Manager for the Republic of Ireland events has joined Women in Business. Contact Heather on 028 9446 3888 if you want more information.

Jayne Finlay, our Conference Director, has a busy week - Tuesday: meeting with Junior Nelson, our accountant; Wednesday: meeting with Fiona Keegan; Thursday: meeting with Gillian Esquivel.

Michelle Horrobin, our Marketing Officer and Ainsley Hirst, our Senior Marketing Executive are meeting Priory Press this week.

(Guest Blogger this week Barry Phillips, MD (right)

We've a busy week as usual on the Island this week.

I'm meeting Alan McVey from Iron Mountain on Wednesday as well as Catherine Vint from the Information Commissioner's office in Belfast. Thereafter I'm meeting Pamela Wood from the Belfast Education & Library Board which I'm really looking forward to. She's always good craic.

Scott will be meeting with our HR Conference sponsors at the offices of Carson McDowell solicitors on 2 March. Carson McDowell are the legal sponsors of the Northern Ireland HR Conference and will be providing three speakers on employment law issues. The other sponsors are BITC, Parity and Carecall. Our media partners for the conference on 22 April are the Belfast Telegraph.

Scott will also be discussing the Mock Tribunal Hearing event which will take place on 25 March. Orlagh O’Neill, Head of Employment at Carson McDowell, will be the lead facilitator at that event.

Kerry, Jayne and Pamela are attending the Prince’s Trust, Tomorrows Entrepreneurs Conference on Friday morning at the Ramada, Belfast. The event will be facilitated by Mark Simpson, BBC and keynote speaker Karren Brady will inspire and motivate mentors with her session on ‘Motivating Individuals to Achieve their Goals.’

We've a breakfast seminar on this week entitled "Charisma and leadership" delivered by Harry Harpur from Harry the Loop. On Wednesday afternoon Kerry our NI Events Manager is meeting David McComb of Parity & Feargal McCormick of FPM. On Thursday evening she's out Networking Event with Women in Business & BEN

It's Pamela's last day on Friday before going off on maternity leave. We've a lunch for her on Wednesday.

We're also shooting a video this week to show people how to get to our premises from the motorway. Our training centre is being converted into a film studio on Wednesday as a local language teacher comes in to shoot a movie or too for the web.

There we are. Didn't I say we've a busy week ahead?