Alternative careers
says: “I do a lot of civil litigation landlord and tenant disputes, bankruptcy insolvency and a wide range of other matters. I go to court and represent clients working with barristers, but I also have my own case-load and I’m very involved.” Amanda Hamilton, chief executive of NALP confirms that for those who still wish to qualify as solicitors, paralegal experience is a way to show that you’re already aware of the law, practice and procedure, and can therefore become a valuable part of a firm. • www.nationalparalegals.co.uk • www.theiop.org CILEX Lawyers CILEX (The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives) is one of the three main professional bodies covering the legal profession in England and Wales. The 20,000-strong membership is made up of CILEX Lawyers, paralegals and other legal professionals. CILEX Lawyers are qualified lawyers who have passed the CILEX exams as well as accumulating the necessary qualifying work experience in their chosen field. Their daily work is similar to that of solicitors, but they have specialist training rather than the more generalist training of a qualified solicitor. Depending on their area of specialisation, a CILEX Lawyer may brief barristers, advise a party on a matrimonial dispute, draft a will or draw up documentation for the formation of a company. They’re recognised by the Ministry of Justice as qualified lawyers and are eligible for judicial appointments, can be partners in law firms, coroners, judges or advocates in open court. In 2021, CILEX introduced the CILEX Professional Qualification (CPQ), a new three-stage progressive qualification. It’s suitable for both graduates and non-
what counts most is your skill, ability and attitude; professional titles (or lack thereof) are secondary. In an ABS business you would, as a paralegal, be eligible to become a partner/director. Beyond the regulated legal sector lies the unregulated sector. Most legal work isn’t deemed reserved activity work – which means anyone can do it. As a result, the unregulated sector is already large and continues to grow at a very fast rate. Over a decade of determined legal deregulation by the government has encouraged the growth of around 6,000 paralegal law firms (ie, commercial organisations offering legal services without solicitor/barrister involvement). Compare that explosive growth to the four-and-a-half centuries it’s taken for there to be around 10,300 solicitors’ firms. One route to becoming a paralegal is the paralegal apprenticeship, but it’s not 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 don’t have any legal qualifications and only a minority are graduates. 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’s more variety if you work for an in-house legal department). Unless you have previous practice experience, you’ll be applying for entry-level positions, even as a law graduate. Chennel Scott, who completed the National Association of Licensed Paralegals (NALP) Level 7 Diploma in Paralegal Practice after gaining her LLB has been working for the same law firm now for 11 years. She was offered a paralegal role immediately after graduating with her Level 7 Diploma and
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