Alternative careers
as many firms are favouring paralegals over trainees or even some junior solicitors. This is particularly true in alternative business structure (ABS) law firms, which are permitted to have paralegal partners. Paralegals with paralegal practising certificates under the Professional Paralegal Register (PPR) have the added credibility of a voluntary regulator behind them, making them ideal as freelancers. Paralegals with sufficient experience can now also apply for junior judicial office. While it is now possible to complete a paralegal apprenticeship, it is not in fact essential to have any legal qualifications whatsoever to work as a paralegal – according to the website of the Institute of Paralegals (IoP – www.theiop.org), of the approximately 60,000 paralegals working in solicitors’ firms, most do not have any legal qualifications and only a minority are graduates. Rita Leat, chief executive of the IoP, says: “There has never been a better time to become a professional paralegal, as they are now recognised as the fourth arm of the legal profession. Paralegals make up the highest proportion of legal service providers in the United Kingdom, many of whom are self- employed or paralegal businesses. Many law graduates seeking careers as barristers or solicitors may find that working as a paralegal will enable them to develop their knowledge and experience if they wish to resume their progress towards qualifying as a solicitor or barrister at a later date.” Rita’s advice is especially apt as in July 2014 the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) announced changes to the training regulations that allow LPC graduates to qualify as solicitors without doing a training contract – provided that they can show to the SRA’s satisfaction that they have achieved equivalent training elsewhere. In April 2015 Robert Houchill (now of of Kingsley Napley) became the first paralegal to qualify in this way.
Most paralegals specialise in one type of law – commonly personal injury, family, criminal, conveyancing, debt recovery, probate or commercial law – so most vacancies are in these practice areas (there is more variety if you work for an in-house legal department). Unless you have previous practice experience, you will be applying for entry-level positions, even as a law graduate. As entry-level positions tend not to be advertised, you should apply direct to the firms you would like to work for. Competition is fierce and preference tends to be given to those who have some experience or practical legal training. Optional training valued by employers is available from a variety of providers. The IoP’s new training arm, IoP Law School, to be launched in the autumn 2018 will provide specialist paralegal training programmes and qualifications that are mapped to the paralegal competency standards. • www.theiop.org CILEx legal executives CILEx was established in 1963 with the aim of recognising the skills offered by lawyers’ clerks in England and Wales. CILEx now represents around 20,000 individuals who are employed in various legal institutions in the United Kingdom, including private practice law firms, local government, and commerce and industry. Chartered legal executives are qualified lawyers who have at least three years’ experience of working under the supervision of a solicitor and who have passed the CILEx exams. Their daily work is similar to that of solicitors, but they have a narrower training than that of a qualified solicitor. They often specialise in one or two areas of the law.
Depending on his or her area of specialisation, a chartered legal executive
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