Paralegals
Paralegals are professionals who work in law firms, but are not qualified as solicitors or chartered legal executives. Although paralegals used to be seen purely as support staff, the role of paralegal has moved beyond just assisting solicitors – paralegals are becoming a distinct group of legal professionals in their own right, although at present this kind of role is still usually seen as a stepping stone to becoming a solicitor or chartered legal executive, rather than a career in itself. The roles of some paralegals are often little different from those of trainee and junior solicitors. This means that you can apply to qualify as a solicitor while working as a paralegal, provided that you can satisfy the Solicitors Regulation Authority that you have gained the same knowledge and skills in your role as you would have through a training contract. The first paralegals qualified this way in 2015 – dubbed the ‘equivalent means route’ – and this is now a valid route to becoming a solicitor (on which more below). Another common reason why many graduates work as paralegals is that this is a good way to gain the crucial legal work experience needed to get a training contract. Some paralegals gain experience and then apply for a training contract at the same firm, while others move from firms where this is not an option and go on to apply successfully elsewhere.
However, a note of caution: paralegals perform many of the same tasks as solicitors, but are generally not paid anywhere near as much and there is not the same clear career progression that solicitors can pursue. It may be that the equivalent means route to qualifying as a solicitor helps to counteract this status and pay imbalance, and put more power back into the hands of paralegals and aspiring solicitors, but for now be careful and stay mindful of your prospects for career progression. Further reading The Paralegal section on LawCareers.Net – click on ‘More Law’ from the LCN homepage, then on ‘Paralegals’ in the sidebar on the right. The Law Apprenticeships Guide 2019
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‘Equivalent means’ offers new path to qualification It is now possible to use the experiences gained in a paralegal role to qualify as a solicitor, as long as you have graduated from university and completed the LPC. In 2015 Shaun Lawler was one of the first solicitors to qualify in this new way. He says: “If people have the necessary qualifications and experience, then they should be able to qualify as solicitors without needing a law firm’s say so.
Paralegal work effectively got my foot in the door of the legal profession. I moved away from home to London and applied for a few different paralegal roles with the aim of getting some experience while completing the LPC. Working and studying at the same time was hard, but it definitely gave me the experience that I needed to move forward, without which I would have found it much harder to pursue qualification as a solicitor.”
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